Jenova 7 is nom de plume of Michael J. Sirois, Boston born trip-hop musician and independent filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Dusted Wax Kingdom label. His genres include downtempo jazz, trip-hop & abstract instrumental hip-hop.
Having already highlighted a collaborative track Haiku with Jenova 7 and Esbe earlier this week in our On The Radar feature, a little research was undertaken and Jenova 7's prolific Bandcamp output certainly stood out - thereby deserving a fuller spot featured on the blog in little more depth.
Dusted Jazz Volume Two is the second of the "Dusted Jazz" digital series by Jenova 7. Released February 15, 2012 as a free download from Dusted Wax Kingdom (dustedwax.org), the LP includes extra input from Hugo Kant on Inner Space and Mr. Moods on Introspect.
Preceded by Soul For Sale in 2010 (Jenova 7's "official debut album") and 2011's Dusted Jazz Volume One EP (considered, along with Volume Two, as "an intermission between the debut album and upcoming release The Sounds Of Sector 7"), The LP clocks in at a highly respectable 58 minutes of chilled sounds which are in his own words:
"The layering of phat drums, groovy basslines and addictive jazzy elements [of] pure genius and brings delightful reminiscences from the supreme years of the oldschool organic samples-based hip-hop."
The moods set on this and the earlier releases are lush, transporting the listener along in a wonderfully luxuriant groove which proves beyond any doubt that a marriage of lo-fi Hip Hop beats and Jazz/Blues melodies can be one made all but a hair's breadth from Heaven.
Essentially, these tunes make a delightful soundtrack to everyday life, are perfect for relaxing to, or alternatively for providing a cinematic background when you happen to be sitting at a rainy window on a grey day, with perhaps a sax and cigarette in hand. That kind of thing, ya'know...
Click through on the Bandcamp player for links to Jenova 7's associated Dusted Wax label, SoundCloud, Vimeo, YouTube and social sites. Plus keep an eye out for the new LP coming later this month.