new music: stream ‘flora’ the new ep from jj doom producer jneiro jarel #soundcheck

Jneiro Jarel aka Dr. Who Dad came up 2 years ago with his collaboration with the great MF DOOM, Key to the Kuffs. But the experimental producer has been kicking around for more than a decade making boundary pushing beats that tread the line between hip-hop, jazz, alt-rock, and electronica. His latest solo EP is Flora.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

JJ’s “The Path” features GONE on the most pop track on the record, but by no means the best. From there, we quickly descend down the rabbit hole of boundary-less instrumental beats. “Cahuita” rides a beat that seams constantly on the verge of going off the rails beneath SCUO guitarist Scott Burton’s propulsive lead lines. Highlife phrases blend with ultra-modern production and wide open space for the rare hip-hop instrumental that deserves to stay that way.

“Cahuita’s” abrupt end leads into the spaced out “Viberian Skies,” which features its own arbitrary and abrupt end suggesting an extended version of Flora that could have been. “Gibbon In The Mist” sadly features no cameo from Key to the Kuffs collaborator Beth Gibbons, but no-one’s perfect. Through pulsing compressors, Jarel turns a sustained string note into a solid melody over a 2 minute run-time. As Jneiro Jarel positions himself as the next visionary underground producer, Flora may not be a full meal, but it’s a brilliant appetizer.