J-LIN - AKOMA

Released: 22/03/24

Is Jlin (AKA Jerrilynn Patton) the most forward-thinking, boundary-pushing electronic artist working right now? She’s certainly up there with other seismic talents such as Holly Herndon (with whom she has collaborated on the AI-powered ‘Godmother’ project) and Loraine James; although starting off ostensibly as a footwork artist, with early mentorship from RP Boo and DJ Rashad, Jlin's music has now mutated well beyond the genre’s confines, through her detailed and meticulous exploration of rhythm’s inner and outer reaches. Another artist directly influenced (I would suggest) by their city’s industrial soundscape – for Berry Gordy’s Motown, and The Stooges and the MC5, it was the Detroit motor industry – for the Gary, Indiana native her former life as a steel factory worker, combined with being a self-described maths nerd, is a potent creative mix.

While with every release Jlin seems to make a giant artistic leap forward, the phenomenal Akoma is her most bravura statement yet – a synthesis of modern classical (‘new music’) and abstract EDM rhythmicality featuring guest appearances from Björk, Philip Glass and the legendary Kronos Quartet. Which, holy shit. Of course, this turn towards new music has been an ongoing concern for Jlin for some time – she has previously composed a string quartet for the Kronos Quartet, and performed with them live in a tribute to Glass, as well as playing with the storied company in a celebration of the work of Sun Ra; and her percussion work for Third Coast Percussion, Perspective, was very well received – but even still, none of that prepares the listener for the breathtakingly radical compositional structures to be found on Akoma.