Two definitions of the word – the first is the everyday presence of our commercial world, where homogenized music is pushed out to the masses through centralized media. The second – in many places, especially simultaneously, defines the evolving world of Jneiro Jarel. Born in Brooklyn, raised in many places, Jneiro Jarel travels the planet (and seemingly beyond) to explore the full meaning of all forms of life.
The credits tell the story of the underground traveler; The early years on the scene, delivering his timeless, undefinable Three Piece Puzzle LP. The middle years, defying expectation with a host of solo and collaborative releases with an equally diverse array of identities – Dr Who Dat?, Willie Isz, Capital Peoples, and Shape Of Broad Minds. The next phase, as half of JJ DOOM with the incomparable MF DOOM. The list of partners in music is long, including Khujo Goodie, Damon Albarn, Beth Gibbons, TV On The Radio, and most recently Kimbra. Some artists push boundaries; Jneiro Jarel redraws them, consistently making a new path by walking it.
To us Jneiro Jarel’s path may seem like uncharted musings, but to the careful observer the path takes shape as it evolves. Using the studio as the creative center for his enlightened worldview, Jneiro Jarel travels outside the planet and returns to bring his story to the people of the world. He could be defined as a ‘vintage futurist’ who, like Sun-Ra and others before him, is channeling the lifeblood and pulse of the universe.
Stepping away from the pressures of the music business and embracing full creative freedom, Jneiro Jarel has created Flora, the first issue of the Viberian trilogy that will make up his next full length release. The project is unforced, happening as it comes, and expresses a new place of appreciation for the true heart of the planet. Spinning off from the 2010 release ‘Fauna’, Flora sonically evokes images of plant life and the interconnectivity of all things. Musically sampling elements of the earth – animal sounds, bird calls, human sounds – Flora takes you somewhere else. The listener is forced to give up on definition and travel with the sound.
Flora is ubiquitous; it is in many places simultaneously. Places that you know, places that you don’t. It is a lush soundscape that is lonely and comforting at the same time. It makes you think in ways that are familiar yet unusual. It delivers a deep sense of respect for life.
