Caught halfway between city noise and rural British landscapes, alt-electronic duo Jacana People meld bittersweet electronica with sprawling organic textures. Forming their sound around themes of escapism, reflection and evolution, this pair take listeners through rippling, synth-driven cuts, full of warmth and light whilst threading subtle melancholy into their music.
Bumping kick-drums and glowing pads point towards the duo’s love of club culture, whilst pulses of string plucks, hang drums and sample-heavy vocal chops hint at far-reaching influences. Ambient, 90s house, and techno reveals a catalogue as accessible as it is diverse and forward-looking.
For these long-standing friends, making music together has always been second nature and therapeutic. In their time as Jacana People, collaboration has been central to their development, not only with each other but with friends like Barry Can’t Swim, Antony Szmierek, Neil Cowley, Emancipator and Anna Phoebe. Ultimately, Jacana People’s music-making is tied up in their appreciation of others; an ode to long-standing icons Brian Eno, Kieran Hebden, David Byrne – all coalescing to further this pair’s sonic ambition.
What started as a means of distraction, has already produced quick success and acclaim; 11 million streams with strong support from Spotify, Apple, Tidal etc, plus airplay across BBC Radio 1 & BBC 6 Music. Jacana People’s kaleidoscopic electronica aims to mirror the shifting, emotional trip of life’s circular patterns. The pair’s productions consistently shimmer and radiate: a sound with no hard edges that leads you elsewhere – a surrender to another place.
