Throughout several decades, jazz music has been losing popularity due to an inevitable decrease in exposure. With the help of digital audio workstations and modern software, jazz has become overshadowed by newer and edgier genres such as hip-hop and electronic dance music. Jazz has been struggling to compete within the music industry for years, and as the business continues to expand, so will the likelihood of jazz’s demise…
Enter DOMi & JD BECK, a young breakout duo that is actively disrupting the industry by reinstating the iconic sounds and playfulness of classic jazz into the modern mainstream. In case you aren’t familiar with them, Domitille Degalle, the 22-year-old French keyboardist and James Dennis Beck, the 19-year-old Texas-bred drummer met only four years ago at a music trade show and immediately established an unbreakable bond over their shared love and passion for creating music — and their absurdly high jazz standards, of course.
JD and Domi are not just any pair of talented experts at their crafts; these two are pioneering a modern approach to jazz music through their youthful and incredible songwriting. If it is one thing JD and Domi have in common, it is their everlasting strive for perfection, and if their bedroom jam sessions on YouTube won’t persuade you, then their debut album, NOT TiGHT, surely will.
The 15-track banger NOT TiGHT portrays the very musical traits that brought the esteemed duo into the limelight in the first place. Whether it’s Domi’s refined and simplistic approach to keyboard riffs and melodies or the effortless and addicting rhythm of JD’s drum playing, this record is nothing short of a breath of fresh air. As some may say, the young artists are ‘making jazz cool again.’ There isn’t a single track on this record that can’t make one go, “damn, that sh*t was smooth!”
Replayability Factor
All praises aside, what really makes this project stand out is its replayability factor. The project’s average track length is roughly three minutes, which is significantly shorter than most classic jazz records that to most non-jazz fans may often feel too ‘draggy.’ Their track mixdowns are tame yet smooth and lively, as each drum hit transient is tight and felt while the keyboard sounds are clean, bright, and soothing to the ears.
Tension & Release
Domi and JD have a seemingly strong awareness of pop-driven arrangements that they often choose to employ throughout their tracklist to give their characteristically jazz music a more novel and refined feel. Most of the tracks featured on NOT TiGHT portray a strong sense of tension and release, as they tend to divide their tracks into chill, break-like sections and crazy, ‘no holds barred’ styled sections. This very aspect of their songwriting is what projects their ‘mainstream’ qualities and boosts that replayability factor I mentioned earlier.
Simplicity & Sonic Palette
Domi’s illustrious melodic motifs are constantly free-flowing yet always maintain a sense of coherence, while JD’s drum breaks are tight, energetic, and purely contagious as they seamlessly marry Domi’s keyboard magic. Coupled with their playful yet calculated melodic arrangements and infectious rhythms, their unique approach to mastering the art of simplicity lies in the bareness of their sound selection; in fact, you won’t often hear more than just some stock e-piano sounds and soft synths acting as chorus ‘leads’ over a catchy drum and bass groove. Even still, it is nearly impossible to resist bobbing your head from side to side when a track of theirs comes on.
Branding
Apart from their mind blowing musicianship, Domi and JD are naturally incredible marketers. In an industry in which young artists often lack the character and authenticity needed to make a spark in the scene, Domi and JD are much-needed outliers that simply don’t take themselves very seriously. As young as they may be, they have an astonishingly eye-catching presence and style that perfectly matches their colorful yet ‘retro’ theme.
Based on the tremendous buzz that JD and Domi have been receiving online over their impressive jam sessions and features on Kenny Beats’s popular Twitch livestream, it is no surprise that Anderson .Paak took these two young talents under his wing, as the future looks brighter than ever for these two. DOMi & JD BECK are redefining jazz music before our very own eyes, and they are not to be overlooked!