What an absolute dream to discover. JEIA, a Jakarta based music producer and filmmaker, is a creative forging her own, truly unique pathway, and the results are stunning.
Music in Everything Vol. I is a four track release presenting her musical expression as celebrated on Youtube over the past few months. Her approach is to make music from everyday things – coffee grinders, items in IKEA, the sounds of the streets in her home city – literally, the possibilities are endless. What may surprise you the most about this pursuit though, this EP, this collection of songs, is incredible to listen to. Simply the music of it, the soundscapes, the energy, the structure, the way the pieces develop and evolve – you’d be fascinated and captivated by it regardless, but to then learn of its origins; what a beautiful ear for opportunity she has, and what a beautiful thing to share with the world.
To listen to the music objectively, simply as music, is a beautiful experience in itself. Morning Routine features the flawlessly crafted evolution of a soundscape that does indeed seem to effectively represent the first few moments of a brand new day. It’s short and it’s sweet. The excitement comes from the fact that every single, intricate detail is something out of the ordinary, something unfamiliar, often impossible to track without visual accompaniment, and yet together – the ambiance is just blissful.
Nightwalk in Jakarta is a supremely joyful piece of music. It feels like a stroll through the city, there’s nothing dark or sinister about the night time element of it – you can sense the vibrant energy of a busy landscape. This piece follows on from the opener with incredible smoothness. The arrangement in fact, of this entire collection, seems set to stun – the impact of each moment is tripled by its placement between those that surround it.
Everybody Has Secrets takes things in a completely new direction. There’s an immediate sense of emotion to this piece, which is fascinating – how has this level of passion and feeling been expressed using every day items? Suddenly this feeling of sadness or deep reflection sets in, the soundscape seems to reiterate the depth of that title with every beat and every sample that soars past you. The down tempo, trip-hop inspired energy of this track is sublime. This fusion of sounds and notes provokes deep thought, and with that, an intense and compelling level of escapism.
The final track of Vol. I is This Place, a seductive and simultaneously motivational sounding track, with unique traces of funk or alternative hip-hop thrown into the mix. The production is just insanely good, from start to finish, always further underlining the brightness and power of these new age instruments. The samples used for the beat here are addictively entertaining.
This is really a project that needs to be listened to in full, several times over. JEIA’s talent is incomparable, her drive and passion to creative and capture new and unexpected sounds and samples is seemingly unstoppable, and the focus and professionalism required to put the perfect finishing touches on all of this means that there’s simply no getting around it – she is, by far, one of the most impressive producers and creatives of recent years. The Music in Everything Vol, I EP is untouchable. It is the compelling, limitless, unwavering future of music. Well worth the time it takes to experience.
Everything you see and hear was produced, edited, mixed & mastered by JEIA herself. Download the EP via iTunes or stream it on Spotify. Check out the rest of the original videos over on JEIA’s Youtube Channel. Find & follow JEIA on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud & Instagram. Visit her Website for more information. Get involved.
