You may not have heard the name Jackson Almond before, but you will have likely heard some of his music. Having released on WotNot back in 2013 under the name Real, with a flurry of EPs, remixes and bootlegs under this name and as part of duo Boean (on BBE, Warner, XVI & Slowfoot among others), Jackson has been delighting ears for a while now, with a particular knack for balancing hooks and earworms with original ideas and creative production.
This EP began life as a series of headphone jams written when Jackson was living outside of the city in self-imposed exile, tuning into the goings on in dance music from an external position. It was then polished into dancefloor gems at the WotNot studio at the Total Refreshment Centre. The music reflects this, with the sonic palette reflecting lo-fi and outsider house, but with a warmth, depth and musicality specific to his own personal situation.
The music embodies the hook of the title track - Open Your Head - a mix of influences and sounds from world, soul, jazz, house and techno sources. In OYH, a child’s voice floats over percussive drum and mbira layers with African flavours, while soulful guitar stabs widen the palette. Ee Ye follows a similar idea with overseas sounds opening to infectious house organ stabs. People, Places, Things In Spaces is an immersive roller with warming Wurlitzer chords providing an almost gospel-like inflection.
The attention to detail throughout the EP is astonishing, the best example being the arrangement of our personal favourite Common, with the irresistible chord progression working its way around instruments, patiently building to hit its peak halfway through the track for the ultimate screwface moment.
Ultimately this rebirth of Jackson Almond sits nicely with a label finding their stride again; with widely-praised releases from Danvers and K15 already this year, WotNot are staking their claim on people’s ears once again.
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