Anjunabeats is pleased to release the self-titled debut album from JODA, aka Jono Grant and Darren Tate.
JODA are a fresh musical pairing with shared DNA. Both together and apart, Jono Grant and Darren Tate have been there, done that, and bought the vintage synth gear to celebrate.
Grant is one-third of Above & Beyond who, over the course of a two-decade career, have established themselves as one of the biggest electronic groups in the world. Eight studio albums (including one as vocal trance group OceanLab and two acoustic reworks), 17 compilation albums, a film score, and nearing 100 singles speak to output as varied as it is prodigious. Their label Anjunabeats is home to a bustling community of artists with over twenty years of catalog.
As a classically trained musician, songwriter, producer, and hitmaker, Tate is an OG Top of the Pops-botherer. In the early noughties, at the outset of his career, he appeared on the show three times, once with Angelic, his collaboration with Judge Jules and the latter’s wife, performing classic trance banger It’s My Turn, then twice under the name Jurgen Vries. The following years saw more musical adventures, more Top 40 UK hits (12 in total), and more pseudonyms, including the trance-facing DT8 Project.
In 2003, the pair managed to sync their schedules to work on a couple of tracks, 'Let The Light Shine In' and 'Nocturnal Creatures'. Clearly, there was chemistry here. But as the pair’s respective careers subsequently took them off around the world in opposite directions, reconnecting other than fleetingly was never easy. Then in 2019 Tate returned to his trance roots and signed to Anjunabeats for his DT8 Project releases. Around the same time, Above & Beyond received an offer to score an environmental documentary, 'The Last Glaciers'.
“I'm musical, but I've never done a score before, which would be quite an undertaking. And I knew Darren was massively experienced at doing that, and I've always admired what he does in his film work. So my first thought was: why don't we do it with Darren?”
Jono and Darren got stuck into composing together, and it became a dream project all around – not least because it sparked further ideas. So, JODA was born. Working in Tate’s studio in suburban north London, and A&B’s south London HQ, the pair were in a creative bubble during the early days of the pandemic. And the partnership proved fruitful.
For now, Jono Grant and Darren Tate are simply happy that a project that began almost when neither of them was looking, in the midst of lockdowns, has turned out exactly and as fully as they imagined. Unforced, unhurried, and only done for love: this is a passion project of the best kind.
“It's one of the great things about doing this job: that we get to do this job!” concludes Darren Tate, beaming. “Jono and I love making music, we get on really well together, so we have fun doing it. We naturally have perfectionist instincts, but the vibe is the most important thing. So this is also rough around the edges in all the right ways."
“It absolutely is a passion project,” affirms Jono Grant. “The other thing was, of course, we've done this over the pandemic. So it was cathartic. We were lucky enough to be able to work. And this was therapy of the best kind.”
JODA’s self-titled debut album is out now on Anjunabeats. Vinyl copies of ‘JODA’, plus logo tee bundles are available to pre-order via the Anjuna Music Store.
Tracklist:
(0:00) Fall Away
(5:28) We Find Ourselves
(11:12) Try (Interlude)
(12:06) Try
(15:47) Closer
(20:46) Breaking Down Walls
(26:20) Air
(30:14) Shape Of Your Heart
(35:12) Spark
(40:58) Dark Strings
(45:41) Smile
(51:29) Coming Alive
(56:17) No One Walks Away
[review top="1"]
[item value="10"]Beat and Rhythm[/item]
[item value="10"]Basslines and Groove[/item]
[item value="10"] Melody [/item]
[item value="10"] Synths [/item]
[item value="10"]Breakdown[/item]
[item value="10"]Climax / Drop / Crescendo / Pay off moment[/item]
[item value="10"]Intensity, Drive and Energy[/item]
[item value="10"]Sound-design and Arrangement[/item]
[item value="10"]Overall Atmosphere[/item]
[item value="10"]Goosebumps / Shivers moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Emotional affinity and heartfelt moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Originality and Inventiveness[/item]
[item value="10"]Radio Friendly[/item]
[item value="10"]You can’t get this memorable track out of your head[/item]
[item value="10"]It has potential to become an anthem or a classic[/item]
[item value="10"]Joda - Joda [/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"] The music fans of trance we are truly blessed to have in our community talented producers like Jono Grant and Darren Tate. Both of them they adore their art and their common project is an example of high quality electro pop with progressive trance and house infusions too. Great electro pop style melodies and warm welcoming atmosphere that makes you feel at home surrounded by cinematic strings, organic melodies and indie rock style vocals with lyrics that they have something nice to communicate and definitely go under the surface. Optimistic and colorful sounds demand for attention and endorsement away from music genre categories. Electronic music was always about transgressing the boundaries and escaping the ordinary so definitely this album will captivate you and quickly absorb you in its beautiful world. A new chapter started and we will be excited to see Joda live too. Pure Gold [/content]
[/review]
Follow JODA:
Website: https://joda-music.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodamusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JODA_music
Follow Anjunabeats:
Website: https://www.anjunabeats.com
Anjunastore: https://store.anjunabeats.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anjunabeats
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/anjunabeats
Spotify: https://anjunabeats.ffm.to/newrelease...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anjunabeats
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/anjuna
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/anjunabeats
Discord: https://www.discord.gg/anjuna