About

— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

The New York Times hailed them as simultaneously "freakishly complex and virtuosic" and "relentlessly melodic", with an album that exemplifies their trailblazing take on jazz. After garnering a massive following online for their virtuoso covers (of Thundercat, Flying Lotus and MF Doom, among others) - the prodigious duo of French keyboardist DOMi and American drummer JD Beck were signed to APESHIT, Anderson .Paak’s imprint on storied jazz label Blue Note. This is where the pair would release their stunning 2022 album NOT TiGHT, which showcases not just DOMi & JD Beck’s nimble instrumental prowess (blistering keyboard solos and unorthodox breakbeat grooves abound), but their compositional acuity as well.

Blurring the lines between jazz, R&B and hip-hop, NOT TiGHT dexterously traverses tempos and genre boundaries. Featuring heavyweights like Thundercat, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mac DeMarco, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and their own label boss - this album is a must-listen for newbies and old jazz heads alike. - The Analog Vault
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DOMi & JD BECK are an instrumental keyboard and drum duo known for their hyperactive, future-shock blend of progressive jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. After signing to Anderson .Paak's Apeshit label, they topped Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart with their debut, NOT TiGHT.

Formed in 2018, the duo features keyboardist DOMi Louna and drummer JD Beck. Born Domitille Degalle in Metz, France, DOMi started playing piano and drums at age three and was already a gifted performer by her teens. Following a brief period at the Conservatoire de Paris, she quickly relocated to Berklee College of Music in Boston where she studied jazz on a full scholarship. She began posting videos online and soon caught the attention of hip-hop luminaries Anderson .Paak, Louis Cole, and Thundercat who brought her into their creative circle.

It was while attending a NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants) trade show in 2018 that she met drummer Beck. A Dallas native, Beck started on drums at age eight and was mentored early on by other Dallas percussion stars, including Snarky Puppy's Robert "Sput" Searight and Stanley Clarke Band regular Mike Mitchell. He also gigged, working in producer Jah-Born's band, where he was exposed to a cross-pollinated blend of hip-hop, electronic, and DJ grooves. The pair hit it off and began jamming, combining DOMi's '70s jazz fusion-influenced style with Beck's kinetic blend of IDM, funk, and prog. Gigs followed, as did performances alongside Thundercat, Herbie Hancock, Ariana Grande, and others. They also continued their work with .Paak, signing to his Apeshit label and co-writing the song "Skate" off the rapper's Grammy-winning 2021 collaboration with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic. In 2022, DOMi & JD BECK released "SMiLE" as the first single off their debut full-length, NOT TiGHT. Along with .Paak, the album also featured guest appearances by Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and others. It topped Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart and picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. — (via AllMusic)

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Label: Blue Note, Apeshit
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, 180g
Released:2022
Genre: Jazz, Hip Hop
Style: Fusion, Free Jazz, Jazzy Hip-Hop, Modern/Future Jazz

File under: TAV Essential Listening
File under: Jazz // Modern/Future Jazz
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About Domi & JD Beck:
To date, if you wanted to learn about DOMi & JD BECK—the internet’s most hyped jazz duo—you had to visit their website, click a rat playing saxophone, and read a story about a 12-year-old physicist (DOMi Louna) and a 6-year-old sheep investigator (JD Beck). Let’s fix that. “My philosophy of life is don’t take shit too seriously,” says DOMi Louna, born Domitille Degalle. And that’s fair. But the vibrant world she and her collaborator have given us demands exploration.

Their long-awaited debut album—which will be released by Anderson .Paak’s new label APESHIT in partnership with the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records—is an attempt to bottle their goofy, very virtuosic magic. Their music finds both humor and greatness in harmonic complexity and rhythmic shiftiness, abruptly adopting and ditching tempos, toying with time signatures, and sneaking extra beats into bridges.

The collaboration began under silly circumstances. DOMi Louna was a teen protegé at Berklee by way of the Paris Conservatory; JD, three years her junior, had gigged since grade school around his hometown, Dallas—first in producer Jah-Born’s band where he duetted with MPC beatmakers and DJs spinning Dilla. In 2018, they were both invited to join an ensemble performing at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show and played in a room full of blaring instrumental demos, surrounded by a chaotic din. They bonded over gauche keyboard effects and mom jokes, and a more audible jam that night sparked interest in working more. Along the ride, DOMi & JD BECK have sat in with Herbie Hancock and backed Thundercat, Ariana Grande, Mac DeMarco, Eric André, and more. They also co-wrote “Skate” on .Paak’s GRAMMY-winning album with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic. — (via Label)