"blending both West African and American brands of funk with bluesy grit and psychedelic ambience, along with a chin-out attitude"- Billboard
What People Are Saying
Time Undone speaks a universal language and reveals deceptively simple truths at every turn: "Life goes on, don't be fooled, love is good."
— THOMAS FAWCETT (Austin Chronicle Review)
“Too Low To Get High”, is exemplary of their seamless blend, creating a distinct neo-soul-infused sound the band terms “ethno-funk.” A musical journey that touches the heart while blessing your ears.
— AFROPUNK
“‘Too Low to Get High’ showcases Kalu & the Electric Joint’s strong grasp of its craft, a stellar blend of genres from soul to psychedelia.- RIFF MAGAZINE.”
— CHLOE CATAJAN
“‘Sea Of Life’ allows plenty of room for James’ emotive vocals to take center stage, all over a lush, rolling backdrop of crunchy guitars and soaring vocal harmonies.”
— AMERICAN SONGWRITER
Kalu and the Electric Joint blend the powers of psychedelic soul music with the driving beat of rock and roll and the ancient rhythms of Africa. This afropsych musical chemistry comes from the bond forged by frontman Kalu James, who emigrated from Nigeria at age 18, and guitarist Jonathan “JT” Holt, who adds a touch of American soul to Kalu’s West African heritage. While “Time Undone” (2017, sPaceflight records) is a sonic masterpiece of original tunes with a positive message and soul-stirring beats, The group’s new record, “garden Of eden”(2023) explores disruption in all its forms: the beautiful, weird, to the tragic. arrangements are masterfully crafted Their music invoking a wide range of emotions while influencing with an uplifting and empowering message. Opening for acts like THE BLACK KEYS, George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic, Trombone shorty, Vieux Farka Toure, Allen Stone, amongst many others, this band is carrying modern music forward while paying tribute to the inspirations of the past.
GARDEN OF EDEN Press ReleASE
(Austin, TX - March 3rd, 2023) - In the cultural consciousness, Austin, TX looms as a capital of cross pollination, a place where creative thinkers in art and tech collide. But few artists personify this is as well Kalu and the Electric Joint, an Afropsych act led by Kalu James, the visionary son of a Nigerian village leader whose music fuses the Afrobeat rhythms and textures of his homeland with the psychedelic rock and soul legacy of his adopted home, and multi-instrumentalist/producer Jonathan “JT” Holt. As the flagship artist of pioneering non-profit record label Spaceflight Records, Kalu’s music business journey has been as inventive and disruptive as his aesthetic journey and on the epic new album Garden of Eden, Kalu explores that disruption in all its forms, from the beautiful to the weird to the tragic.
The process of creating Garden of Eden was itself suitably disruptive. Years of hard work led to Kalu and the Electric Joint piquing the interest of Dallas producer Jason Burt, known for collaborations with the likes of John Mayer and Leon Bridges. Burt invited Kalu out to his studio Modern Electric Sound Recorders, but two years of exhausting touring behind debut LP Time Undone left James and Holt without a rhythm section. The duo decided to take a risk and Garden Of Eden grew out of impromptu jamming at Modern Electric, where the rhythm responsibilities were split between drum programming by Burt and acoustic contributions from Holt. Those sessions birthed lead single “Downfall,” a haunting trip-hop opus that wields Krautrock bass and gospel-tinged vocals to explore the life, legacy and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, preaching “Love Conquers it all/And hate will be our downfall.”
After the creation of that devastating single, the team moved camp to Holt’s studio in South Austin. In the end, the inconvenience of losing their rhythm section opened the band up to a world of percussive possibilities and low-end theories, spurred on by Burt’s experimentalism and their own cosmopolitan proclivities. Like American music itself, the sound of Garden of Eden is a tapestry composed of many disparate materials, bound by a shared American experience that cannot be fully appreciated without recognizing its international roots. On title track “Garden of Eden” that tapestry is particularly vibrant, opening with a hypnotic slide riff that gives way to a ramshackle drum machine, jug bass and eerie synths encircling Kalu’s yearning voice, asking us “Are we missing something, something, something?/Or do we have everything we need?” The titular Garden of Eden could be a metaphysical concept, like the American dream itself, or it could be more microcosmic, perhaps poised to Austin itself as the city chaotically expands.
Not everything is so heady in the Garden of Eden, though– “Burn the Barn Down” is a strut-pulse anthemic number fit for an uproar, while “Like, Maybe” is a trippy mix of R&B and funk exploring the ups and downs of a rocky relationship. Elsewhere, “NOV16” marries the sensibilities of Radiohead and the Flaming Lips with its big, buzzing synths and glitched out rhythms, and “Mirror” updates psychedelic ragga rock for the 21st century, with surprising bursts of 808 kicks and stacks of vocal effects.
Garden of Eden is eclectic and curious but Kalu’s voice– strong yet soothing, tender with a jagged edge– serves as the comforting, confident core that holds it all together. Prior to Garden of Eden, Kalu and the Electric Joint were one of Austin’s most promising talents, and now they have fully come into their own with an album that gives voice to the anxious uncertainty of being an artist in one of the fastest growing and changing cities in the world.
