Fortnightly show from Berlin, exploring the city’s vibrant music scene and nightlife, featuring exiled and original Berliners bringing live mixes and interviews.

This special episode is the XJazz Special with Daniel W. Best, JJ Whitefield & Kryptox Records.

XJazz Festival

The festival was launched in 2014, and immediately became Berlin’s biggest Jazz festival. By opening up the jazz spectrum to include genres like improvised electronica and minimalist classical music, the festival encourages jazz and its continuing influence on all forms of contemporary music. The festival places a strong emphasis on contrasting and surprising elements and taking place in non typical venues (like techno- & indie-clubs, churches) around the popular area of Kreuzberg in Berlin. This years line-up includes Meute, Kate Tempest, Kokoroko, Yussef Dayes, The Bad Plus, Henrik Schwarz, Rymden, Omer Klein, J.J. Whitefield, Ismael Ensemble, etc.

JJ.Whitefield

German guitarist, bandleader and producer JJ Whitefield has been spearheading several musical sub-genres over the last two decades. His bands Poets of Rhythm, Whitefield Brothers and Karl Hector & The Malcouns are almost legendary to fans worldwide. He has been releasing influencial albums on Ninja Tune, Mo‘Wax, Daptone, Strut, Stones Throw and Now-Again and is probably one of the most respected German undergound musicians.

Now he is reaching new levels of nastiness with his Kraut-Jazz debut for Kryptox music. The new german label that has been created to show what´s happening in the growing german Neo-Jazz underground. A label collaboration between Gomma and K7 Records.

Whitefield is an innovator in the experimental kraut, deep funk, neo jazz scene. An obsessed record collector since his teenage years, Whitefield´s productions aim for a timeless quality and are often regarded on par with the classics they´re influenced by.

In the 1990’s he paved the way for the retro funk revival as mastermind of the Poets Of Rhythm. A band he started while still in school. The group begun with selfreleased 7“ vinyl singles, made on a 4-track tape recorder in his moms basement, and ended up with a album deal on Ninja Tune (and people like DJ Shadow, Coldcut, Mark Ronson and Gilles Peterson beeing massive fans.)
These „Poets of Rhythm – records later served as main influence for the Daptone crew. The New York band that became Amy Winehouse backingband on her breakthrough album Back In Black. ( And btw: These early Poets- vinyls are highly sought after collectors items now, trading hands for hundreds of dollars…in case you own some.)

After the early Poets of Rhythm sucess JJ Whitefield moved to the States to learn more about beat making and black music culture. He connected with the New York and Bay Area Jazz and Hip Hop scene and that resulted in productions for american artists. Among that also own albums on Stones Throw and Now Again with his bands Whitefield Brothers and Karl Hector (Afro Funk) and Rodinia (Kraut Experiments).

After beeing obsessed with Funk, Jazz and Hip Hop Whitefield later started to widen his interests in west african and ethiopian music. Record collecting and production. This passion culminated of him beeingan integral part in re- launching the career of ghanaian afro funk legend Ebo Taylor and recording Taylor’s two albums for Strut Records.

His passion for african music brought him also to work with Jagari Chanda of zambian rock legends the W.I.T.C.H. since 2010. Now, back in Germany, JJ Whitefiled culminates all these experiences on his album Brother All Alone.

A melting pot of styles and influences, drawing from Kraut, Jazz, Ambient and world music heritages. His new band consists of some of the most interesting talents of the new German Jazz & Kraut scene: Johannes Schleiermacher, Bernd Oezsevim,and Maasl Maier (Karaba, Embryo), with guest appearances from Sam Davids, Charif Megarbane and Marja Burchard.

Kryptox Records

Kryptox is a new label for unheard forms of music based in Germany, founded in 2018. With Mathias Modica’s creative direction, new artists who create unique sonic voyages, inspired by Jazz, contemporary classical music, experimental electronica.

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