Jamaica Suk – ‘Spektrum’ EP

A new Queen of Darkness is on the rise, and she goes by the name of Jamaica Suk. Originally from Northern California with musical roots in Jazz and Psychedelic Rock, Jamaica soon developed a love for machines alongside her relocation to San Francisco. With an innovative musician for a Grandfather whose involvement in revolutionary bands such as Muddy Waters & The Coasters greatly influencing her, Jamaica fuses her roots within her Berlin home base, and has produced her first 12” release out on Tim Xavier’s Face To Face imprint.

It’s a no nonsense start with ‘Spektrum’. Pounding kicks and harsh hats allow gritty pads to work their magic amongst shuddering percussion elements. It’s euphoric, in a dingy warehouse rave sense. The rough industrial vibe continues on ‘Lost Antics’, where a raw synth movement works its way naturally through the track, clashing with the pretty glistening ride cymbals. It’s unobtrusive and immersive like most of her work.

Subtle elements of Jamaica’s musical past teases on the A side, but these elements really start to shine through on the B, most noticeably on ‘Atlas’. Resonant bleeping synths move in a free-form way, whilst stripped down parts see a ghostly Jazz influence sway in a wonky fashion amongst militant kick and clap combos. There’s a lovely natural swing on the bubbly synthesis, referring somewhat to her Grandfather’s work with The Coasters, making this one feel almost like a tribute to her primary influences.

Each track has an enthralling moment; Jamaica creates the subtlest of delicacies and glides them over weighty kicks. This trend continues on the final record, which packs the biggest punch with its chunky kicks colliding with jaw clenching hats. Faint ominous keys hum in the background, immersing the dance floor, and as the track grows slowly with teasing injections of big room stabs, ‘Visualise’ then hits you with its unexpected lead. The hats almost tremble off it due to impact, sending a chill down the spine and allowing the haunting keys a chance to heal up before unleashing it again.

‘Spektrum’ as a whole maintains a sexy cohesive industrial development through its 4 tracks, despite being relatively safe in places. Again with references to her musical past featuring heavily, it appears the combination of genres is key to Jamaica Suk’s productions, which makes for exciting thought at this early stage of her career. This is a name you should be looking out for in 2015.

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