Jlin’s second album Black Origami was crafted from a “driving feeling that I wanted to do something different, something that challenged me to my core,“ as she has said. The 12-track project showcases the electronic maven exploring the possibilities of percussion programming in myriad manners, focusing chiefly on “movement.” She credits Indian dancer/movement artist and frequent collaborator Avril Stormy Unger as a muse for her “Carbon 7” track.
“Our rhythms are so in sync at times it kind of scares us. When there is something I can’t quite figure out when it comes to my production, it’s like she senses it,” Jlin has said. Though “Carbon 7” was inspired by Unger,” the track’s Joji Koyama-directed video showcases dancer Corey Scott-Gilbert, who does a riveting job of interpreting the mysterious soundscape.
As a medley of stuttering percussion and warped vocal effects weave through the track at breakneck pace, Scott-Gilbert contorts, weaves and follows the rhythm of his own fluid choreography. There is symbolism at play throughout the minimalist video, particularly a jaunt beginning at the 1:18 mark that seems to signify the cycle of life from birth to the gravestone. The compelling video ends with the dancer upside down on a wood-metal contraption, striking a resolute pose as the figurative dust settles from Jlin’s powerful composition.
Black Origami can be purchased here on Planet Mu.
