Electronic jazz
 

K guys, dont get me wrong; im completely in love and aware of all the classics ( Coltrane, Mingus etc ) , but I also share a great love for other genres. Those being Metal, Rap, Electronic and basically anything else. But I have been wondering, are there some Elecronic jazz bands around? I mean not just stuff like typical electronic music (whatever style) with some jazz lines, but like a dedicated band who have morphed that into a whole and fully unique style? I dunno, give it some thought and let me know!

I'm not really sure what's classified as "Electronic Jazz". Is it just another term for those Nu Jazz/Ambient/Ninja Tune stuff?
From whatever little I have, some of these artists have jazzy parts and electronic bits as well -

Jaga Jazzist - A Livingroom Hush
Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Cicadidae
Supersilent - 6, 5, 4, 1-3 etc.
Skalpel - S/T
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - S/T (thanks to Zarko for this :D)

Then there are a few more names floating around with the "ambient" and "jazz" tag, but I don't know what they classify as. If anyone else has a better example, please do post.

Edit: A bit more info...Just go through this Ninja Tune label. I've found a lot of interesting stuff through them. Mr Scruff, Amon Tobin, The Cinematic Orchestra...just to name a few.

Here is a link to music labeled Electronic Jazz on last.fm

tag/electronic+jazz

To me, electronic jazz is taking the foundation of jazz and using synthesizers and samplers to express the music.

Yeah Top album. Get that PC fixed Zarko:wave:!

Try Bladerunner blues - Vangelis

Does that fall into that category?

the cinematic orchestra definitely fits the bill but they're VERY low key, a lot of people have a hard time getting into them for that reason. their earlier stuff has more of a jazz feel also.

same goes for amon tobin. his first 2 major releases all have a brazillian jazz / drum and bass feel to them but then he starts stretching out after 'supermodified'. he's been one of my favourites since the first time i heard his music.

the 'xploding plastix' kind of fit the electro jazz bill as well although they're more loop based but it's definitely old school jazz loops.

old 'squarepusher' also definitely has some jazz elements to it, especially 'music is a rotted one note' and 'hard normal daddy'.

Haha glad you guys liked it :D I can't get over the KDJE TBH.... Always have a good crank of them every few days. Probably wearing them out, but as long as I enjoy it...

The Esbjorn Svensson Trio is a bit experimental in that way, particularly 'Leucocyte' - Half of it is piano jazz but it has some really solid electronic ambient mixture sprinkled about.

Those, along with Dave's list (Always a treat) are probably the best ones to start off with, Tobin, jaga jazzist, Squarepusher...

Yeah, the cinematic orchestra definitely aren't easy to appreciate. I started with Every Day, but thought it was really boring by the end of track 2. Forced myself to sit through the entire thing and I really started liking it more! Now, I can just put it on whenever I like and GET what's it all about :D. Still need to get more of their stuff though.

i quite like the cinematic orchestra's debut 'motion'. it's just as slow paced but there seems to be a bit more going on in the background to keep your attention going. the remix album is also a little more lively. then again i prefer instrumentals, so that's probably why i like it better than 'every day'.

Another one I would suggest is 'Nils Petter Molvaer'

It has a bit of everything on Molvaer's slow and sad trumpet base, but it gets a solid electronic groove to it. Definitely worth checking out, Khmer would be one of my fave jazz albums over the last 15 years.

Not the best example, a lttle too beaty for me, but still good.

My most recent post here

Skalpel is a newer one I found, I quite like it, using a lot of samples from old polish jazz. Some solid tunes so far :thumbsu: Thanks Demonoid

You may be interest Dave :)

sounds good, i'll poke around and see what i can find :thumb:

It's definitely a grower. Basically lays the groove down, which is what I look for in many of these releases. Glad you liked it at least.
And I wouldn't mind giving 'Nils Petter Molvaer' a listen either. I just happened to bump into that name again today, which got me interested. Their/his discog seems to be a bit medium sized though. I suppose 'Khmer' would be the best to start with as you've mentioned it already.

Jeeez; NO ONE has mentioned to this poor soul the Miles Davis groups of the 70s!!! Check out the records "Bitches Brew," "Live Evil," and "Live At The Fillmore 1970: It's About That Time." You will not be let down.

P.S.- Not so sure I'd call this Skalpel fellow jazz or not. Eh I hate labels. Jazz is the most abused word in the world.

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Now, If you want to give me an essay that all this is trash and old-school stuff is the best yadayada, say it elsewhere.

Hmmm maybe if this was a thread about jazz fusion... You could add those to the list...

Unfortunately this is about electronic jazz. Or Nu-Jazz...

Yeah Khmer would be the go... I'll try and find a blog...

I'm sorry I offended you Zarko, but what's with the hang up on genres? The original poster seemed to be looking for jazz with more electronic (I thought of the word electric too, apparently there is a massive distinction between these two words) elements. He asked about a dedicated group with a unique style. Naturally I thought of the Miles group. Fusion is a word invented after Bitches Brew came out. Electric, electronic, whatever you want to call it, its jazz(ish) and it has electr(on)ic elements. No not electronicA elements. But I didn't assume that by electronic he meant electronica.

I'd love to give you an essay but all it needs is a few sentences instead. In general, if there is one thing that binds all of what people call 'jazz' together (even that **** Kenny G and the smooth 'jazz' ****e in the world) it is improvisation. Skalpel are two DJs mixing samples together to create tunes... maybe one of them is the drummer. Point being, it lacks improvisation. At any rate, I'm sorry I even said anything because nitpicking about genres creates wasteful arguments about electric vs. electronic vs. fusion vs. who the **** cares the kid wants to listen to some new music.

To the original poster, I sincerely apologize if I have led you astray to something horrific and not at all what you had in mind! God only knows how dangerous some music can be to a person's mind!

lol so you didn't get the point, and are now trying to turn it around on us? The OP clearly states he is talking about genres, the electronic genre. electronica is just another name or sub genre for the genre electronic. fusion is not a part of the electronic genre.

The sampling is pure jazz from the 60's onwards... They fuse that with their electronica overtones. Its like acid jazz, nu jazz...

The funny thing is, you are the one getting all 'hung up' on genres... SO it seems pretty hypocritical of you :p:

while the words are pretty simliar there's a world of difference between electric and electronic music.

how much improv was put on recordings prior to davis' 'kind of blue'? it was still part of the style but not always reflected on the recordings. same goes for dj based albums but the better ones know how to improv when it comes to live performances (amon tobin comes to mind as a prime example although he's moved away from the south american jazz stylings he started with over the last few years).

here are a few examples of groups listed in this thread that should make the distinction between electric and electronic rather clear.

jaga jazzist - animal chin



squarepusher - cooper's world (live) note how he's the only person on stage


here's an old amon tobin track from his supermodified album

I just listened to Jaga Jazzist. That stuff is awesome. thanks.

I can't believe I completely forgot about St. Germain. Check it:





The album 'Tourist' is the absolute schizz.

Yes thanks for clearing that up. And thanks for the insight on some pretty cool groups. I hadn't heard of Amon Tobin. I like it a lot. I'm quite a bit more confused than ever as to what the word 'jazz' means today so I'm going to go right now and start a new discussion of it. See you there!

i don't think you're wrong on your views on jazz, especially not the improvisational aspect to the music. it's just the forms the musicians tend to follow these days don't ascribe to established methods nearly as much.

i tried to get 3 of the best examples of the new approaches i could think of with those clips

jaga jazzist started off in highschool as bandmates in their school group. there's a pair of brothers in the group who are the main creative force for the 10 piece. i saw them in ottawa in the summer of 2004, they left a far more significant impression on me than herbie han**** did a month prior. they have a full traditional setup with a complete horn section and solo spots for everyone during their sets but at the same time they don't shy away from tape loops and effects on the guitar or bass.

squarepusher is a modern virtuoso. he doesn't need a band to establish a groundwork for his bass playing prowess. everything but the bass is pre-programmed yet it never sounds like a machine trying to emulate a human since he pushes his machines beyond the limits of what a single person can do with their hands.

amon tobin describes himself as a beatsmith. he takes from anything and everything he can get his hands on to create his own soundscapes from material that would otherwise be ignored or discarded (especially on his last disc). on the surface he's just another DJ but he's not some cheeseball ibiza clown just adding an oppressive 4/4 beat under some cliche nu-disco sample

Nightmares On Wax. forgot these too:





Not strictly Jazz but such a chilled band (one guy to be precise).

A bit more on the ambient side, but sounds great. Definitely will keep an eye out for this. I'm sure finding it won't be a problem.

Same goes for Nightmares on Wax as well. I've got most of their (his) releases, but I find that a lot of these acid-jazz, chilled kinda stuff works much better late in the night.

Do you mean that you would like 'Tourist' then? :D

Maybe :D.

speaking of st. germain they feature ernest ranglin on guitar on a few tracks (might be on the boulevard album)

either way he's a jamaican jazz guitarist, not an electronic act but definitely worth checking out if you like jazz and raggae.

By the way mr. dave... I'm down with the wallofpanda. Great name, fun sounds.

I came to find this thread because I was searching Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble. But I'd like to submit local Seattle producer eR DoN who creates a pretty unique (to my ears) mixture of jazz and instrumental hip-hop. Check out this clip.



I ran across his album one day when I decided to browse an online shop that features a lot of local artists, I was instantly in love with the sound clips and ordered the CD. It's gotten a lot of play since.