Chicago’s Jdotbalance takes club music to wild, unpredictable and banging territory on Verdant, the latest release for NYC label and forward-thinking-party-starters SLINK. Across four tracks, Jdotbalance shows us that dancefloors deserve more than just 8-bar loops and functional tools. His tracks turn left and right, they go up and down, in and out—there is no direction left unexplored. This is best demonstrated in “Melt,” the closing track from the EP that threatens to explode from the start, slowly building for nearly three minutes before abruptly shifting into 90s Rotterdam gabber rave mode, and then veering back into deep-stepper territory. The joy of listening to Verdant is in its triumphant contrasts—in tempo, genre, textures, and feeling.

Nina spoke with Jdotbalance to learn a little more about how the record came together.

Location: Chicago

Can you tell us about Verdant? What significance, if any, does the name have?

Jdotbalance: The inspiration for Verdant stems from the concept of Wabi Sabi—the Japanese aesthetic that centers the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The idea behind the title is derived from the juxtaposition of filth and lushness from a sonic perspective. More importantly, the record is a vector for where I am musically at this moment in time.

How did you connect with the SLINK crew? 

I've been a HUGE fan of the SLINK crew from the jump. What the crew as whole has been doing, the dots they've connected and the community they've cultivated by simply staying true to the weirdness and deviating from conventional club culture, is probably the big catalyst for me reaching out. Plus everyone in the crew is hella fucking talented and skilled at what they do. Primo finesse. 

I haven't encountered too many collectives/parties that are doing things remotely as interesting as SLINK, Big Room Boogie and Groovy Groovy (shout out to Akanbi).

What did your production process look like for this release? 

I've tried playing with different sounds and much of what I make has been described as pretty industrial—which makes some sense since industrial music is the estranged child of Dadaism. 

I also take musical inspo from film and reading books. One book in particular, Rip It Up and Start Again by Simon Reynolds, is what I'm glued to atm.

What's next for you? 

Outside of music I'm really tryna do more volunteering work, whether it's in harm reduction or for Freeing Palestine, both seem like great opportunities to connect more with people beyond the club.