Jahcoozi’s music is as original as the phonetic imagination of their name. Hailing from the Berlin club scene and its international cohorts in the pre-Internet era of the early noughties, this bass-heavy electronica trio is a creative alliance made up of London-born, Sri Lankan songwriter and front woman Sasha Perera and two beat-freak producers/multi-instrumentalists — Teuton Robot Koch and Tel-Aviv born Oren Gerlitz.
Together, Jahcoozi are a mash-up operation that have consistently managed to deliver their very own mongrel style of avant-garde, electronic pop music. They all met during a long, coal-fuelled winter in Berlin in 2002 and have been making music together ever since. The group built up a solid fan-base with their freaky underground shows in 2003. Songs such as Black Barbie and Fish (released as a debut single in 2003 on WMF Records) are what gained them early recognition. The latter earned them a spotlight on the cult BBC show of the late John Peel, who called it “Beautiful pop music from the future”. This description still applies today.
In 2005, they were snapped up by Kitty-Yo, the Berlin-based mother label of Peaches. Later in that busy year, they unleashed the strange and stunning Black Barbie picture disc vinyl and their long-awaited, full-length debut album entitled Pure Breed Mongrel. Both were received with critical acclaim.
Lead singer/MC Sasha Perera’s sports a yin-yang of skanking rhymes and beautifully sung melodies, partly abstract and partly socio-political or anthropological. Jahcoozi’s unique and ever-changing blend of futuristic dub-glitch-tech-step based sound succeeds in combining an element of pop with warm sub-basses. With a sound texture that is both organic yet crunchingly precise, they seem to have mastered their very own balancing act.
Bass! Bass! Bass! Jahcoozi’s live shows come armed with an arsenal of remixes/versions/bootlegs of their own songs as well as other unreleased material they’ve made purely for the love and fun of ripping up the dance floor.The versatility of their music and the sheer energy of their live performance has led the band on an unrelenting trail across 5 continents, playing everything from festivals to clubs, raves, squats, galleries, and even impromtu Boombox parties in a Berlin underpass. They can morph almost any situation into a people-power style happening. This explains why they’ve been booked to play shows as diverse as the televised opening of the IFFA Athletics World Cup at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate or the Expo in Shanghai. They have also played infamous club institutions like Fabric in London, Rex club in Paris, or Montreal’s prestigious Mutek Festival.
With 3 full-length albums (Pure Breed Mongrel, Blitz ‘n’ Ass, and Barefoot Wanderer) numerous EPs, Picture Discs, remixes, features and even an exclusive Japanese album to their name, Jahcoozi have released music on a numerous labels, including Kitty-Yo, Asound/K7, Playhouse, NinjaTune, Citizen Records, Crosstown Rebels, 1965, WMF Records, Hydra etc.
Jahcoozi’s darkest, slowest and most recent album to date Barefoot Wanderer came out in 2010 on Ellen Alien’s Berlin-based imprint Bpitch Control. Resident Advisor deemed it “one of the year’s most disturbingly beautiful creations…,” and rightly so.
Press reactions have been univocal: “Barefoot Wanderer is something you’d probably expect Martina & Tricky to be able to pull off,” “Jahcoozi is far closer to Kraftwerk than Skream,” “…it seems like the ‘D’ in IDM stands for dub,” “King Tubby meets James Blake,” “…Post-Step? Next-Step? These kids are confusing the journalists.” Although it is tempting to engage in a game of association, Jahcoozi appear to have created an unidentifiable flying genre of their very own. The true value of their music can only be gauged by numerous listenings; its strength lies in its depth and intimacy.
Over the years, Jahcoozi have collaborated with and been remixed by a highly-contrasting and refreshingly-wide range of artists, including Modeselektor, Siriusmo, M.Sayiid, Barbara Panther, Ramadanman, Ikonika, Stereotyp, Asian Dub Foundation, Guillermo.E.Brown, Oliver $, RQM, King Cannibal, Mochipet, Rustie, Buraka Sound Sistema, Missill, Stanton Warriors, Lexie Lee, D-Double, Tinchy Stryder, Lethal B, Kano, JME, Skepta, Ata + Sasse, Cassy, Luomo, New Flesh, Infinite Livez, Alhaca Soundsystem, Sukh Knight, Milanese and Kalbata.
Jahcoozi’s geniune love of experimentation has kept them busy and lead them to collaborate in many ways. This is evidenced in their side endeavors (BLNRB) and solo projects (Robot Koch, Mother Perera). Robot Koch recently released his stunning second solo album titled Songs For Cyborgs and Trees. He has also been busy working on productions for other artists such as Marteria and John Robinson.
In 2010, the band also spent a few weeks in a house in Nairobi, Kenya working on a Goethe-Institut funded Berlin-Nairobi music exchange project that involved 22 Kenyan musicians/mcs/singers, Jahcoozi, Modeselektor and Gebrueder Teichmann. A collaborative BLNRB album titled ‘Welcome To The Madhouse’ is due for release on Outhere Records in July 2011. The ‘BLNRB’ project premiered at the opening on the Worldtronics Festival at Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin in December 2010. Stay tuned….
Sites: SoundCloud, Twitter and Jahcoozi.com (official)
Fish
Jahcoozi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
Feel Like I'm Fixin To Die' Rag (Country Joe and The Fish, 1967)
Come on all you big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in desert lands.
So put down your books and pick up the gun
(Chorus)
And it's 1 2 3 what are we fighting for?
Don't ask me I don't give a damn!
Next stop another Viet Nam.
And it's 5 6 7 open up the pearly gates.
There ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die.
Come on generals let's move fast,
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out there and break some heads.
The only good enemy is one that's dead.
And you know the peace can only be won,
When you blow 'em all to kingdom come!
(Repeat chorus)
Well come on Wall Street - don't move slow,
Why man, this is war-a-go-go!
There's plenty of money to be made
By supplying the army with the tools of the trade.
Just look at it my way - if you drop the Bomb,
Well, it's all part of the fun!
(Repeat chorus)
Well come on mothers don't delay,
Pack your boys off to the Gulf today.
Come on fathers don't hesitate,
Send them off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box!
(Repeat chorus)
The lyrics to Jahcoozi's song "Fish" seem to be a critique of war and the military industrial complex. The first verse references Uncle Sam needing help in the desert lands, likely a reference to the Gulf War. The singer then addresses "big strong men," encouraging them to put down their books and pick up a gun, suggesting that the government and military are glorifying war as some sort of fun activity.
The chorus, which features the lines "1 2 3 what are we fighting for?/Don't ask me I don't give a damn!/Next stop another Viet Nam," seems to criticize the aimlessness and pointlessness of war. The lyrics suggest that soldiers may not even fully understand the reasons behind the wars they are fighting in.
The second verse addresses Wall Street and the potential profits to be made in the war industry, again suggesting that war is being used for financial gain rather than for a just cause. Finally, the last verse seems to directly appeal to parents to send their children off to war, despite the fact that they may not come back alive.
Overall, the lyrics to "Fish" seem to be a powerful indictment of war and the forces that drive it, calling for a more critical examination of the motives behind military action.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on all you big strong men,
The government is looking for able-bodied men to join its military forces.
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
The US government is in a difficult situation and requires the aid of its citizens.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
The government is in trouble and requires assistance.
Way down yonder in desert lands.
The conflict is taking place in a far-off desert location.
So put down your books and pick up the gun
Young people are being encouraged to leave their education and join the army.
We're gonna have a whole lot of fun!
Joining the military will be an enjoyable experience.
And it's 1 2 3 what are we fighting for?
The purpose of war is not clear to those involved.
Don't ask me I don't give a damn!
The artist does not care about the reason for the war.
Next stop another Viet Nam.
There will be another war in the future like the Vietnam War.
And it's 5 6 7 open up the pearly gates.
Death in war is imminent and inevitable.
There ain't no time to wonder why
There is no time to question the reasons behind the war.
Whoopee! We're all gonna die.
The situation is bleak, and death is highly probable.
Come on generals let's move fast,
Military leaders are being urged to act quickly and decisively.
Your big chance has come at last.
Senior military figures have an opportunity to make a strategic impact.
Gotta go out there and break some heads.
Violence is seen as necessary to achieve victory in war.
The only good enemy is one that's dead.
Killing the enemy is seen as the best way to deal with them.
And you know the peace can only be won,
Peace will only be achieved through violent means.
When you blow 'em all to kingdom come!
Victory will be attained by destroying the enemy.
Well come on Wall Street - don't move slow,
Businesses should take advantage of the opportunity to profit from war.
Why man, this is war-a-go-go!
War is a profitable business venture.
There's plenty of money to be made
War is financially lucrative.
By supplying the army with the tools of the trade.
Businesses can profit by providing weapons and equipment for soldiers.
Just look at it my way - if you drop the Bomb,
Using nuclear weapons can be seen as entertainment or a source of excitement.
Well, it's all part of the fun!
War and conflict are seen as a thrilling and enjoyable experience.
Well come on mothers don't delay,
Mothers are being implored to send their sons to war.
Pack your boys off to the Gulf today.
Parents are encouraged to send their sons to fight in the Gulf.
Come on fathers don't hesitate,
Fathers are also being urged to allow their sons to join the army.
Send them off before it's too late.
There is a sense of urgency to enlist young men before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
There is a sense of pride in being the first in your area to have a son go to war.
To have your boy come home in a box!
The chances of death in war are high and it is likely that your son will not return alive.
Contributed by Adalyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@m44thieu
« Le bon sens nous dit que les choses de la terre n'existent que bien peu, et que la vraie réalité n'est que dans les rêves. » Baudelaire, Les paradis artificiels. À la mémoire des jeunes années passées autour de Montpellier,, et des amis qui y sont restés.
@melvinvandenbesselaar6238
Aucun rapport
@sund4rk
@@melvinvandenbesselaar6238 c'est parce que t'as pas compris
@melvinvandenbesselaar6238
@@sund4rk bah explique
@adrianonon7455
L explication est dans les trois premieres lettres du groupe ! <3
@mkl8313
RIP Notre bon vieux Bar Live
@singhster89
who's listening to this in 2020! This hits different in lockdown
@damondowns152
best song I've heard in a very long time... abstract vocals.. about fish nice raw electronica.... .. thumpin house kick ! little bit of figit ... props
@chagoolvera9957
Best song I’ve heard in my whole life 2022
@bingl6997
jahcoozi - fish