Last month, Irish whiskey brand Jameson announced the launch of its Distilled Sounds program – a new multi-year initiative rooted in close-knit collaboration and music discovery. Having hosted the first Sound Distillery experience last week, it spotlights the ten artists selected to take part in the journey for its inaugural year.
Alongside dedicated “Music Distiller” Anderson .Paak, a mix of musicians, singers, songwriters, and producers from across the globe feature in the debut collaborators cohort. With each talent bringing their local sounds and unique styles to the table, they’ve been paired up to exchange ideas and expand their musical repertoire.
Through a week of workshops, open mics, and social gatherings, the artists were encouraged to exchange ideas and introduce new influences to their music – think ballads with a hip-hop beat or folk blended with an indie style. As the IRL experience took place in Ireland, the artists have not only harnessed their local soundscapes but also delved into the traditional Celtic genres that are embedded in the country.
Hypebeast caught up with the ten collaborators to find out more about their sound and what they look to get out of their collaborations.
Jameson
Jameson
KAIIT & Claudia
Two voices at two ends of the music spectrum, Australia-based, Papua New Guinea-born singer KAIIT serves up nostalgic and warm neo-soul vocals while certified pop-princess Claudia from Malaysia possesses an uptempo harmony with a high-energy feel. The pair plan to blend their melodies through “communication and free expression” at the Sound Distillery. Speaking about the event, KAIIT shares, “This experience is not just about coming and going but continuing to connect through sound collaboration. That is what makes it so exciting.”
Jameson
Jameson
Ian Hooper & Branko
DJ and record producer Branko is no stranger to collaborations. Throughout his years in the Portuguese music scene, he has worked with several award-winning artists, bringing their ideas to life with the touchpoints of various global sounds. In the respective Jameson Sound Distillery, he joins Ian Hooper, frontman of indie folk band Mighty Oaks and an established singer in his own right. “This is going to allow me to jump into different genres that I wouldn’t have otherwise touched,” explains Hooper. As the singer looks to develop his sound with a poppier edge, he says, “My signature is my voice so to merge our two sounds is going to be a fun and rewarding experience.”
Jameson
Jameson
Aoife Nessa Frances & Freak Slug
Creating music is often a way to communicate a deeper and more resounding message. For artists Aoife Nessa Frances and Freak Slug, profound lyrics define their unique music libraries. Typically, Irish singer Frances uses ambient folk as a vessel for her storytelling while Freak Slug taps into the indie style prominent in her hometown of Manchester. Together, they blend their transcending sounds as well as skills in songwriting to make a track that intertwines their favorite themes.
Jameson
Jameson
Seedhe Maut & Shekhinah
“Our music is an honest representation of the life we live,” says rapper and one half of Seedhe Maut Siddhant Sharma. The hip-hop duo rose from India’s underground scene with their hard-hitting flow inspired by a new generation of creatives in the country. Linking up with South African artist Shekhinah – another trailblazing musician who embodies her local subcultures – the collaborators are setting out to make music centered around the common experiences of diverse communities.
Jameson
Jameson
Lady Donli & L’Rain
Experimentalism is at the forefront of both Lady Donli and L’Rain’s music process. Throughout their career, Nigerian singer Lady Donli has been a sponge to the vast genres coming out of the African continent yet unique to their regions, from afrobeat and jazz to amapiano and funk, in a similar vein, instrumentalist L’Rain draws from a variety of music influences which she layers on top of her sonic arrangements. As they met halfway between their bases in New York and Abuja, Lady Donli expresses how “pushing boundaries and creatively challenging themselves” remains a top priority as well as “learning from each other amongst this sense of musical community.”
Stay tuned to find out more about the Sound Distillery experience that took place this week in Ireland.
Explore the new music program by heading to Jameson’s Distilled Sounds hub and YouTube channel now.
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