Jlin: Akoma (digital, Planet Mu, March 2024)

Jerrilynn Patton may have started out as one of RP Boo’s most promising disciples, you only need to glance at the list of collaborators on Akoma to guess that this isn’t your standard issue footwork LP: Björk, the Kronos Quartet, and Philip Glass. Bang, bang, and banger. A lesser record could easily be overwhelmed by that roster. It’s a testament to Jlin’s talent that it more than stands up to it.

What we have are eleven intricate and propulsive percussive workouts. The rhythms are endlessly inventive, the production stutters and shimmers in all the right places, and the whole thing is driven by a restless energy which I find utterly captivating. And when those big-name collabs come along, they are perfectly integrated, swirling around the central core of Jlin’s vision. Making those characteristic Glass piano arpeggios seem like a natural part of your sound is a pretty impressive achievement. In fact, this whole record is seriously exciting genius-level stuff.

I bought this from the artist’s Bandcamp page.