Jah Lil teams up with German production-duo Silly Walks Discotheque
Published:Tuesday | March 15, 2022 | 12:10 AM
In an upcoming song titled You Teach Me, singer Jah Lil asks, “Why we’re having this constant fight of who’s the best and who fah righteous is right?”
The record fathoms a world where mankind puts ego aside to learn from each other to live harmoniously and respectfully, a pertinent message in the backdrop of war and peril today. Interestingly, the track was recorded more than three years ago by Germany-based production duo Silly Walks Discotheque, who will be releasing it on Thursday.
“I can see why they would release this type of song now because of the whole Ukraine war,” Jah Lil told The Gleaner. “The song speaks about unity – I need you, you need me, I know things that you don’t know, and I can teach you, and you can also teach me. So I guess it can influence peace, and I would love that because that is my ultimate aim and goal in music.”
NEVER A GOSPEL ARTISTE
Jah Lil connected with Silly Walks – comprising Joscha Hoffman and Oliver Schrader – in 2014 courtesy of producer Haldane ‘Danny’ Browne. He started working with the latter following his 2011 win at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) gospel contest. Over the last five years, the singer has recorded several songs on Silly Walks’ label, and You Teach Me is one of two tracks they will be releasing this month, the other being Trouble Bubble on March 25.
Trouble Bubble is a rhythmic time warp to the 1980s, nestled on Jr Blender’s remake of Don Carlos’ Knock Knock production. Lyrically, it’s a coquettish groove that Jah Lil wrote to imbue intimacy in the dancehall. While he rose to prominence through the gospel contest and became aligned with Browne, now a Christian producer, Jah Lil said he was never a gospel artiste.
“That was never the plan because even he (Browne), himself, told me that ‘You won a gospel competition, but you’re not a gospel artiste’, which was my plan really – to be seen by producers. At that age, I never had no form of ‘link’ or musical background where I would be introduced to producers, so I wanted to be seen, and that was the only way I could have been seen.”
His visibility has since grown with Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, and countries in Europe housing his primary fan base. He hopes the upcoming releases will expand his reach.
“I think You Teach Me and Trouble Bubble will be songs that can give me a European listen even though I’m already relatively big there, but I mean to more cement it and get more material out there,” he shared.
For Silly Walks, who described Jah Lil as “one of Jamaica’s greatest singers of today”, they hope the songs will reiterate their regard for Jamaican music as they ready an Afro-pop album for summer.
“We haven´t put out much music in the last three to four years and hope the listeners of our classics like Smile Jamaica (Chronixx) and Dreams of Brighter Days (Busy Signal and RC) can relate and vibe to these songs as well,” Hoffman said. “Also, of course, there isn’t as much one-drop reggae coming out as it used to be, and we hope our releases help to put a spotlight back on Jamaican reggae and support the artistes and the genre. Our aim, always, is to make timeless music that all generations can hear and groove to.”
For the rest of 2022, Jah Lil is working on becoming a household name in Jamaica. He’s also working on new music for full-length projects.
“It has been a journey with ups and downs, but mi appreciate everything because these are the things I will remember when the break finally comes in Jamaica,” he said. “I thought that I would have been more established (by now), but at the same time, you can’t deny the talent, and a lot of people are reaching out because they see how consistent the quality of writing is, so I think now is the time to be established.”