Today, Brooklyn-based producer and vocalist Jitwam shares his latest album, Third via ROYA. LISTEN TO THIRD HERE.

Binding a broad spectrum of all sounds and bouncing effortlessly between dance-floor tempos, jazz influences and soulful beatscapes, Jitwam’s latest record forms an autobiographical narrative that exposes the universality and consciousness of growth. Born in India and raised in Australia, Jitwam was introduced to electronic music whilst living in London, where his songwriting turned a corner and allowed him to use the rock influences he grew up with to meld tightly melodic, luxuriously layered production. Third expands upon his beat-making abilities and production, fusing live music with samples and edits while elevating his craft to new heights.

Evoking memories of finding peace within the chaos of daily life, Third spans across years in the making. Partly inspired by his time in London, but more so by his adventures in New York City, the release is a personal insight into his lived experience, where his fully-formed ideas are ready to take flight. “I’ve always had a spirit that wants to give. Instinctually, it feels natural to me. The experiences I’ve had have shaped my concepts of unity indirectly. Taking those experiences into your unique worldview dictates how you feel about certain issues” says Jitwam. “I’ve been to many places in the world, but New York is so diverse, it’s so multicultural. Seeing how cultures can be different but similar at the same time had a profound impact on me.” 

It’s this dynamic messaging that shines through across the album, from his steadying releases ‘Brooklyn Ballers’ to the infectious ‘Confidence’, funk-inflicted ‘Hey Papi’ and the busy instrumentalism of ‘Stranger Danger’. Across the ten tracks in Third, Jitwam creates an infectious rhythm section that is gratifyingly hard to categorise, mixing together modulated vocals and traditional instrumentation with the headiness of soulful house and jazz. We see his mantra of stream-of-consciousness vocals in ‘India’ before delving into ‘The Get Down’, which conjures memories of a major metropolis. ‘LALALA’ and ‘Equinimity’ (featuring Melanie Charles) contrast the opening tracks with their subdued rhythms and subtle bursts of trembling electronics, in an attempt to find solitude in the tumult of major cities. We then turn to ‘Money and Things’ and ‘Maryjane’ both of which melodically revolve around themes of displacement and mental health, in another showcase of how Jitwam has carved out a path unto himself – a welcome path to ruminate and wander down.

For Jitwam, his career in music has always felt predestined. The first record he bought – a $2 blank white-label vinyl – turned out to be a Moodymann track, a discovery he made around the same time he found out his music would be featured on Moodymann’s DJ Kicks compilation. Jitwam has become a mainstay of the underground having found success through two LPs, ‘ज़ितम सिहँ’ and Honeycomb alongside highly-acclaimed tracks including ‘WhereYouGonnaGo’ and ‘busstop’, which have landed him guest spots on NTS, WorldWide FM, BBC6 Music and sharing stages withthe likes of Yussef Dayes, Kamaal Williams, Anoushka Shankar, Henry Wu, Ross From Friends amongst others.

Cementing himself as a global sector, live performer and label front at The Jazz Diaries, he has also remixed Laraaji, collaborated with Folamour – whose Boiler Room has had nearly a million views – as well as Cosmo’s Midnight on Defected Records, as well as a  feature track on the renowned compilation ‘Fabric Presents… Maribou State’.Incorporating sounds from across the world, Jitwam marries incisive political commentary with deep introspection to create work that is, at once, wrenchingly intimate and sweetly playful.