- Jlin used the metaphor of "free fall" in conversation with her mentor, footwork originator RP Boo, earlier this year. The interview was to promote her debut album, Dark Energy, one of 2015's most striking and best. She likened her sudden success to "jumping off a cliff voluntarily with no bungee cord." It's not yet clear where she'll land, but the Freefall EP sees her steering in a promising direction.
The EP tips a nod to her roots: three of its raging productions have the bravado and directness of footwork battle tracks, though she is growing ever more distant from the style that shaped her. The brief, staccato "Eu4ria" is not so much euphoric as a cathartic blast of rage; likewise "I Am The Queen," which pairs nauseating hoover-like synths with a nice bit of chest-beating battle talk: "I am the queen! You are not my equals." On "BuZilla," Jlin reworks Boo's "Heavy Heat," dicing its iconic Godzilla horns ever finer and seasoning them with Mortal Kombat samples.
The EP closes with a hint of things to come. "Nandi" takes Jlin's unique rhythmic grammar to new heights of complexity, etching out asymmetric patterns with a pan-global percussive palette reminiscent of Shackleton. Beats like this comprised the most outlandish parts of her set at this year's Unsound festival in Poland. It was an exhilarating challenge trying to cling to the pulse amidst the wheeling syncopations and waves of sub-bass. Perhaps Jlin is telling us to simply let go and free fall.
TracklistA1 Eu4ria
A2 I Am The Queen
B1 BuZilla
B2 Nandi