IN 2018, when the song Pine and Ginger hit the airwaves, music lovers were introduced to young Jamaican artiste Tessellated. Fast-forward to 2020 and the young artiste has prepared his debut body of work, an EP titled Tropics, Vol 1.
The artiste uses his homegrown reggae and dancehall beats as a substrate on which he constructs interesting and complex sounds to create a delightful playlist that will catch the ear of the discerning music listener while introducing a younger generation to his incluences, which range from the music of the Indian film industry (Bollywood), to Afrobeat and the horns present in Latin music.
In a music industry which prefers to put labels on artistes, Tesselated is not afraid of being that genre-bending act who defies labels for the sake of his artistry.
“Most people seek to categorise not just to be negative, but it is really a way for them to understand who you are and what you are doing. I am between the genres and I don’t think this will prevent me from having a space in the musical marketplace. That’s how it is when new things are being developed and are yet to be defined, so until there is a name for what I do I just see it as fusion.
“It’s definitely Jamaican music, but not strictly reggae or dancehall. There are so many people doing these two local genres already so I thought I’d be the best expression of myself musically and just give the world a little taste of the authentic me, complete with all my musical influences,” he continued.
The 23-year-old told the Jamaica Observer that growing up he was exposed to a wide range of music – from soca and calyso favourites to the Motown sound – which all had an influence on his musical palate. He coupled that with his own musical experimentation as he matured and what has resulted is a rich potpourri that comes out on his maiden project.
Tessellated explained that in sequencing the tracks he divided the project into halves. The first half contains songs that are upbeat, happy and share a tropical energy, while the second half shifts to a more gritty tone.
Tropics Vol 1 opens with Rendezvous, a soothing sound with a calming intro. He shifts to No Ansa which features Nigerian Afrobeat artiste Crayon. Here the blend of Africa and Jamaica produces a seamless sound which is definitely worth a listen. The Caribbean and India collide on Santeria, which samples a Bollywood track to great effect.
Popular Jamaican artiste Protoje makes an appearance on Tropics Vol 1 by adding his unmistakeable flavour to Sweeter, the fourth of seven tracks on the project.
“ Sweeter is definitely a different style; we wanted to go a different route with this one. Here I drew on my love for Cuban music. Cuba is the closest land mass to Jamaica and I wanted to make that journey, and those horns just called me and we took the trip,” said Tessellated.
The EP’s love song is Me and My Lady, which feature a fair amount of Latin jazz set to reggae’s ever-present drum beat. What reults is a sultry sound that adds to the eclectic nature of this work.
The title track Tropics is Tessellated’s ode to the world of hip hop before the EP rounds out with the piano-driven I Learnt Some Jazz Today, which topped the Billboard Jazz charts and earned Tess an Emmy nomination for its inclusion in an Apple commercial.
“I’m proud of my influences and wanted to show where they are coming from, so I selected a little taste of where I’m coming from and where I want to go in the future.
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