- It's hard to understand exactly what's going on with young Apparel Music. Nearly every release has the word jazz associated with it in some way, a word that can turn listeners off just as often as it turns them on. (The imprint's explanation that "Jazz becomes the means for a reconfirmation of the world of house most virtuous" only further obscures things.) In Jazzy Gardens case, though, you can forget the nomenclature and simply enjoy the sound. Which is, well, a bit jazzy.
Not terribly so, mind. In fact, Kjofol likely owes more influence to the world of classical music than jazz. His plinking piano makes an appearance in all of the original tracks here, winding its way through the blur of minimal house percussion that reminds of the ultra-clean atmosphere of someone like Bruno Pronsato. The Berlin-based producer isn't a bad point of comparison: Kjofol's melodies are always expressive, but prone to dissonance much like Pronsato's early work for Orac.
What makes Kjofol different, however, is his relentlessly sunny disposition. "Brimbazz" and "Little Garden" are suffused with a light that keeps them buoyant, while "Pensive Sorrow" seems like one of the most easy-going odes to contemplative unhappiness you'll hear all year. Backed by an Echonomist remix of the latter, the only thing wrong with this bright and airy EP is its name. Jazzy or not, these are gardens made for exploring.
Tracklist 01. Brimbazz
02. Little Garden
03. Pensive Sorrow
04. Pensive Sorrow (Echonomist remix)