Black Origami Jlin

Jlin is the recording alias of Jerrilynn Patton, an electronic music producer from Gary, Indiana who is associated with the frenetic genre known as footwork. Patton creates dark, twisted, volatile tracks that seem far more concerned with venting frustration, anger, and depression than providing dancefloor fodder. She began producing music in 2008, and while her early tracks relied on heavily manipulated soul samples (as is common with the genre), her mother encouraged her to find her own voice. Her subsequent material featured samples from horror films such as Mommie Dearest (1981), but she otherwise largely abandoned samples. Jlin first reached the public's consciousness in 2011 when her tracks "Erotic Heat" and "Asylum" were included on Planet Mu's Bangs & Works, Vol. 2 compilation of the Chicago juke/footwork sound, which also included tracks by DJ Rashad & Gant-Man, DJ Clent, RP Boo, Traxman, and other notable producers from the scene. A few Jlin tracks appeared on online footwork compilations, but her debut release didn't arrive until March of 2015, when Planet Mu released her first full-length, Dark Energy, which included a collaboration with experimental electronic artist Holly Herndon. The album was an immediate critical success, earning rave reviews from numerous publications, including Pitchfork, FACT, and Resident Advisor. Dark Energy was eventually included on a multitude of year-end best-of lists, and was named Album of the Year by both The Quietus and The Wire. A follow-up EP titled Free Fall also appeared on Planet Mu that November. Patton subsequently quit her job as a steel mill worker in order to concentrate on writing music and touring. In 2016, she remixed Factory Floor's song "Wave" and released a few songs online, teasing her second album. The Dark Lotus EP appeared in February of 2017. Jlin's highly anticipated sophomore full-length, Black Origami, arrived in May, and included a collaboration with composer William Basinski. ~ Paul Simpson