Multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, arranger, producer and 2-time GRAMMY winner Jacob Collier is embarking on a journey that few musicians have attempted.

The follow-up to his 2016 debut album is Djesse, a 40-song, 4-volume exploration of the mind of one of music’s finest young talents that traverses different musical worlds in astonishing ways. Djesse (Decca/Geffen) was written, produced and engineered by Collier, composed entirely during 2018, and features contributions from a global cast of his musical inspirations. Volume 1 of Djesse will be released on December 7^th with volumes 2 through 4 to be released over the next several months.

Volume 1 is ecstatic and whimsical, a dazzling collaboration with storied Dutch ensemble Metropole Orkest under the direction of Jules Buckley. Collier began this project in earnest on New Year’s Day, 2018.  He awoke and Djesse began, Collier capturing the feeling of dawn and a new year with the limitless possibilities of orchestral music. It features Voces8 (on the opening track, “Home Is”), Take 6, Laura Mvula and the Moroccan gnawa musician Hamid El Kasri.

“Everlasting Motion” features Hamid El Kasri, a master of gnawa: an ancient form of Moroccan street music with a hypnotic rhythm.  After learning about El Kasri, and a significant search for his contact information, Collier emailed him. Nearly 3 months later he received a response, then booked a flight to Morocco to meet and record with him.  Collier’s curiosity and openness to seek out these musical relationships and enable them to seep into his singular vision is central to the project.  

Djesse is a celebration of the imagination, a lushly vivid snapshot of Collier’s musical mind as he’s experienced the world in 2018.  This project brings Collier’s bedroom, where he’s lived since age one, and created and recorded most of his music, to the globe. In making it he will have recorded in his bedroom, but also in NYC, Los Angeles, Nashville, Abbey Road, Holland, Morocco and Japan.

As the volumes are revealed, different textures and themes and sounds will be explored. Collier imagined Djesse as a grand journey through space and time, and each volume follows along this path. In addition, across the quartiles nearly two-dozen collaborators will be featured, from pop stars and folk songwriters to guitar wizards and soul singers. Collier stands at the centre of it all, putting himself in conversation with the musical world at large.

Jacob Collier is largely self-taught, and the viral YouTube videos he began posting from his London bedroom caught the attention of Quincy Jones and made him a star. He won 2 GRAMMYs and a Jazz FM Award for his 2016 debut album ‘In My Room.’ His quick rise led to collaborations with Herbie Hancock and Hans Zimmer, a performance with Pharrell, a Ted Talk, even the recomposition of Samsung’s ringtone. He made his BBC Proms debut in July, and will perform at Spotify’s Secret Genius Awards on November 16.

‘Djesse – Volume 1’ tracklist:

1. 1. Home Is
2. 2. Overture
3. 3. With The Love In My Heart
4. 4. Ocean Wide, Canyon Deep (feat. Laura Mvula)
5. 5. Djesse
6. 6. Everlasting Motion (feat. Hamid El Kasri)
7. 7. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
8. 8. Once You (feat. Suzie Collier)
9. 9. All Night Long (feat. Take 6)

UK Tour Dates:

Monday, Feb 18, 2019 - Brighton - Concorde 2

Tuesday, Feb 19, 2019 - Bristol - Trinity

Wednesday, Feb 20, 2019 - Manchester - Gorilla

Friday, Feb 22, 2019 - London - Hackney Arts Centre

For more information, please contact Joe Baxter: