At long last, DOMi & JD Beck, the internet’s most hyped jazz duo, have dropped their debut album, Not Tight. Stacked with a robust lineup of collaborators including Anderson .Paak, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, it is the first album released via .Paak’s new label APESHIT in partnership with Blue Note Records.
Keyboard virtuoso Domi Degalle, who goes by DOMi, and drum prodigy JD Beck have built quite a buzz since meeting through Snarky Puppy and Ghost-Note drummer Robert Sput Searight. Over the past few years, they have reached viral status on social media with short but impressive performance videos and attracted the attention of some of the music industry’s biggest names, collaborating with Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Ariana Grande, Mac DeMarco, and Mononeon among others.
They recently performed four sold-out shows at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club during Blue Note Jazz Festival and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where they played “Take A Chance” accompanied by Anderson .Paak, who is featured on the track. In addition to collaborating with the duo, .Paak has become a major supporter of the group, signing them to his APESHIT label, and DOMi and JD co-wrote “Skate” on his GRAMMY-winning album with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic.
Those who have been following DOMi & JD Beck may remember the duo hyped up an album that was allegedly finished but never released a couple years ago. It is unclear how much material made it from that project to Not Tight, but it likely would not have featured the long roster of A-list collaborators that ended up on the album, which was probably due to the celebrity influence of Anderson .Paak.
Previously released singles “SMiLE” and “Take A Chance” are both featured on the album alongside 13 new tracks including the star-studded “PiLOT”, which includes laidback verses courtesy of Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes, and “TWO SHiMPS” featuring Mac Demarco, who starred in the video for “SMiLE”. Thundercat lends his voice on “BOWLiNG”, complementing DOMi’s falsetto which is featured on several songs (JD also sings on a couple), and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkle adds a modern jazz touch to “WHOA”.
Conspicuously absent from the tracklist are the several jazz classics that the duo has reinterpreted live including “My Favorite Things” (or “My Favorite Ballsack” as they called their cover) and “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane.
JD’s explosive, Dilla-insprired drumming and DOMi’s technical but tasteful keyboard playing coalesce to produce a fresh sound that bridges jazz and hip-hop while supplying something completely new. They complement and push each other, and the result is an innovative concoction of young talent and personality—a refreshing change of pace in the world of jazz.
Not Tight is an impressive first statement from one of the most exciting groups to emerge on the jazz scene in recent years. The album is a harbinger of good things to come and proof that all the buzz is well deserved.
Not Tight is now available on all streaming platforms. Listen to the album via Soundcloud in the player below, and to view DOMi & JD Beck’s upcoming performances and purchase tickets, visit their website.
DOMi & JD Beck – Not Tight