Today, J.E.D.I. has shared their debut studio track, “Back Atcha”, the first in a series of upcoming releases via Color Red. J.E.D.I., which stands for Jazz Electronic Dance Improvised, is the brainchild of drummer Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls, David Byrne) and features a rotating cast of talented musicians from across the live music scene. For “Back Atcha”, Johnston recruited Color Red principal and The New Mastersounds guitarist Eddie Roberts, Break Science/Pretty Lights Live Band keyboardist Borahm Lee, The Motet bassist Garrett Sayers, and Big Gigantic saxophonist Dominic Lalli.

As Johnston explains of the new track, “I might say this could be like The Headhunters on speed! For me, this style evolved out of our club Nublu in the East Village of New York. Mixing in jazz musicians with DJs playing house music, and both influencing each other. This one has a little uptempo funk/breakbeat intertwined, then opens up with the house vibe and Dom Lalli freely improvising over the top of it.”

The artist roster for this initial studio release began to come together last year in New Orleans during Jazz Fest when Johnston brought J.E.D.I. to the Maison as a live late-night blowout. Notes Johnston, “I met Eddie for the first time in New Orleans for Jazz Fest and was able to get him on the premiere J.E.D.I. show down there. The gig and the hang were great and we both expressed wanting to do more music together. It just happened to be good timing that Eddie had just started Color Red and he asked me if I wanted to release some music. J.E.D.I. had only been in motion for a short time, but I was already thinking about how I could get some music out. I had known Borahm for some time from NYC, and I appreciate what people like he and Dom are doing in the electronic world besides their knowledge of jazz and other styles of music. Adding Garrett and Eddie to the mix was a no brainer and a great formula for this first track.”

“All this music and musicians have come together in an organic fashion and I look forward to it continuing and evolving with time,” resolves Johnston.

You can listen to the first-ever studio release from J.E.D.I. below via Color Red:

J.E.D.I. – “Back Atcha”

You can also check out some exclusive behind-the-scenes video from the recording of “Back Atcha” below:

J.E.D.I. – Color Red Studios – Tracking Session

[Video: Color Red]

“Back Atcha” marks the first J.E.D.I. release in Color Red’s new “Session Series,” which will spotlight a trio of collaborative acts (including J.E.D.I., Electric Beethoven, and Death By Dub) with monthly singles and other exciting content. The single rollouts will culminate in full album releases for each band that showcase the individual releases as overall cohesive musical thoughts.

For more information on Color Red’s “Session Series,” head here. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements from J.E.D.I. in the near future.

Next month, Aaron Johnston will take J.E.D.I. on the road for a brief Spring Equinox Tour featuring Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner of The Disco Biscuits. The run will see J.E.D.I. make stops in New Haven, CT (3/21); Burlington, VT (3/22); and Saratoga Springs (3/23); in addition to a March 20th performance for which the details have yet to be announced. Tickets are available via the respective venue websites.