Jugaar Records returns with killer EP by Amand

It’s been a minute since we last covered Jugaar Records, whose VA ‘JR003’ was one of my picks for our ‘Best Music of 2023’ feature.

Now, the Karachi and Bangkok-based label is back with ‘JR004’ and it was well worth the wait.

Coming out of a five-year production hiatus to deliver Jugaar’s latest release is Berlin-based Amand (FKA She’s Drunk), who is joined by Sam Interface for the EP’s sole remix.

Released on December 14, ‘All You Can Hear’ opens with playful UK funky vibes on ‘Nuna’, where a domineering kick drives the momentum under grooved-up percussion and an icy synth lead.

Next, Amand leans into soundsystem energy with ‘Step In’, featuring Jamaican MC and Roolings Muzik head, Ijahbar. Percussion on this 112 BPM burner is stripped back and restrained, with the focus shifted on bass pressure and Ijahbar’s charismatic vocals.

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‘Vissi’ follows. Mutant electro at the edge of bass, bleep, and broken beat, it’s a track that will appeal to selectors with a penchant for UK techno. It comes as no surprise, then, that Breaka dropped ‘Vissi’ on his December 5 Rinse FM show.

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Closing off the release is Sam Interface’s remix of ‘Step In’, where the producer speeds up the tempo, pitches down Ijahbar, and adds a wash of breaks over a bouncy bassline with a hint of grit. Perfect.

With ‘All You Can Hear’, Jugaar is back on the map and we’re all ears.

Purchase here.

Mengzy is Mixmag Asia’s Music Culture Columnist, follow her on Instagram.

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