Amatus remixed by Jneiro Jarel

Ah, the remix, the loving testament of re-imagining or reinterpreting a piece of audio art and putting one’s own sonic stamp on it. They’re fun to listen to, and it’s always a joy to discover one that equals, if not improves upon, the original jam…which brings us to producer Jneiro Jarel’s spacey and ethereal take on Brooklyn R&B synth-pop artist Amatus and her song “Messin’.”

Amatus grew up with an almost textbook bohemian back story, the daughter of a Muslim sharecropper living in a mosque on the south side of Chicago, later moving to Philadelphia, where as a teenager she would sit in on recording sessions with The Roots, Erykah Badu, and more, finally ending up in Brooklyn and working as a clothing designer before settling in as a musician, producer, and artist. Losing family and friends along the way to tragedy and gun violence lends an almost Dickensian air to her life and her particular brand of dreamy, synthy R&B-infused pop. “Messin’” comes from her debut EP “Broken Compass,” which she released herself earlier this year.

Jneiro Jarel also hails from New York, an experimental producer who has worked with everyone from Goodie Mob to DOOM to Damon Albarn of Blur. His interesting and eclectic style can elevate almost anything he gets his hands on. Jarel’s take on “Messin’” turns a driving, drum-heavy synth jam into a trippy journey, an exploration of the nether regions of the mind. He adds a slinkiness to the song that brings out the sultry nature of Amatus’ voice, like a string of smooth and sexy pagan love chants. It makes me just want to sink into the sheets. Take a listen below.



And here’s the original for comparison.



Both are worthy of your ear buds, as is the “Broken Compass” EP which you can (and should) acquire here. And here’s a bonus jam from the album, the floating “Punk.”