With the mixture of Sri-Lankan born Londoner Sasha Perera, Israeli beat master Oren Gerlitz and native Berlin-boy Robert Koch making up the six legged, three-headed bass/grime/electro outfit that is Jahcoozi, Planetnotion is more than proud to have this beat-beat playing at the launch of our new bi-monthly, STAND AND POINT.
Over the course of two albums (2005’s Pure Breed Mongrel and last years Blitz n’ Ass), Jahcoozi have explored the effects of three very individual personalities mixing their influences and passions into the melting pot of Berlin’s underground electronica scene, with some bass-driven, booty-shaking results! Over the course of their six year history, Jahcoozi have refined their live shows down to an in-yer-face, come-and-get-it display of confidence, lyrical skill and drunken tomfoolery – soon to be unleashed on Cargo on 15th Febuary.
We caught up with singer/MC and all round star Sahsa for an in-depth discussion on Jahcoozi’s formative years, lyrical content and bitchy internet nerds – prepare to be enthralled… Words: Louis Cook
Sasha, Jahcoozi’s sound is extremely unique, with a blend of ragga, hip-hop, electro and all sorts – do you think this was the result of your individual passions mixing together, or the fact that you’re all from such different cultural backgrounds?
I think it’s a bit of both actually. When you have three very different individuals working together, you end up having to make certain compromises, which can lead you in a pretty unpredictable direction. The outcome’s usually different to the initial idea. But, I think that’s what keeps us feeling fresh about what we do.
I don’t know whether our music is directly influenced in the way people would expect though; by say, being born in Israel (because Oren’s Israeli), or Sri-Lanka (because my roots lie there). I think each of us has been exposed to pop music in different ways though, which is dependant on how, or where, we’ve been brought up; and of course that has an effect on what you have become. However, it’s not easy to pinpoint what influences come from where exactly… In the times that we grew-up in the world was already global in terms of music culture.
But I’m not sure every country, and all music culture had a global effect; London was certainly global though in terms of music. My dad dragged me to Ravi Shanker concerts and my sister and I sang, cross-legged at Bugens or Sai Baba events as kids. I listened to the likes of Wham! on my first Walkman; jungle and pirate radio, and would sneak out to go to carnival. All of that took place in London within the first thirteen years of my life - in the end you’re like a sponge, with long-term memory loss and a short attention span!
What single word do you each think describes your music and why?
I’m no good at choosing single things, as you can see ‘I’ is reflected in the works of Jahcoozi, so here are two; pop, as in communication through text, melody and song structures - addressing ‘popular’ issues. As a female communicator and front woman there’s an interactive live presence. Then of course there’s bass, which is an absolute prerequisite!
What are your individual roles within the group and what do you, as individuals, add as far as the depth of your music is concerned?
In some ways our roles within Jahcoozi are obvious and well cut-out, but in other ways we all just do what’s necessary really. In terms of production, Robert creates the basis of the beats, sound, and arrangement used and I write all the texts and melodies. We either all sit around together, record and come up with a finished track in terms of arrangement, or I record with Oren and we come up with a structure. Basically, it’s a varied process and there’s not really any fixed procedure.
Having your debut EP played by the legendary John Peel - that must have been quite something! How did you feel about the reception your ‘Fish’ EP garnered?
It was all pretty unexpected and to be honest, it didn’t really have a major impact on us. It was definitely something you could tell your mum; something she’d be able to appreciate, because she’s probably heard of him… In terms of changing my life, that wasn’t really the case. I just carried on being a skint raver in Berlin with a bit more bounce in my stride, I guess. But it was unexpected because I’d only started making music the year before (2002) and ‘Fish’ was the second song I’d ever made, or the second I’d made with Robert anyway. I’d messed about a bit doing random vocals on clubby, techy tracks, but never really a song. When Robert sent off some demos I was just happy to have done anything at all… I wasn’t even thinking about labels or anything. Then, when we got some good responses, I was kind of shocked… Aphex Twin’s label Rephlex had even answered us, which gave me a huge buzz. ‘Fish’ came out on WMF Records about six months later, back when labels brought out records without thinking about the financial disaster…
Your lyrics are pretty fucking punchy! The subject matter of ‘Acne’ for example, with the hedonistic sex-on-legs club leech and her resulting deterioration. Are your songs related to experiences of either yourselves or acquaintances; or are you merely staring through the looking glass at the larger picture?
Wicked - haven’t had a question about that song in ages! It is partly based on my own experiences or fears. When I wrote that track in 2004 it was like a big running joke - running around Berlin in all the clubs looking young, fresh and lovely; but there was always a dark side to think about because people who get used to being treated nice, for superficial reasons of beauty or wealth, may have a nasty shock waiting for them round the corner - Schadenfreude and realism in one! Also, at the time I was skint as fuck with post-uni debts and a no-hoper lifestyle working in clubs, so I modeled for about a year, using the funds from that to keep me alive whilst making unprofitable underground music. I was in Milan for a month too, that’s exactly the sordid, superficial and downright damaging environment that I saw young girls hanging out in. The flow of Eastern European and South American girls was unstoppable and it was a frighteningly empty environment; basically recipe for disaster unless you have a personality before you get there which most of those girls didn’t. A bit like the downfall of the model in Amores Peres, you know? I only saw that film recently, but it comes to mind.
Would you say some of your material verges on political – in the sense that it hits upon topics such as class division, ethnicity and crime?
Crime? I didn’t realize that actually, unless you mean the bit about high-school shoot-outs on (Jahcoozi song) ‘Gameboy’. But, yeah, the other stuff isn’t really what I would call political, in the sense that it’s not a calling or has a specific message. I would say it deals with issues that normal people have to deal with or see in the media… It’s just an entertaining social observation, with a kind of black humour twist thrown in.
Tell us about your live shows – we heard you’ve played on a fishing trawler in Poland and even in the back of a doner kebab shop. Why is it so important for you to make your live shows such a unique experience?
It’s not that we only play in weird locations to make it a unique experience; it’s more the environment that we started off in. In Berlin there are, and were, a lot of weird semi-legal locations; when we were starting out I asked the people I knew who did parties if we could play there. That was the environment that I was hanging out in, so that’s where we had our first gigs. They were special though; fucked-up sound-systems and shitty lighting, but the vibe was dope, a unique ‘I-don’t-give-a-shit’ kind of time which was perfect for developing our stage persona. That was a pre-blogger time, before all the bitchy nerds sat behind their laptop, waiting to tell the world how you sang badly at your first gig! I’m only joking, but you can see nowadays how people get lots of internet hype from one tune having never played live, which must be terrifying! I had tonnes of fun getting fucked-up and playing gigs at weird underground venues in and around Berlin. It was through friends of friends that we got our first international gigs in Poland, Switzerland… Nowadays things are different; we have a booking agency and we play at different kinds of events. Art Festivals, commercial clubs, concert stages - we obviously have a lot more exposure than when we were only known within freaky Berlin circles.
You’ve also opened for the likes of Aphex Twin and the Big Dada Soundsystem – on a scale of 1-10, where do place those experiences and why?
That gig in Switzerland, back in 2004, was the first big festival we had played at. It was about a year after our first gig in Berlin. It was a festival with Aphex Twin, Big Dada and Jamie Lidell; all heroes of mine. I was shocked that I was part of something so big when a year earlier I would merely have been a consumer at the same event - I mean, I’d bought albums from these people! I was also deeply impressed by the sound; there were side feeds, as in extra monitors and technicians, an extra monitor mixer and everything! After playing all over crusty Berlin illegal raves it was like a dream come true. It all sounded amazing and I could really hear my own voice on stage. The French speaking crowd were also wicked, exactly the kind of people who appreciate our sound.
Compared to Berlin, do you think the current London electronic scene needs a kick up the arse?
Not necessarily. Actually though, I think the London club scene needs a bit of a kick up the arse; it’s all a bit too regulated. But musically I still think London has loads of shit to offer. In a way I feel that Berlin was more exciting when I moved back in 2000. Berlin has always been a pretty techno oriented city, but I feel that the minimal techno hype has really gone overboard there. I found that stuff exciting in 2001, when I worked in Club Des Visionaires at afterhours; Akufen would just turn up and play and stuff. But, I think it’s all over now and more than anything people abroad, and some in Berlin, think that minimal is all that the place has to offer. There are lots of kids doing cool stuff over there; dubstep and Bashment for example - but it doesn’t seem to be getting any spotlight. Minimal minimal minimal grind, minimal grinds on and on, and 12 years after Robert Hood brought out an album entitled the same!
Do you plan to move in any other directions - to play Einstein with your sound and change your approach, or 
do you think you’ve found a niche in the current market?
I hope we play Einstein; change our approach and don’t fall into a niche. You’ve gotta stay ahead of yourself otherwise it gets boring. Also, with three fidgety little kids like us, you can never really find one thing that you all want for long.
Sasha, you must be looking forward to returning to London, was it a big influence on your music?
Yeah, for definite. I find it pretty odd that we played in places like Istanbul and Poland well before we had our London debut back in 2006. I think the biggest influence London had on me was growing up clubbing in the 90s. Basically, there was a new genre every year and new parties that would sprout from the scene. You could chuck out all your old clothes and redefine yourself without anyone in the city batting an eyelid. The erratic and fickle London-ness has served as a springboard for creativity; it’s like the city has an anything goes approach.
Finally, what’s to be expected from Jahcoozi in the future?
Well… erm… our own perfume line and charity work I guess! Only joking - I dunno really, I can’t really say. We’ll take an anything goes approach to the third album or maybe I’ll just retire to the coconut plantation to plan my comeback!
