Jaïr Darnoud, also known as Groovegod, was born in 1998 in Amsterdam South-East, known as Bijlmer. This culturally rich neighborhood exposed him to a diverse array of music from an early age. One of his earliest musical memories involves the turntable of his childhood friend, which ignited his passion for music. This early experience led Jaïr to a lifelong journey in exploring and creating music, culminating in his unique invention of Alt-groove, a style characterized by its distinctive rhythm not based on the traditional downbeat.
Jaïr’s musical education is a blend of self-taught skills and formal training. Initially learning through „YouTube Academy“ and personal experimentation with a dj mixer and some midi controller, he later took courses with DJ Abstract and Evander de Koning. At 22, Jaïr further honed his craft at the Electronic Conservatory of Amsterdam, graduating with honors. His innovative approach to music, particularly through the concept of Negative Syncopation, has set him apart in the electronic music scene, allowing him to create rhythms that challenge conventional structures.
Rooted in his multicultural heritage and influenced by a broad spectrum of global music, Jaïr’s work is a testament to his diverse background. Growing up in Amsterdam, he was continuously influenced by the rhythms and stories around him. This, combined with his formal education and unique perspective on rhythm, has led to the development of his distinctive Alt-groove style. Jaïr continues to share his musical journey through performances, his involvement in the electronic rap group RensJairenOmeUncle, and his ongoing exploration of music’s many colours and rhythms.
Off the back of his new ‘GROOVEGOD’ EP on Berlin’s TLKBX RCRDS we talk to the man himself about the release, his journey, his relationship with TLKBX RCRDS, roots & influences plus more…
Hi Groove God Jaïr Darnoud, congratulations on releasing ‘GROOVEGOD‘. How does it feel?
Powerful, it’s a first for me to sit on a project for as long as we did this time. From getting the masters to release day has been almost a year. Yet again you can’t grow a plant within one day! I feel like I’m reaping the first fruits of what’s to come from a beautiful tree.
Talk us through the release, are there any standout tracks you’re particularly excited about?
That would be Saoto Radio, over the whole Project I’ve tried to exclusively use my voice as a conveyer of messages. Meaning not too much melody and sharing only short swift pieces of information. For “Saoto Radio” I wanted to say something that would reflect on me, my stances in life and also my historical roots. (Where I come from, where I am now and where I plan to go), a sort of timestamp.
Saoto is a traditional, and my favorite, Surinamese dish (my parents‘ country of origin). The recipe itself actually originates from Indonesia, a lot of surinamese roots lead to Africa. So the Surinamese version tastes like the history of all to me. The sole lyric of the track roughly translates to: “If I had the biggest pan in the world I would make so much Saoto soup that no one would ever be hungry again, Saoto.”
I wanted to share a message of equal care and how beings could (should) treat one another. But to make clear from which position I speak I recorded the sentence in Dutch, the country I myself grew up- and live in.
It’s your debut EP? but it seems you’ve been honing your craft for years. Can you tell us a bit about how you got to this point with your music? And at what point did you begin to feel confident enough to release your music?
I have actually been releasing music for a while, just different territories. At the age of 15 a friend in highschool explained to me how to upload your own music to Spotify. We recorded over one of my early beats and that was that. I’ve been making everything from Jazz to Blues, Bossa, Pop, Hiphop, Dub, Dnb, Techno, Tekno, Hardcore, Hardstyle and now my own style: Alt-Groove.
The EP is out on TLKBX RCRDS, how did that collaboration come about?
We met Jaïr during an event we organized at Bar Bario in Amsterdam. We, Kray.Atief, and I (Mor.lov) were happy to be the first people to book him for his live performance. It was during our residency at Bar Bario in 2023. He played a live show comprising his ‚Alt-groove‘ EP and some tracks from the current EP ‚Groovegod‘ live.
At that point, it was not initially an idea to release his music. He had his own plans and was discovering his possibilities and connections. Of course, working together in the studio was on the horizon. After several studio sessions, I pitched the idea of perhaps releasing it with Tlkbx Rcrds (Talkbox Recordings). I was in the midst of professionalizing the label, with advice and help of ICTV and Kray.Atief, working on a broader perspective, including and collaborating with more live artists. Jaïr is among several artists who were interested in giving it a go. He also did a collaboration on the upcoming album of Norah Jane, produced by myself.
Since Jaïr was not ‘very’ familiar with the international ‚electronic music‘ circles, and we have been fortunate enough to build good relations in that sonic realm, I felt that we could help launch this release. I’m happy to share the network with people who work hard for their craft and truth to be told Jaïr is really a production machine. I was personally very motivated and eager to publish his music theory. As much as I wanted the music to be well received, the theory and the book are really something to be proud of. I think musicians often stumble upon something new but rarely do they deduce the entire structure and system behind what they discover. The fact that Jaïr wrote his thesis on this means a lot to me as a fellow producer and composer.
We made the book together with Cream Vintage Store. Shout out to the crew and chef Philippos; they are very supportive of the local scene and want to get more involved. Besides music theory, there is an upfront and personal interview and photoshoot where Jaïr chose the clothing and did the modeling. The book will be available for a tiny bit more than the Bandcamp release. Also a big thank you to our promoter “Unveil PR”.
Can you describe the connection between your music and your Amsterdam roots, and how they continue to influence your music today?
I actually just released a paper on negative-syncopation, it is published by Tlkbx Rcrds in collaboration with Cream Amsterdam, the technique used to make Alt-Groove, in which I answered just that! If I may quote myself; I think what was so appealing was the rich/vast availability of distinct forms of music I encountered.
As a kid my mom used to take me on vacations all over the world. She’s not rich but at the time you had this thing called: “child discount“ when buying plane tickets. Because of her hard work and curiosity I saw all sorts of places like; Jamaica, Surinam, Morocco, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Brazil, Turkey, Hawaii, Mexico, France, UK and all before reaching puberty.
At some point along the way she’d noticed that I, in my own way, was very much into music. A search to direct all that energy followed and I tried stuff like; street dance, break dance and capoeira. Occasionally she had even bought me (child) instruments from the market, mostly drums of course. I was especially fixated on her walkman and when the new discman came out and she got it, I begged so hard for that old cassette player that I actually got it. We used to sit by the radio on Sundays and record all of my favorite tunes. When I finally started to get an allowance I spent it all at the “Mediamarkt“, which sold the newest CDs. They had this system where you could scan the CD and listen to 15 seconds of every track, as many times as you liked. That might seem short but Missy Elliot and Timbaland easily destroyed me with that “BEEP BEEP, WHO GOT THE KEYS TO THE JEEP?! WHEEEEWW“ or what about Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones during that epic build up in “Don’t stop til you get enough?“ Within 15 seconds I broke a sweat wearing those headphones. I imagine all of these moments to still be part of the creative fuel that drives me today.
Which other artists have had a big influence on your sound?
Later, during my teenage years when I was already a DJ, I started browsing the internet for more experimental music. Future beats artists like Mr.Carmack and Noer the Boy really caught my ear. Through channels like Soulection I found electronic music can be much more than an emulation, it could be a demonstration. A demonstration of what’s to come.
Can you share some insight into your creative process when producing music? Do you have any particular rituals or methods that help you stay inspired?
I actually live in my studio, from my bed to the kitchen is just as far as to the 808. Apart from “GROOVEGOD” I am core in multiple musical projects as a producer, performer, vocalist and engineer. In between projects and gigs like these it is insanely refreshing to create something for myself. Something to up my own standards. I roll up something fat and have a nice conversation with my synthesizers.
What’s one artist we should be listening to right now?
Honestly I’m still catching up on history at the moment but If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam near the city center, pass by the record store Black Gold. I work there on Sundays and I always make sure to set the vibe with some Jazz and proper Brazilian coffee.
What’s next for you?
Well I’m experimenting with using the technique of Alt-Groove in a live setting. Together with a friend I started a live modular duo; ROBOTPOOLPARTY, we already play nice gigs and later this year hope to release a set of tracks we’ve been working on.In between I’m touring and releasing a 15-track album on vinyl with “Rens Jaïr en Ome Uncle”, a Dutch pop band that I’m the producer and vocalist of. I have a cult tape coming out with Sterre Huiswijn, and of course I’m already halfway done with GROOVEGOD II. Concluding; there’s enough to look forward to!
