Biography
Residing across Brooklyn and Toronto, Jon Nellen and Joe Manzoli operate as the cross-border pair ginla and craft abstract, dreamy electronic pop. Delicate vocals, airy guitars, and intricate rhythms shaped by drum'n'bass plus U.K. garage mark their output, with the 2018 debut album Codex sometimes evoking Elliott Smith under Mount Kimbie’s production touch.
Extensive travel and immersion in multiple musical styles have shaped both artists. Raised in Mumbai, Nellen draws from Indian classical traditions, whereas Manzoli, an Ontario native, explored free jazz throughout high school alongside hip-hop and indie rock. The pair first connected in 2012 as supporting players for Nick Hakim during the sessions for his initial two EPs. After further collaborations with Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief and Lorely Rodriguez of Empress Of, they formed ginla. Their opening single, “Almost Plastic,” appeared via self-release in 2014. Co-produced by Rusty Santos, the EP ginla followed on Terrible Records in 2017, with the full-length Codex arriving the next year.
Extensive travel and immersion in multiple musical styles have shaped both artists. Raised in Mumbai, Nellen draws from Indian classical traditions, whereas Manzoli, an Ontario native, explored free jazz throughout high school alongside hip-hop and indie rock. The pair first connected in 2012 as supporting players for Nick Hakim during the sessions for his initial two EPs. After further collaborations with Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief and Lorely Rodriguez of Empress Of, they formed ginla. Their opening single, “Almost Plastic,” appeared via self-release in 2014. Co-produced by Rusty Santos, the EP ginla followed on Terrible Records in 2017, with the full-length Codex arriving the next year.
Albums
Singles
