Biography
Jameszoo, the Dutch artist also known as Mitchel van Dinther, applies the phrase “naïve computer jazz” to his own work, which fuses elements drawn from the farthest reaches of jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music into abstract forms that resist easy classification. Guest spots from two pivotal figures, Arthur Verocai and Steve Kuhn, appeared on his first long-player, Fool, issued in 2016. A 2017 concert with the Metropole Orkest at Melkweg was later pressed onto vinyl in 2020. The 2022 follow-up, Blind, blended abstract funk, avant-jazz, and precise sound design.
Raised in the modest municipality of Den Bosch, van Dinther first gained attention in the late 2000s as a wide-ranging DJ whose sets moved between Krautrock and experimental hip-hop. Production work soon followed, beginning with remixes for Pixelord, Shlohmo, and assorted underground producers. Kindred Spirits released his initial 7-inch, the downbeat soul-jazz piece “Leaf People” featuring vocalist Coultrain, in 2011. The next year saw the four-track 10-inch Guanyin Psittacines, built from loose beats, quirky samples, and groovy keyboards, alongside the more fractured, rhythm-focused Faaveelaa 12-inch on Rwina Records. Jheronimus, another 10-inch, arrived in 2013 and incorporated greater live instrumentation, a stronger jazz orientation, and the artist’s own electronically treated voice.
Extensive live appearances at clubs and festivals occupied the ensuing period, placing him alongside everyone from James Pants to the Sun Ra Arkestra, while additional remix commissions came from Nightmares on Wax, Awanto 3, and Cid Rim. Signing with Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label in 2016 allowed the release of Fool, whose expanded live-instrument approach included input from regular Brainfeeder contributor Thundercat as well as Kuhn and Verocai. The 2017 EP Flake documented further partnerships with Niels Broos and Frans Petter Eldh.
During that same year Jameszoo inaugurated the annual Amsterdam Dance Event through a special presentation with Jules Buckley and the Grammy-winning Metropole Orkest inside the historic Melkweg hall. Brainfeeder made the resulting recordings available digitally in spring 2019 under the title Melkweg and later as a limited-edition double LP in 2020. The 2022 album Blind marked van Dinther’s return and stands as his most adventurous recording to date, incorporating contributions from avant-jazz figures Evan Parker, Kit Downes, and Peter Evans, among others.
Raised in the modest municipality of Den Bosch, van Dinther first gained attention in the late 2000s as a wide-ranging DJ whose sets moved between Krautrock and experimental hip-hop. Production work soon followed, beginning with remixes for Pixelord, Shlohmo, and assorted underground producers. Kindred Spirits released his initial 7-inch, the downbeat soul-jazz piece “Leaf People” featuring vocalist Coultrain, in 2011. The next year saw the four-track 10-inch Guanyin Psittacines, built from loose beats, quirky samples, and groovy keyboards, alongside the more fractured, rhythm-focused Faaveelaa 12-inch on Rwina Records. Jheronimus, another 10-inch, arrived in 2013 and incorporated greater live instrumentation, a stronger jazz orientation, and the artist’s own electronically treated voice.
Extensive live appearances at clubs and festivals occupied the ensuing period, placing him alongside everyone from James Pants to the Sun Ra Arkestra, while additional remix commissions came from Nightmares on Wax, Awanto 3, and Cid Rim. Signing with Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label in 2016 allowed the release of Fool, whose expanded live-instrument approach included input from regular Brainfeeder contributor Thundercat as well as Kuhn and Verocai. The 2017 EP Flake documented further partnerships with Niels Broos and Frans Petter Eldh.
During that same year Jameszoo inaugurated the annual Amsterdam Dance Event through a special presentation with Jules Buckley and the Grammy-winning Metropole Orkest inside the historic Melkweg hall. Brainfeeder made the resulting recordings available digitally in spring 2019 under the title Melkweg and later as a limited-edition double LP in 2020. The 2022 album Blind marked van Dinther’s return and stands as his most adventurous recording to date, incorporating contributions from avant-jazz figures Evan Parker, Kit Downes, and Peter Evans, among others.
Albums
Singles
