Biography
Jimmy Edgar crafts electronic soundscapes that mirror the glossy, provocative allure of Hajime Sorayama's mid-1980s airbrushed "sexy robot" posters, evoking a polished digital tomorrow in which androids share the same carnal appetites as people. This multifaceted creator, who has built parallel paths as a graphic artist, photographer, and fashion designer, began by issuing abstract minimal techno before joining Warp and forging his hallmark mixture of glitch-hop, electro-funk, forward-looking R&B, and unfiltered sensuality across projects such as the 2006 album Color Strip. Later solo outings under his own name sustained that direction, among them the 2010 full-length XXX, while a series of pseudonym-driven releases probed assorted strains of electro, techno, and house. Club-focused material dominated much of the output on his Ultramajic imprint, whereas his partnership with Travis Stewart (Machinedrum) under the name JETS delivered a striking blend of trap, R&B, and luminous electronics on sets such as 2019's Zoospa. The subsequent solo albums Cheetah Bend (2021) and Liquids Heaven (2022) likewise merged hip-hop, R&B, and deconstructed club music.
Born in Detroit on August 10, 1983, Jimmy Edgar displayed an early affinity for music by studying saxophone and drums, performing in local groups, and exploring electronic production. His older brother worked as a promoter, granting the teenager, then just 15, the chance to DJ alongside Detroit techno pioneers Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May. At age 19 his debut track appeared on the German imprint Poker Flat in 2002.
That same year the Florida label Merck, after encountering only that single recording, signed him and issued his first album, My Mines I, credited to the composite alias Kristuit Salu vs. Morris Nightingale. The following year the Dutch outlet audio.nl put out his second album, %20, this time under the Michaux moniker. Both experimental efforts, aligned with the prevailing glitch and clicks + cuts styles, earned positive notices and drew the interest of Warp, which offered him a global contract. His initial release for the label, the 2004 four-track Access Rhythm EP, leaned toward hip-hop and included the "Morris Nightingale Theme" as a nod to his earlier guise. Later that year he delivered the Bounce Make Model mini-album, which first defined the erotic electro-funk aesthetic that would define his reputation.
Edgar devoted the ensuing two years to his debut Warp long-player. The outcome, Color Strip, stood out for its singular vision as he sought to "capture the essence of Detroit." Drawing from themes of sex and drugs, assembled with custom software he programmed himself, and committed to analog tape, the record fused techno, electro, R&B, glitch, and hip-hop into a gritty urban atmosphere that quickly garnered widespread praise.
During the four-year interval after Color Strip, Edgar issued understated material under various guises including Black Affair, Her Bad Habit, and X District, and was linked to the enigmatic electro acts Plus Device and Creepy Autograph. His 2008 relocation from Detroit to New York City shaped the music that followed. After Warp reportedly passed on his next album, XXX, he moved to the German label K7, which released it in July 2010. Retaining the spirit of Color Strip yet adopting a more direct and "live" approach, the record featured Edgar on bass guitar and guest vocalists such as Azealia Banks, prior to her breakthrough.
He continued releasing singles on Nonplus and Semantica before unveiling the full-length Majenta on the U.K. bass label Hotflush in 2012. That year he launched the duo JETS (occasionally rendered J-E-T-S) with former Merck associate Travis Stewart (Machinedrum), beginning with a self-titled EP on Leisure System. Early in 2013 Edgar and Derrick May each assembled a disc for the double-CD set We Love... Detroit. While based in Berlin that year, Edgar and designer Pilar Zeta established the Ultramajic label, inaugurating it with his Hot Inside EP. Subsequent releases included a split EP by Aden (Travis Stewart) and Creepy Autograph, plus Edgar's Mercurio EP; Saline, which featured a collaboration with the late DJ Rashad, arrived in 2014.
His first mix CD, Fabriclive 79, appeared in 2015. Additional EPs and singles followed through the rest of the decade, among them a 2015 joint effort with Truncate, 2016's Dreamz Come True, and 2018's "Burn So Deep" with Dawn Richard. The vocalist also featured on JETS' 2019 album Zoospa alongside Tkay Maidza, Mykki Blanco, and frequent collaborator Rochelle Jordan. In 2020 Edgar issued collaborative singles with Hudson Mohawke ("BENT"), SOPHIE ("METAL"), and Danny Brown ("GET UP"), and produced Atlanta rapper B La B's mixtape Who I Be. All of those guests joined him on the 2021 full-length Cheetah Bend, which also included Matt Ox and Millie Go Lightly. The 2022 album Liquids Heaven likewise combined trap, electro, and hyperpop with contributions from Trinidad James, ZelooperZ, and 645AR.
Born in Detroit on August 10, 1983, Jimmy Edgar displayed an early affinity for music by studying saxophone and drums, performing in local groups, and exploring electronic production. His older brother worked as a promoter, granting the teenager, then just 15, the chance to DJ alongside Detroit techno pioneers Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May. At age 19 his debut track appeared on the German imprint Poker Flat in 2002.
That same year the Florida label Merck, after encountering only that single recording, signed him and issued his first album, My Mines I, credited to the composite alias Kristuit Salu vs. Morris Nightingale. The following year the Dutch outlet audio.nl put out his second album, %20, this time under the Michaux moniker. Both experimental efforts, aligned with the prevailing glitch and clicks + cuts styles, earned positive notices and drew the interest of Warp, which offered him a global contract. His initial release for the label, the 2004 four-track Access Rhythm EP, leaned toward hip-hop and included the "Morris Nightingale Theme" as a nod to his earlier guise. Later that year he delivered the Bounce Make Model mini-album, which first defined the erotic electro-funk aesthetic that would define his reputation.
Edgar devoted the ensuing two years to his debut Warp long-player. The outcome, Color Strip, stood out for its singular vision as he sought to "capture the essence of Detroit." Drawing from themes of sex and drugs, assembled with custom software he programmed himself, and committed to analog tape, the record fused techno, electro, R&B, glitch, and hip-hop into a gritty urban atmosphere that quickly garnered widespread praise.
During the four-year interval after Color Strip, Edgar issued understated material under various guises including Black Affair, Her Bad Habit, and X District, and was linked to the enigmatic electro acts Plus Device and Creepy Autograph. His 2008 relocation from Detroit to New York City shaped the music that followed. After Warp reportedly passed on his next album, XXX, he moved to the German label K7, which released it in July 2010. Retaining the spirit of Color Strip yet adopting a more direct and "live" approach, the record featured Edgar on bass guitar and guest vocalists such as Azealia Banks, prior to her breakthrough.
He continued releasing singles on Nonplus and Semantica before unveiling the full-length Majenta on the U.K. bass label Hotflush in 2012. That year he launched the duo JETS (occasionally rendered J-E-T-S) with former Merck associate Travis Stewart (Machinedrum), beginning with a self-titled EP on Leisure System. Early in 2013 Edgar and Derrick May each assembled a disc for the double-CD set We Love... Detroit. While based in Berlin that year, Edgar and designer Pilar Zeta established the Ultramajic label, inaugurating it with his Hot Inside EP. Subsequent releases included a split EP by Aden (Travis Stewart) and Creepy Autograph, plus Edgar's Mercurio EP; Saline, which featured a collaboration with the late DJ Rashad, arrived in 2014.
His first mix CD, Fabriclive 79, appeared in 2015. Additional EPs and singles followed through the rest of the decade, among them a 2015 joint effort with Truncate, 2016's Dreamz Come True, and 2018's "Burn So Deep" with Dawn Richard. The vocalist also featured on JETS' 2019 album Zoospa alongside Tkay Maidza, Mykki Blanco, and frequent collaborator Rochelle Jordan. In 2020 Edgar issued collaborative singles with Hudson Mohawke ("BENT"), SOPHIE ("METAL"), and Danny Brown ("GET UP"), and produced Atlanta rapper B La B's mixtape Who I Be. All of those guests joined him on the 2021 full-length Cheetah Bend, which also included Matt Ox and Millie Go Lightly. The 2022 album Liquids Heaven likewise combined trap, electro, and hyperpop with contributions from Trinidad James, ZelooperZ, and 645AR.
Albums
LIQUIDS HEAVEN
2022
CHEETAH BEND
2021
Zaps
2019
Zoospa
2019
New Touch
2011
Color Strip
2006
Bounce, Make, Model
2004
Access Rhythm
2004
Singles
