Dubeats
The grooves continue flowing with our 119th episode of the LoveBath from Joi N’Juno!
David Baluteau aka Joi N’Juno is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and full-time studio engineer with many years honing his craft. David earned his stripes as founder, composer and lead singer of the cult French drum & bass-electro-punk band “La Phaze” which has been running successfully for 25 years and recently concluded an extensive 2- year tour.
Now focusing on this new chapter in his creative journey, Joi N’Juno serves up an album that is at the same time both fresh & mature. The album encompasses a range of influences, from classic 70s and 80s disco vibes a la Niles Rogers, zouk boogie from Kassav, afro funk vibes from Nigeria as well as modern disco house motifs.
He provides a lovely showcase of this sound in our latest mix!
Where are you based and what are you doing today?
I live in Lorient a small city of Britanny in France. I used to live for 8 years in Barcelona and moved quite recently back to France.
I spend my days mostly in my studio, this is the place where I feel the most happy and creative and the acoustic is very good which is pretty pleasant and reassuring.
What is your earliest musical memory?
It comes from the sound of a guitar played by my father, he was sitting on my bed and playing something, its a vague memory but I think it was a song by Cat Stevens
Is there an album that sticks in your mind from when you were a kid?
My mother used to have good tastes in music so I remember that I couldn’t stopped listening to “Hotter Than July” from Stevie Wonder and especially his amazing single called Master Blaster.
Who are you musical heroes when you were growing up?
Without any doubt, it was The Clash. I was fan of Punk and reggae music. And then I started to experiment with Keyboards and computers and electronic music became my passion.
Who do you think is making great music at the moment?
Quite a lot of very good producers these days, I would like to big up my friend Hotmood who is also preparing his first album.
I like Diogo Strausz music too, Opolopo is a maestro with experimentation. I dig Kiko Navarro too, I hear a lot of music from very different genres to be honest
What is the most recent album you’ve purchased and why do you love it?
I bought a record called Marijata from Pat Thomas last time I went to Lisbon. Fun fact few month later I was meeting him in studio in London.
Life is great sometimes 🙂
What inspires you to create music on a daily basis?
I think its the love and the passion that I still have for making songs from scratch. Every time I step into the studio I feel the excitement, it’s like embarking on an unknown destination. The more I grow the more I feel the need to create music.
Who do you think is one of the greatest musicians of our time?
Miles Davis for sure even though he’s not alive, his legacy is incredible. I still go back to his music and learn something new each time.
How did you first connect with Canopy Records?
I was starting to work on the writing session of the album and a very good friend of mine recommended me to get in touch with Canopy regarding my music style. I then contacted the label on Instagram and Emmanuel first reaction was to let me know that his agenda was full until 2025! He asked me to send a link eventually to listen to it.
The day after I had almost 20 messages from him ahaha!
Give us a brief roundup of your new album?
It’s an album of pure joy and liberation. It goes back to my childhood and connect with my musical roots, then it travel over the years until now. It’s under influences of Afrobeat and Disco Hi-Life as well as Tropical Funk and House music with some juicy analog synths and instruments. I sing on almost every songs and play all the instruments except the Horns which are my signature sound too.
It’s an album where I have created my own language which is also connected to the inner soul of a children, it’s full of positive energy, I wanted to make a record that will pass the test of time and bring a large smile on people face!
What else can we hope to see from Joi N Juno this year?
I have beenvery productive in studio and plan to release 2 EPs with Canopy records, one with Kaleta and one with Pat Thomas.
There are also some remixes and few surprises to come but it’s a work in progress situation right now.
What is the last book that you read?
“The Tartar Steppe” by Dino Buzatti
What is your favourite film?
It’s an old film a masterpiece “Le Samouraï” by Jean-Pierre Melville with Alain Delon
Tell us something we might never know about you?
I can not only a good cook with music, I can be very creative in a real kitchen!
-Joi N’Juno
Turn it up & enjoy!
