In a recent interview, Jlin (AKA Jerilynn Patton) says that one of the things sheâs learned about herself since she started making electronic music is that she âcan make time and space disappear.â Itâs the kind of bold and impetuous statement we might expect from a young musician whose two albumsâ2015âs Dark Energy and this yearâs Black Origamiâhave received ample praise from critics and her fellow creatives.
But thereâs also truth in Pattonâs claim. Her work, which expands upon the rapid-fire dance music of Chicagoâs footwork scene, is meant to help you lose track of temporality and rationality. Hypnotic swells of percussion and palpitating bass are shaded with agitated, cut-up vocal samples and little splashes of clarity. Itâs great for either the quick steps of footwork or, inspired by her recent collaborations with Avril Stormy Unger, the spiritual movement of Indian dance. Thereâs also an undeniable sensuality that charges through Pattonâs music, which could provide a fine soundtrack to oneâs intimate relations.
The best place to experience her disappearing act is in a live settingâwith a great sound system bending to Pattonâs will and her joyful, charismatic presence, thereâs no better way to disconnect from reality, if only for a little while.