First Look Friday: Majid Jordan - 'afterhours' EP Stream

Majid Jordan is a production duo out of Toronto that has all of the earmarks of an eclectic and influential new force in the music realm, virtually unknown but already sitting pretty at the top of Billboard's R&B chart for three weeks straight with none other than their fellow north-of-the-border native Drake. Unless the government's shutdown somehow hurled you into a dark recess somewhere beneath the Earth's surface, you should by now have caught the strong wind of epic drum programming, subtle synths and new wave-ish hook of Drizzy's "Hold On We're Going Home." The track (for my $US, by far the most compelling jam on an album full of quasi-love songs, "tributes" and some quality verses) boasts the complex simplicity of everyone's favorite sophisticated, falsetto-drenched R&B grooves of the early to mid-80's--and it owes all of that to producers and featured artists Majid Jordan. Consisting of singer/producer Majid Al-Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman, the group flexes virtual anonymity with no content whatsoever (peep their blank Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts for proof of nothingness) outside of their feature on Drake's track and an outstanding afterhours EP that surfaced from a group called GOOD People; the former moniker of the Canadian production team.

The afterhours EPis a true triumph, not only showing you all 31 flavors the group can deliver, but doing it to death on all 31 accounts, from the impenetrable dancehall vibe of the opener "Take Control" to the funked-out follow up "Hold Tight." With Majid' s trademark-pending smoothed out hooks and a spacey reverb laden mid-song breakdown, one is reminded that good songs are supposed to have parts  (and begs the question: Will we ever see the resurgence of the bridge in a contemporary pop structure? I think not.) In any case, the album traverses the landscape of ever-so-chic minimalist synth and drum work blended seamlessly with the "textures of the time" in what can only be described as one of the most relevant efforts from an up-and-comer that we've seen in some time (think Nile Rodgers and Disclosure on some "I'm gonna make you shake" type stuff) Say what you will about Drizzy, the man takes care of his own and this writer's got a hunch that thanks to their new OVO affiliation and rumored signing, we'll be seeing plenty out of these boys in the future. Until then peep afterhours,the strong debut EP from Majid Jordan.