Jerrilynn Patton (born July 30, 1987), known as Jlin, is an electronic musician. She began producing music in 2008 and received early attention for her 2011 track "Erotic Heat". Jlin's debut album, ''
Dark Energy
In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. It also slows the rate of structure format ...
'', was released in 2015 to critical praise. Her follow-up ''
Black Origami'' (2017) received further acclaim.
Biography
Patton was raised in
Gary, Indiana
Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...
.
Growing up, she was exposed to music through her parents, and her favorite artists were
Anita Baker,
Rachelle Ferrell, and
Sade. She also heard
footwork at an early age.
She briefly attended
Purdue University
Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
as a math major.
As an adult, she supported herself by working at a
steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...
, although she claims this did not substantively influence her work.
Patton began making her own music in 2008, and was inspired by her mother to pursue a unique sound.
She also received encouragement from figures such as
DJ Rashad, who she communicated with online.
After making the track "Erotic Heat", she was hesitant to release it because it did not fit the conventional sound of a footwork song.
The track was ultimately released on
Planet Mu
Planet Mu is an English electronic music record label created and run by Mike Paradinas. The label started out as a subsidiary of Virgin Records then Paradinas set up the label independent of Virgin. After releasing intelligent dance music, the ...
's ''Bangs & Works, Vol. 2'' compilation in 2011, which showcased Chicago
juke and footwork artists and brought Jlin attention. The song was later used to accompany a 2014
Rick Owens
Richard Saturnino Owens (born November 18, 1961) is an American fashion designer from Porterville, California. In addition to his main line, Owens has a furniture line and a number of diffusion lines.
Early life and education
Richard Saturnino ...
fashion show.
She released her debut album ''
Dark Energy
In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. It also slows the rate of structure format ...
'' in 2015 to critical acclaim.
''Dark Energy'' would help to popularize footwork on a global stage.
In 2017, Jlin released her second album ''
Black Origami''. It features collaborations with
William Basinski
William James Basinski (born June 25, 1958) is an American avant-garde composer based in Los Angeles, California. He is also a clarinetist, saxophonist, sound artist, and video artist.
Basinski is best known for his four-volume album '' The Dis ...
,
Holly Herndon
Holly Herndon (born 1980) is an American artist and composer based in Berlin, Germany. After studying composition at Stanford University and completing her Ph.D. at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, she ...
, Fawkes, and
Dope Saint Jude.
It received universal acclaim and was named among the best albums of the year by various publications.
Also in 2017, Jlin was commissioned to compose the score for "AutoBIOgraphy", a new work by Company Wayne McGregor that has its premiere at Sadler's Wells in London in October 2017. In 2020, Jlin created the new work "Perspectives", commissioned by the
Boulanger Initiative for performance by
Third Coast Percussion. In 2022, Jlin launched a course with online music school
Soundfly"Jlin: Rhythm, Variation, & Vulnerability"
In 2023, Jlin was a finalist for the
Pulitzer Prize for Music for her composition ''Perspective''.
Discography
Albums
*''
Dark Energy
In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. It also slows the rate of structure format ...
'' (2015,
Planet Mu
Planet Mu is an English electronic music record label created and run by Mike Paradinas. The label started out as a subsidiary of Virgin Records then Paradinas set up the label independent of Virgin. After releasing intelligent dance music, the ...
)
*''
Black Origami'' (2017, Planet Mu)
*''Autobiography (Music from Wayne McGregor's Autobiography)'' (2018, Planet Mu)
*''
Akoma'' (2024, Planet Mu)
Extended plays
*''Free Fall'' (2015, Planet Mu)
*''Dark Lotus'' (2017, Planet Mu)
*''Embryo'' (2021, Planet Mu)
*''Perspective'' (2023, Planet Mu)
References
External links
Jlinon
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
Jlinon
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
Jlin discographyat
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
{{Authority control
American electronic musicians
1987 births
Living people
21st-century American women musicians
Planet Mu artists
African-American women musicians
American women in electronic music
Musicians from Gary, Indiana
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American women