The head of music for londonfm.digital said that he loved the new single ‘HABU’ from J-M-K with its silky synths, irresistible beats, great alternative pop sensibility and lush warm vocals, that remind us of the Human League on holiday with Propaganda, New Order, Gary Numan and Faithless. This great 80’s esque single has a haunting production with a modern world music vibe, a great rap and a pulsating groove, that gets you dancing with shivers down your Alternative Pop spine. Very cool and meditative, this reminds us of the energy of the early 80’s when music was unique, creative and ground-breaking. This top new single is going on the londonfm.digital playlist, so listen out for it day and night on the daily playlist + as a special NEW POP POWERPLAY at approx 8:15 PM UK time every night for a month or more.
Irish artist J-M-K has an uncanny ability to blend sounds from cultures around the world into life-affirming anthems. HABU is built around a traditional Cree chant, giving it an earthy and rustic foundation. He expertly weaves together angelic choirs, propulsive electronic rhythm, and even a stunning rap verse. It captures the need for harmony between humans and nature, and the dangers we face if we lose touch with our roots. Ideal for any open-hearted, genre-defiant, international playlist.
J-M-K is the solo project of Irish (Waterford) published producer/songwriter Joe Kenny. As a kid he learned classical piano and gravitated towards guitar in his teens, soaking up everything from AC/DC, to Metallica to Randy Rhoads. In his early 20’s he had an electronic music project called Moody Warrior, influenced by bands like The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Leftfield and Orbital. In 2002 he performed a Dave Fanning 2FM session and that year signed a licensing deal with MBA music.
In 2005 he started an Indie rock band called The Arrangements. They played their first gig in Waterford in a small pub and 2 days later they were support to The Feeling (BRIT award-nominated UK pop band) in Whelans, Dublin. They enjoyed local success in Ireland e.g. NSMA finalists, 2FM 2moro tour, IMRO tour, Dan Hegarty 2FM session and in 2008 received a Tisch Hotpress Video award for their song Mr.Frazier. Later Joe focused more on pop songwriting, in 2016 his track Raise the Night was selected as a Pop Finalist in The Great American Songwriting Competition, also he became a finalist in a UK Songwriting Competition, which landed him a stint on an 8 week TV show, Tin Pan Alley, working alongside legendary producer Mike Stock.
J-M-K takes influence from an eclectic range of styles, rhythms and textures, exploring different genres, from House to Electronica to Electronic pop music, focusing on synth driven, high energy, emotional sounds, blending many styles to create his unique production sound.