Whitefield, J.j. -& Forced Meditation-
The Infinity Of Nothingness
In the early '90s, as various UK bands were signed up by sizeable labels and enjoyed even mainstream chart success in the acid jazz and rare groove boom, Jan and his brother Max formed the Poets Of Rhythm, self-releasing their own uncompromisingly hard-edged take on '70s street funk on the then completely unfashionable 7" single format, forerunning the deep funk scene by almost a decade. 30 years on, in spite of a legion of retro-focused bands having followed in their wake, few have yet to come close to matching the energy and spirit of those early Poets 45s. Since then, Jan has applied himself to all manner of new incarnations and innovative side-projects, releasing further funk surveys as the Whitefield Brothers before leading his own band under the pseudonym Karl Hector, with releases on labels such as Stones Throw, Daptone, Ninja Tune, Mo'Wax, Strut and more. An avid music lover, explorer and record collector extraordinaire, Whitefield's music has effortlessly absorbed his expanding interests along the way, particularly drawing influence from Ethiopian jazz and West African funk and highlife, as well as kraut-rock and ambient via his Rodinia alter-ego.