Dear friend, former-mentor and now collaborator, Jello Vibes, joined me for our last episode of the Philly Quarantine Tapes! Performing 3 original tracks on his Pearl malletSTATION, Jello Vibes takes you into his eclectic audio world of space sound samples, jazz-hop grooves and experimental bass elements. In addition to catching up and reminiscing, we chat afterwards about his creative inspirations and writing process, projects he’s been working on, and generally what all has shaped him as an artist! I am honored to showcase this incredible human being and musician in his Quarantine Tapes session!

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Jello Vibes is the artistic sum of all the cool things this city has to offer. Gaining the chops and musical inspiration from the jazz and street art of Philly and elsewhere, the classic percussion training from groups like Music City Mystique and Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps, and the fresh soundscapes from more experimental artists like Tipper and Prefuse 73, Jello Vibes curates an entirely unique sonic experience for his listeners. As a classically trained mallet percussionist, his talent and ear for music is high-quality. He plays 4-mallet melodies and chords on his Pear malletSTATION. This industry-pushing electronic mallet percussion instrument allows him to do what he does best, while being able to also implement the electronic soundscapes from his brain into tracks which he plays over. The results are beautifully, well-thought-out compositions with a bass-centric, electronic, jazz fusion feel.

In his Quarantine Tapes episode, Jello vibes plays three original tracks, all featured on different projects. The first track, “Bandit,” comes form his debut self-titled EP released in 2019. “Forgotten Tomorrows” is a fun, feel-good, jazzy lo-fi tune that was released by Philadelphia-based record label Eraserhood Sound, “the only ‘Synth & Soul’ label around.” Finally, “bandit.” is an Emancipator-inspired track that you can find in -Part. 1 of Jello Vibes’ Outlaw Sessions project released earlier this year. The Outlaw Sessions’ tracklist are all words that share a similar essence as the word “outlaw,” Jello’s legal last name. It’s a cool concept and a really cool project. His entire discography is worth a peruse. What you’ll find is intelligent, deeply introspective, and utterly inspiring music really marking its place in these times!

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