Leon Jean-Marie shouldn’t be here. He should be stuck in a windowless studio someplace, producing another artist’s record. He should be wrapped round a tree in Epping Forest in his AC Cobra kit car… Harmonising with a five-piece R&B group… Advising tourists on holiday hotspots for the coming season… Wasted in a doorway… Sitting in church… Dropping out in St Lucia…There were a lot of things that should have, could have, got in the way of Leon’s emergence as one of the brightest musical talents for 2007. Handily, he bested them all. Luck, talent, some vibey connections and a brainload of brilliant music saw to that. Little wonder, mebbe, that his first release is two slabs of urgent future-funk, motoring beats, twanging riffs and vocals that Prince would swap his high heels for. We’re gonna party like it’s 2099.Hear Leon Jean-Marie's limited edition seven-inch ‘Scratch’/’Make It Right’ and you’ll hear a 24-year-old from far East London who mixes up Beck, Bill Withers, Nirvana and many more besides. A vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist who, having dreamt up his tunes in his home studio, is now working with some of the smartest producer-collaborators in the world.‘All the great hook-ups I’ve had, including my record deal, have been on a vibe,’ says Leon. That is, little money changed hands, only mutual respect. In the two years before he signed his record deal, Leon had rare talents flocking to work with him. ‘This person’s heard it, and he’s signed to… Now this person’s heard it, and he’s worked with… And now this person’s passed it to this person…’ And on it rolled. Leon Jean-Marie has that a rare combination of ambition and ability that marks him out from the crowd and draws collaborators to him like moths to a flame. A lesser talent would be overwhelmed, and musically obscured, by working with names such as in demand New Yorker Mark Ronson, Gorillaz producers The Rural and Swedish hitmaker Bloodshy, but the enigmatic quality of Leon's songwriting and vocals keep the spotlight firmly on this young Londoner.Leon has big plans for 2007: early live shows with his band have shown that he is as much of a force on stage as in the studio; work on his album continues apace and early signs are that this will be one of next year's most thrilling debuts. Check out the two tracks on offer here and believe...
Live: He's playing 2 London dates over the next couple of weeks…
Thursday March 15th @ Water Rats on
Thursday 22nd March @ Yo Yo
Leon Jean-Marie