This article was originally written for Red Bull in April 2019
If you keep your ear to the ground in the Durban music scene, you’ll hear a particular name pop up more than most these days: Jaedon Daniel. Ever since he gathered a group of musical prodigies together to play a few of his compositions as Blvck Crystals, the keyboardist from Reservoir Hills has had the attention and adoration of Durbanites who know what’s up. The Blvck Crystals have each since ventured out on their own paths, with the young keys maestro lending his talents where ever they’re needed around town. Whether it’s in the studio with some of Durban’s top artists like Kyle Deutsch, or on stage with bands like Afrogong and ByLwantsa’s NORMVLLY Busy, Jaedon has made a name for himself through collaboration.
Now though, it’s time for Jaedon to make his name as a solo artist and not just as someone who plays real nice with others. Jaedon dropped his debut solo album “Hold the Game” in November last year and is already following it up with an album-length EP just six months later. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him whilst he was in the process of recording the new music to discuss the hows and whys of this prolific young musician.
Jaedon comes out of UKZN’s music department so he’s well versed in jazz and has a solid technical foundation. That, coupled with a deep drive for experimentation and a constant need to create, has helped Jaedon rise through the ranks of the Durban music scene with haste. While he might be known for his jazz skills, his love for music started out in school with more electronic sounds, “I’ve always had a big passion for electronic music. When I was in school, I used to DJ and make little mixes for my friends. I always enjoyed high energy music.” Now that he’s no longer studying, he wants to expand beyond jazz and explore his musical roots, “I’ve always had that side to me, but never had the means to explore. Even my piano lecturer, Neil, he was like, “Ya, your band is dope, but now you guys must start getting more electronic.”
So, now he’s getting more electronic. This opens up avenues and gives Jaedon opportunities to play different kinds of gigs in new ways. While he cherishes touring and playing with a band, he also wants to perform DJ slots where he’s on his own “Performing 45 minutes with a keyboard nonstop. All original music. I mix the songs and play keys over it.” Which is partially why he’s putting together this yet-to-be-titled EP before touring “Hold the Game” properly. So he has a different kind of set to play on his own whilst he works out the logistics of touring the album the way he’d like to.
The new EP is actually inspired by Jaedon’s dreams. “If I’m in my dream and I’m at my primary school, in my classroom, there’ll be all my friends and everything will be normal, but when I walk outside I’ll be in the Swiss Alps or something. If I’m going to a rehearsal in my dream that I usually go to, it’ll be like an aquarium when I get there. There’s just something that’s always twisted,” Jaedon explains. “So with the EP, what I’ve tried to create is one of my dreams. Not in like a literal sense where you listen to it and you close your eyes and you can see things, but more like you’re in a place where you’ve been before, but it doesn’t feel the same.”
Jaedon puts a lot of care into music. Not just what he creates, but what he listens to because the two are linked. “For me, my influences have been super strong. Like, I’ve found that now, whatever is influencing me, those are the projects then that I’ll push out.” This means that Jaedon is selective of what he listens to, “My listening time is super serious to me. I really respect the time and it’s super, super important to me.” This probably explains why he can’t stick to one genre or one sound for too long. Jaedon says he’s been listening to Soulective and Kid Fonque’s Selective Styles mixes lately, so expect that to feed into what he’s been cooking up.
The young keyboardist has the ability to take any sorts of genres, put them in a Jaedon Daniel shaped mould, fire up the oven, and come out with something audibly delicious. He gives the credit to his studies for the ability to polymorph across genres. “To learn theory and to learn how music is generated, you can go to any gig of any genre and be able to understand and appreciate it.”
It’s easy to see that Jaedon truly loves music. It’s not about fame or traditional measures of success, but rather just creating for the love of it so he doesn’t feel the stresses that come with trying to “make it”. “Right now, well, for the next couple years, I’m just in that thing of creating and pushing content. I still have a long way to go, so I’m not putting all that artist pressure on myself.” Jaedon may still have a long way to go but he’s already well on his way. He’s that rare breed of musician who can excel at both creating on his own and collaborating with others, which is why you’re going to be hearing Jaedon Daniel’s name a lot- whether your ear is to the ground or not.
