JakoJako – Kumquat (Rolando Remix)
Berlin-based modular synthesist Sibel Koçer, who records as JakoJako, times the release of “Tết 41 (Remixes, Pt.1)” perfectly: February 17th, Lunar New Year. The remix EP pulls from her latest album “Tết 41”, released on Mute, a record built around her trip to Vietnam with her mother and the experience of reconnecting with her Vietnamese heritage. Detroit’s Rolando — former Underground Resistance member, also known as The Aztec Mystic — gets first billing, taking on “Kumquat” and leaning into its polyrhythmic structure and bright, searching melodies. The choice of track is deliberate: kumquats are a key symbol of Tết celebrations in Vietnam, associated with prosperity.
Gothenburg’s Elin Piel handles the second remix, working over “Ghi-Ta” — named after a Vietnamese guitar Koçer encountered on her trip. Piel explains what drew her in: “What drew me to Ghi-Ta was the harmonies and the small changes in the repetitiveness. It was really fun to play around with the stems trying to find a pulse and create new patterns but still match the original vibe”. Part 2 of the remix series follows on March 18th, with remixes from Colin Benders and DJ Hi-C.
The source album is a genuinely unusual piece of work. Koçer made the whole thing on a Eurorack modular system and a Waldorf Iridium Core — no computer for mixing or arrangement, just the effects and sequencers built into the hardware. Field recordings from Lunar New Year celebrations open and close the record, with everything in between drawn from that minimal setup. “The more you play with a single machine the more you get to know it”, she says. “You’ll get muscle memory and play it more like an actual instrument, instead of treating it as a tool”.
Tracklist:
- Kumquat (Rolando Remix)
- Ghi-Ta (Elin Piel Remix)
- Hoa Đào (Colin Benders Remix)
- Ðà Nāng (DJ Hi-C Remix)
