Joakim

One of France's foremost electronic musicians, Joakm has a background in classical music, indie-rock and jazz. He discovered electronic music after a schoolfriend left his synthesizer in Joakim's room, later latching onto indie and electronic labels such as Warp and Mo Wax. His first album, Tiger Sushi, was ambient electro-jazz, before he moved onto electronics with Fantômes (2003), and most recently Monsters and Silly Songs (2007), on which he combines post-rock, disco, electronics, and out-there sounds. Joakim runs the Tigersushi label, releases a broad spectrum of music including Maurice Fulton, ESG, Poni Hoax, and Metro Area.

After a debut that blended jazz, turntablism, hip-hop and indie rock, French producer and remixer Joakim has maintained a similarly eclectic profile, both on his own releases and on his work as a producer, collaborator, remixer and head of his own influential Tigersushi label. Born Joakim Bouaziz, the young prodigy began an intensive study of classical music beginning with piano lessons that started at age six. After graduating from the National Conservatory of Versailles, Joakim immersed himself in jazz, American and British indie rock and hip-hop. Incorporating all of these influences and more, he made his recorded debut with 1999's Joakim Lone Octet, a jazzy and largely instrumental album. In 2003, the more electronic dance oriented follow-up Fantomes garnered considerably more attention. After four years spent focusing on label duties and remix jobs, releasing the occasional single under his own name, Joakim returned in 2007 with the eclectic Monsters & Silly Songs, featuring the 12" single "Lonely Hearts." ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide