It's not easy putting a label on Jan Dark. Part Mike Patton, part Santogold, Jan Dark is a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter whose music ranges from self-mockery to the technical virtuosity that comes with time.
Growing up in Pforzheim, a few miles outside Stuttgart (Germany), he took his first steps in music at the age of 4, began learning piano at 8, and sang with his school and church choirs.
At 18 he left his hometown, eager to break away from a part of Germany known for being too clean, too small-minded, and moved to Paris where he joined the Sorbonne choir, which he would later leave for a Caribbean choir.
He gave his first vocal performances out of the spotlight, behind his piano. Myriam Makeba and Jo Ann Pickens, along with numerous gospel groups, would benefit from his talent both on stage and in the studio.
In 2006 he hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the door of his home studio. Because behind a shy exterior, Jan nurtured a burning ambition: to mix his influences (from Public Enemy to Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and experiences into one single music: his own.
A chance encounter on myspace introduced him to the SELECTOWN label. It was a case of mutual attraction which, after months of hard slog and live sets in Paris (Set de la Butte, Glaz'art, OPA, Flèche d'Or…), have given his first EP, in collaboration with the Bordeaux-based label CLAC!
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