Berlin is famous for its vast nightclubbing landscape, with destination venues existing alongside an endless supply of spots for house-music enthusiasts, just off the beaten track. Yet it also harbours a reputation for having drained the genre of all colour, sometime during the course of a transatlantic cultural dialogue that would reshape the scene.
It’s lucky for the city, then, that it now counts Jayda G as a resident: the Canadian-raised dance music producer and DJ moved to Berlin in 2016 with a contagious affinity for convivial disco, funk and house in tow. She leads by example in her sets, performing with a lively physical presence that sparks an electric atmosphere and dares other dancers to match her pace. Incorporating her research as an environmental toxicologist, her debut album Significant Changes serves as a manifesto for both dancefloors and ocean floors.
Jayda G’s own grooves are as captivating as her DJ sets, whether they’re freely bathing beneath Chi-town sun or dipping into more sombre waters.
Chicago house runs through the record, from the funky drums of club call-to-arms Stanley’s Get Down to the string flourishes on uplifting piano jam (Girls) Move to the Front. The marine-minded artist samples orcas for a bittersweet interlude that progresses beyond ambient cliche, going on to unlock the introspective club number Missy Knows What’s Up, peppered with audio from a court case on whale protection that catalysed her own studies. While her close friend Alexa Dash belts out an undeniable anthem as lead singer on Leave Room 2 Breathe, it’s Jayda G’s own vocal work that ultimately unites Significant Changes, accenting hooks with fizzy ad-libs, steering tunes with sprawling falsettos and resounding in the deep.
