Cobblestone Jazz is an improvised live techno project made up of producer Mathew Jonson, programmer Tyger Dhula, and Danuel Tate on keyboards, vocoder and vibraphone. The band came to the fore with 2002’s 5th Element EP (ItIsWhatItIs Recordings). A double album, 23 Seconds, was released on both Berlin-based Studio !K7 and Mathew Jonson’s Wagon Repair in 2007. A new album is due to be released in 2010.
 
The project had its beginnings in Victoria, British Columbia, when The Mole (Colin de la Plante) and producer Mathew Jonson teamed up with keyboardist Danuel Tate and programmer/producer Tyger Dhula as Modern Deep Left Quartet. The group went into hiatus when, after moving to Montreal, a studio theft forced Dhula and Tate to return to Victoria. The Mole continued solo; the others reformed as Cobblestone Jazz.
 
From the start, Cobblestone Jazz have approached techno from a jazz perspective, and perform live using vintage gear. Since their first EP, 5th Element, on Spencer Drennan’s British Columbian label ItIsWhatItIs, the Roland SH-101 has featured strongly. Cobblestone’s Mutek performance in 2003 was also noted for its lack of laptops, featuring instead a selection of synths, drum machines, a 303, an 808 and 909. The group’s jazz approach comes in part from trained jazz musician Danuel Tate’s influence.
 
Tate and DJ, producer and vocalist Tyger Dhula’s history dates back to the late 90s with productions as Dante & Dhula to their credit. Dhula provides the ‘stylistic platform’ for the group, while Mathew Jonson brings 'playing on the fly' to life with analogue drum machines and old synthesizers.
 
> myspace.com/cobblestonejazzmathewjonson
 
Appearances:
> CTM.10 > CONTINUAL REAL-TIME