Official Website

 

Austin, TX

​   Kalu and the Electric Joint blend the powers of psychedelic soul music with the driving beat of rock and roll and the ancient rhythms of Africa. This afropsych musical chemistry comes from the bond forged by frontman Kalu James, who emigrated from Nigeria at age 18, and guitarist Jonathan “JT” Holt, who adds a touch of American soul to Kalu’s West African heritage. While “Time Undone” (2017, sPaceflight records) is a sonic masterpiece of original tunes with a positive message and soul-stirring beats, The group’s new record, “garden Of eden”(2023) explores disruption in all its forms: the beautiful, weird, to the tragic. arrangements are masterfully crafted Their music invoking a wide range of emotions while influencing with an uplifting and empowering message. Opening for acts like THE BLACK KEYS, George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic, Trombone shorty, Vieux Farka Toure, Allen Stone, amongst many others, this band is carrying modern music forward while paying tribute to the inspirations of the past.
​ In the cultural consciousness, Austin, TX looms as a capital of cross pollination, a place where creative thinkers in art and tech collide. But few artists personify this is as well Kalu and the Electric Joint, an Afropsych act led by Kalu James, the visionary son of a Nigerian village leader whose music fuses the Afrobeat rhythms and textures of his homeland with the psychedelic rock and soul legacy of his adopted home, and multi-instrumentalist/producer Jonathan “JT” Holt. As the flagship artist of pioneering non-profit record label Spaceflight Records, Kalu’s music business journey has been as inventive and disruptive as his aesthetic journey and on the epic new album Garden of Eden, Kalu explores that disruption in all its forms, from the beautiful to the weird to the tragic.

​   This band delivers a positive message in turbulent times, uplifting their listeners and compelling them to get up and dance.