29 April 2026

Musick that Needed Work: T - The Thing with Five Eyes

 

The Thing with Five Eyes is a experimental drone darkjazz project of Jason Köhnen, formerly of the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (which I have shared before here) & The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation. Where those bands mixed jazz with drone & doom elements to create ‘darkjazz’, The Thing with Five Eyes has a fresher appeal, taking electronica & jazz, then throwing in a palette of Middle Eastern sounds / atmospheres to create an album that feels more worldly with fewer mountains. 

 



About The Thing with Five Eyes, Jason sez:
       "Our music cleaves the depth of mystical and occult territories of the soul." 

On this one Köhnen is aided by Leila Bounos - vocals & Izzy Op De Beeck - trumpet. The harsh unpredictability & brutality of darkness is conveyed through a soundscape of body rumbling bass, intriguing drum/break formations, uncanny sounds of human heaving, electronic manipulations of rattling noises, & the plummeting yet buoyant vocals of the wonderous Algerian/French Leila Bounous who sounds a lot like Natasha Atlas of Transglobal Underground. 

 

The Thing with Five Eyes - Noirabesque, Svart Lava LAVA003, 2018.
decryption code in comments

Salem    
Alma    
Hedra    
Zigurhat    
Nakba    
Taurus    
Nehex    
Qun    
Selenga
 
 
 

Enjoy,
NØ
at

9 comments:

  1. NØ4/29/26, 4:25 PM

    Noirabesque
    ryFpmvptZUnVywcpwGdm0Pc9J9dALUe4TLxCqnYa-TM

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mooz4/29/26, 6:25 PM

    This is a good one. I really like almost everything Jason puts out, and he seems to have a few dozen pseudonyms - each with its own distinct vibe. I remember being amazed when I first connected the dots between Bong Ra and The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble. This dark jazz vibe really resonates with me, I have this style on a lot at night with a cocktail and good book in hand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NØ4/29/26, 9:46 PM

      Thanks, Mooz. Glad to hear. I'm takin' a kind deep dive into darkjazz in May.

      Delete
    2. FlaccusMUC4/30/26, 12:20 AM

      More dark jazz in the merry month of May ...? This sounds promising! I really like the Köhnen albums I've heard so far. But I understand there is much more than The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation. Many thanks, Nate!

      Delete
    3. NØ4/30/26, 12:25 PM

      Thanks, FlaccusMUC. Looking forward to sharing.

      Delete
  3. FiveGunsWest4/29/26, 7:40 PM

    The key isn't working for me mate. How are ya?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NØ4/29/26, 9:44 PM

      Thanks 5GW. I'm doing great. Justtried the code & it worked aces. Try again I guess or let me know.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous4/30/26, 8:26 AM

    Hi NØ, this isn’t dark jazz but it is a worthwhile (IMO) sampladelic blend of jazz and Arabesque: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_5pp_ZjaMX0-AX0a_7VdU3lr0C6K11n4 (Time-limited link.) Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete