OJA TUNES are Berlin songwriters and producers P.O. Block and Jan Pelao. Their style is not trendy posture but a sincere attitude. Their accomplishment is based on hard work, dedication, love of music and ever-growing compositional skills. The two of them look back on long-term band experiences on rythm instruments like drums (Otto) and guitar (Jan), meshing Jazz, Funk, Rock & Pop, Soul and HipHop, and merging German and British music history. The amazing result: futuristic PowerSoulPop! After two years of intensive teamwork their sound has matured and meanwhile attracts artists such as Xavier Naidoo and SEEED, as well as talented newcomers such as Berlin R&B singer Maliq.
And then the sun rises again. (P.O. Block)
The sound of OJA TUNES is as versatile and iridescent as it is highly distinguishable. The productions of OJA TUNES include dope beats and futuristic sounds as well as fragile and intimate arrangements. Their songs are always dominated by a pleasing melody, no matter if the track is a burning party anthem or emotional ballad. Their song structures are rarely linear but rely on strong effects such as middle eight and bridge or as Otto more figuratively explains songs in which after the chorus the sun rises again.
The sound universe of OJA TUNES includes elements from 1970s Space Funk, Motown/Stax's, Wave/Punk, Hip Hop/R'n'B and Pop/ Rock. OJA TUNES are far from quoting or imitating existing patterns but transform their knowledge into thoroughly innovative compositions.
One of OJA TUNES key qualities is their explicit confidence that their production will carry the envisioned song. They establish a strong emotional impact which keeps the listener captivated. Jan and Otto use their resources with care. Each element, be it a cool funky lick or 1980s Pop sound, scores with utmost precision. Their love of music shows in every single beat and becomes visible in big grins on the faces of these outstanding producers when nodding to their own groove.
We haven't sampled Funky Drummer like all the others but played it. (Jan Pelao)
Looking at the career of these two music freaks reveals where they draw their strengths from. After studying guitar at renowned Hans Eisler school of music (Berlin), Jan immersed himself in Funk and Soul. As band member of legendary Acid Jazz/Funk band Chill Factor (lending its name to OJA TUNES studio Chill Factory) he soon became known as exceptional guitar player and appeared in numerous Funk/Reggae/Afro/Jazz productions. In Berlins creative broth of the early 1990s, where among others musicians from todays formation of SEEED romped about, he first encountered P.O. Block. Side to side, they performed timeless classics such as James Browns Funky Drummer live on stage, before personal paths led them apart.
P.O.Block pursued his career as a drummer and contributed to important and highly successful German acts such as Nikko & The Passion Fruit, Pearls at Swine and Superstore before he decided in 1996 to move to Brixton/ London. Apart from session recordings with cult bands like The Seahorses, Then Jericho and Inner Sleeve, he teamed up with Method and the Means to build up a pool for R&B music and produced artists such as Trisha, Base and Leroy Anderson. In 2001, fate intervened and had him meet Jan at a party in Berlin. They exchanged their stories, musical visions and plans for the future and found themselves in the studio together the very next day.
We don't want to feed average demand but create a highly individual and revolutionary sound. (P.O. Block)
Instead of immediately producing average projects they concentrated on intensely elaborating their unique style. In all of our productions youll hardly come across any samples, explains Otto. We prefer to produce our own beats and play most of the instruments ourselves. Our idea of a producer is not to offer some sort of service but to work on an independent level as artists and songwriters.
Of course, you face some considerable risks when you develop your own style, Jan adds. But I believe in our sound and I believe we can establish this sound with success. Productions for artists such as Aj Pitt, Lenz, Vanessa Petruo (No Angels), Yvonne Catterfeld, Xavier Naidoo/Bintia, Chima (Brothers Keepers), Appear (SEEED), Fetsum, Philippe, Maliq and Natasha Thomas give proof to their great reputation and their twofold approach. While they provide established artists like Yvonne Catterfeld with an innovative edge, they see it as equally important to foster young guns like Berlin singer Maliq.
(Tom Weigl)
