Gitkin

Gitkin is the solo project of Brooklyn- and New Orleans-based multi-instrumentalist Brian J. It develops out of his work as a bandleader for the touring party-rock group Pimps Of Joytime and from a Grammy-nominated country blues collaboration with Cedric Burnside. The project is largely instrumental and is shaped by a wish to move away from writing lyrics and using his own voice.

Style and approach

Gitkin’s music sits between roots-based groove and a more distant, exoticised atmosphere. It is guitar-led, often wordless, and focused on mood and texture. Early descriptions of the project compared it with Khruangbin and called it cinematic, but the sound also draws on earthy funk, rhythm-heavy playing, and emotionally evocative lead lines.

Releases

Gitkin’s first release is Five Star Motel, which arrives in 2018 and establishes the project’s blend of funk and steady rhythmic playing. A later full-length release, Safe Passage, expands the palette further, bringing in melodies informed by Greek and Middle Eastern modes, Peruvian chicha, and Tuareg Saharan guitar styles. The result combines bluesy low end with more intricate lead phrases.

Background

Brian J frames Gitkin as a way to explore tonalities he had not previously used. The project presents itself as a mostly instrumental route through different guitar traditions and rhythmic forms, rooted in blues and funk but open to broader global influences.