Chaz Jankel

As Austin provides you with a look forward in the realms of experimental glitch-hop and alternative J-Rock I will offer a look back at the career of a relatively unknown synth-pop legend. Enter Chaz Jankel. Known for his work with The Blockheads and Ian Dury, as well as his own successful singles like “3,000,000 Synths” and “Number One,” Jankel is one of the dudes who made a multitude of phenomenal records, most of which have now been forgotten. I suggest checking out My Occupation, a collection of his finest work to date, which I stumbled upon earlier this month. The aforementioned singles are obvious points of interest but I also recommend the jazzy instrumental track that concludes the album entitled “Call Me (Bonus Dub).” For fans of Kano, Yaz, Janet Jackson and those who embraced the technological advances of the 1980’s but weren’t ready to let go of the sound of the 1970’s.

Beware of the video below—there’s some “Windowlicker”-esque distortion that occurs.