* En anglais uniquement
Spread between Brooklyn and Toronto, the cross-border duo of Jon Nellen and Joe Manzoli make dreamy, abstract electronic pop as
ginla. Their recordings, such as 2018 full-length debut
Codex, often feature delicate vocals and airy guitars as well as intricate beats influenced by drum'n'bass and U.K. garage, occasionally resembling
Elliott Smith as produced by
Mount Kimbie.
Both members of
ginla have lived in several locations, and have absorbed and performed several genres of music. Jon Nellen was raised in Mumbai, and has a background in Indian classical music. Joe Manzoli grew up in Ontario, Canada and played free jazz during his high-school years, while also listening to hip-hop and indie rock. The two musicians first met in 2012, working as side musicians for
Nick Hakim while he was recording his first two EPs. Following additional work with
Adrianne Lenker (
Big Thief) and
Lorely Rodriguez (
Empress Of), Nellen and Manzoli decided to form their own group. The debut
ginla single, "Almost Plastic," was self-released in 2014. Their first EP, simply titled
ginla, was co-produced by
Rusty Santos and released by Terrible Records in 2017. The duo's full-length debut,
Codex, arrived a year later. ~ Paul Simpson