JJ
Tomorrow, 7.30pm, Hidden Agenda
You can't accuse Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander of being attention seekers. The young Swedish duo slipped onto the music radar without any press outreach or Myspace preening in 2009. Their debut album jj n - 2 was praised by indie music website Pitchfork and Paste magazine.
The two are reeling in accolades with their cool, considered ambient electro pop, hip hop-style sampling and Kastlander's sweet, simple vocals, which they'll showcase at Hidden Agenda tomorrow night.
The Swedes are as spare with their words as they are with their promotion. 'I think that we saved ourselves from a lot of tears,' Kastlander (above right with Benon) says in a cryptic e-mail response to a question about what it was like to become indie darlings practically overnight. 'It's frustrating when so many people don't understand what you are trying to say ... they just wanna hate.'
On Christmas Eve they released their third album, Kills, a mix tape featuring reworks of tracks by Kanye West, Dr Dre, MIA, Jay-Z, and Akon. Again, the love poured in.
There is a risk that with three albums in quick succession and a distinct sound that could soon lose its novelty value, JJ could become no more than a thing of 2010. You get the feeling, though, that they don't much care.
6/F Ko Leung Industrial Building, 25 Tai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, HK$220 (advance), HK$280 (door). Inquiries: 9709 2085
