With the recent release of Who Asked?, the wait for the new album from DOMi and JD Beck is over, and a chance to catch the duo live in Seattle is right around the corner.
DOMi and JD Beck's self-described “fusion” combines keys player Domi Louna’s background in classical and jazz music with drummer JD Beck’s roots in rock and hip-hop rhythms. It’s a exciting combination centered in a passion for experimentation.
DOMi and JD Beck burst into the music scene in 2022 with their debut album Not Tight. The Grammy-nominated album featured guest artists Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Anderson .Paak and Herbie Hancock.
Four years later, fans wondered if a second album would ever arrive. As if to answer them, DOMi and JD Beck released Who Asked? on July 31 and the instrumental companion You Asked! arrived two weeks later.
Despite the lack of famous guests, the pair have good reason for the long delay. This project stretched their talents and patience to the limit.
In a rare, lengthy interview with musician, producer and YouTuber Rick Beato, DOMi and JD Beck discuss the massive efforts that went into composing, arranging, recording, producing and executing the 15 brief new songs.
The project began without instruments as DOMi and JD Beck used the music notation software Sibelius to write the new music over a period of four months.
A full orchestra is featured on three of the songs; it took over 100 hours to record multiple takes of each individual musician.
Once the album was mixed, the pair spent more hours figuring out how to play the intricate, complicated melody and rhythm lines with sometimes elusive hooks at the heart of each tune. The music is equal parts simple and impossibly complicated with each listen.
DOMi and JD Beck performed their first vocals for an NPR Tiny Desk performance, announcing afterwards “we’re never singing again.” But, both musicians’ voices are heard on nearly every song on Who Asked?, adding a modern pop sound.
Visuals have been an important part of DOMi and JD Beck’s artistry. Once the pair mastered the performance of these songs, they produced a series of fantastical videos and album art.
Inspired by directors Stanley Kubrick and Akira Kurosawa, the grandiose autumnal landscape for the videos was shot by cinematographer Tehillah de Castro and designed by Carlos Anthony Lopez to complete the duo’s expansive vision.
In their interview with Beato, DOMi and JD Beck admitted they might have taken on too much. They have regrets, but they are artists who love try new things even if they don’t go as planned.
This incredibly talented duo is constantly evolving. As their experience and musical wisdom grows, Who Asked? is an ambitious and enrapturing snapshot of where they are today.
DOMi and JD Beck play Neumos on Oct. 5.
