Based between London and Germany, Alev & Jas is a powerful collaboration between Alev Lenz, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer, and Jas Shaw, one half of the renowned electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco. Whilst Alev has made a career from her urbane and unique brand of pop, as well as collaborating with a bounty of esteemed artists, Jas Shaw’s electronic grooves brought fame before a personal health challenge left him isolating at home in 2018 and pouring fresh creative attention into his music.
The roots of their collaboration trace back to a Hackney Road studio a decade prior, where Jas helped Alev mix some music and they both formed an unspoken bond and intuitive knowledge of the other’s artistic language. “Our musical orbits aligned, and we’ve remained in that universe ever since,” Alev recalls. Jas adds, “Alev is a wonderful singer and writer, but what makes us most compatible is her enthusiasm to have her voice treated similarly to a synth. Things that I would be nervous to send to other singers are pretty routine for her. I hear a very natural, cohesive scene primarily featuring Alev and synths. It feels utterly convincing; the voice seamlessly melds with the synths, and there’s no sense of a disjointed collage of two separate elements.”
Now formally releasing music as a pair, debut single “All Of The Weeds” is the first excerpt of their upcoming album Bring Your Friends, slated for release on February 23rd 2024. The song itself is a gentle jaunt, made up of Alev’s signature harmonies and Jas’ down-tempo electronics which give depth to the vocal melodies but without being intrusive at the same time. A dream-laden lullaby of finding self-assurance in a world of peace.
