Gabriel Garzón-Montano has long been a big talent bubbling behind the scenes, embracing what had come up before him and not rushing to release his debut LP, even with the ever rising anticipation surrounding him. Following on from his spectacular debut EP Bishoune?: Alma del Huila in 2014, Lenny Kravitz invited Gabriel to support his 23-date European tour, which is when he found out his song ‘Six Eight’ had been extensively sampled on what became one of the biggest mixtapes of 2015 in Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. So with the release of Jardi?n, this is Gabriel coming out of the shadows and announcing himself to the musical stratosphere. Having given us three very addictive singles to wet our appetite for his debut LP, it seems that Gabriel is living up to the hype.

The son of immigrants from French and Columbian heritage (the album title being a gentle nod to this) and born and raised in Brooklyn, Gabriel’s influences run far and wide. Studying Stevie Wonder or Prince and taking in the styles of Timbaland, J Dilla and Pete Rock productions was his musical education. But it is his mother who is the reason behind his love for music – as a former member of the Philip Glass Ensemble in the 1990s, it was her rigorous classical instruction that formed the foundation for Gabriel becoming the multi-instrumentalist he is.

Linking up with his mentor and analogue guru Henry Hirsch, the pair went about painstakingly building an album over a three-year period. With each instrument recorded directly to 2” tape, Jardi?n has been crafted with a silky smooth sonic motif, sounding rich, warm and exquisite throughout. The lush orchestration in the opening aperitif ‘Trial’ sets the pace. It’s unhurried, spacious and tender. What follows is as intense as the album gets, yet the thumping synth pulse of ‘Sour Mango’ is in no rush, allowing the song’s natural groove to envelope the listener. Gabriel’s sensational vocals stay slow and clear, telling a story of a love gone sour on top of the hip-hop inspired beat. The stunning ‘Fruitflies’ reduces Gabriel’s music to the bear minimum, holding an extreme airiness filled only by the sounds of his voice, a piano, a moog and delicate percussion. The incredible amount of space between each layer of instrumentation makes the light-hearted melody heavy with emotion. The minimal approach in ‘The Game’ showcases why there is so much excitement around Gabriel. Not only does it have a super smooth R’n’B groove that could roll on for ever, the contemplative tune showcases Gabriel’s knack for clever lyrics with an ode to life’s social pressures – “Do you worry bout everything? / Afraid you ain't got the tight game? / Do you feel just a little too plain? / Compare yourself to what’s his name?” with the hook replying, “You don't have to lose the game (Have heart like a tangerine)”.

For every single one of Jardi?n’s 39-minute duration, you are intoxicated by Gabriel’s soulful tones. Whether it is on the sensual simple groove of ‘Crawl’, the flickering James Blake-esque drum pattern in the lush ‘Bombo Fabrika’, or the gentle simplicity of only vocal harmonies and piano in the soothing ‘Lullaby’, musical gems are aplenty. The meticulous creativity of Gabriel is incredible, constructing a seductive modern R’n’B record that becomes the new namesake for the genre. Having played near to all the instruments as well as co-produced the album to a level that the likes of Phaerell would be looking up to, Gabriel Garzón-Montano could be the newest talent to take over the world.
Iain Lauder
 

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