Offie Mag

You might have thought that after the release of our Jazz issue, we’d be all jazzed out. But you’d be mistaken — I can’t get enough of the stuff. And this new one from Josef Akin has certainly been keeping me up at night.

Glasgow-based producer, composer, and musician Josef Akin releases his highly anticipated, energy-filled piece ‘Insomnia’. It sees Akin return to his full-band style and has been part of his live repertoire for a while — much to the acclaim of UK crowds. It’s an electric, relentless, and high-energy track, perfectly capturing the feeling of a brain that refuses to switch off when you’re trying to sleep.

The best way I can describe how ‘Insomnia’ feels is that it mirrors how one stray thought can snowball and gain momentum. The bassline is that thought — consistent throughout the track — while the instrumentation develops, thickens, and swells, reflecting a restless mind jumping from one idea to another. There are nights when I can’t sleep; I’ll start thinking about what I’m having for dinner tomorrow, only to end up reliving how I messed up my scales during my grade 4 piano exam.

The chaos of the track is occasionally offset by calmer moments, but the overall energy stays high. By the end, all the ideas collide, and ‘Insomnia’ finishes at its most dissonant. A fitting end to a piece that refuses to rest.

‘Insomnia’ is Josef’s triumphant Nu Jazz return to full band ideas, and you can listen to it here.

Words from Louis Rowland.