Paris, 2022. SuperJazzClub is on their first European stopover for some showcases, music video premieres and a general taste of the Parisian climate. Started in 2018, SuperJazzClub has morphed into a collective of creatives that are following their own calling which veers from the Ghanaian mainstream. “In the Ghanaian scene, Afrobeats is dominant so finding people who lean more towards the alternative space was it for me. That’s why we decided to come together and make music together,” says Øbed, a producer, artist and singer in the collective. In a music climate saturated with Afrobeats, and in a fashion culture that can still be conservative, the collective is bringing a breath of fresh air into the scene, with a penchant for an alté sound that plays with jazz, hip-hop, pop and r&b. “We took chances to do what we actually feel,” Tano Jackson confirms, one of the collective’s rappers.
The collective itself is made up of 9 members; Ansah Live, BiQo, Seyyoh, Tano Jackson, Øbed, Joey Turks, Anthony, Oliver and Gloria Dennis. Each bring their own talents and references to a creative haven that favors authenticity and quality over popularity. “We’re just mutual friends,” insists Ansah “and then we started making music together.” We sat down with Ansah, Tano, Øbed and Joey to talk about the collective’s origins and purpose as well as their visual world which includes their latest music video, “MAD”.
“It’s about a bunch of kids that grew up with no guidance,” Ansah explains of the clip. Though it’s not a representation of the crew, it’s an extension of a group taking risks and living outside the rules. A theme that reappears throughout their work, like in “Cameras” where the collective flexes their fashion sense and dares to gender-bend for an adrogonous style. “Life itself isn’t as linear as we see it back in Accra,” Øbed mentions, continuing to think outside the box.
In the end, SuperJazzClub is a safe space for skaters and misfits, creatives and cool kids to express themselves without limitation or negative influence. It’s an encouraging sign from a market that has become insularly focused on bling afro-pop bangers. Instead it’s a community that creates what’s true to its nature and hopes to find like minds in Ghana and abroad. “We’re here to make a difference,” Tano says, “we’re not trying to make no mediocre music.”
