berlioz, the Cape Town-born, UK-based musician and producer, crafts character in a carefree within his compositions. They breathe and sway within themselves, a rich cascading sonic universe that travels through intricate musicianship and sentiment inducing timbres. It’s all rather gorgeous, to be frank.

The multi-faceted music-maker has just released open this wall, his debut album, a body of work that he self-created in its entirety, writing and producing all of the near 35 minute run time. Though rooted in contemporary jazz tendencies, the record merges in an assembly of influences, from Afro-tinged rhythms to House’s euphoria, yet does so in a way that is effortlessly cohesive. It’s a mature project full of expression, with berlioz allowing his superlative musicianship to do the talking.

We caught up with the hotly-tipped talent to discuss his musical and visual style, and the making of his sublime debut LP.

Listen to open this wall…

Read the exclusive interview…

Hey berlioz! How has your year been? 
It’s been a memorable one, trying to hold on for dear life right now as I self-release my debut album and plan shows with my agent!

Talk us through your musical origins?
Coming across Soundcloud in 2016, it was such a vibrant community of beat makers at that time and I dived in headfirst – producing was such a joyful escape and obsession, I haven’t looked back since then. 


Your rise has been impressively swift, has that been a surprise to you? 
berlioz might feel swift but I’ve been making music for so many years, I knew it was a special project from its inception in 2022, so much thought went into every detail… the first event, first single and graphic design – I feel like my listeners have noticed that and appreciate my care.

Your style is such an interesting concoction of sounds. Is that something that comes naturally to you or have you worked on refining it? Perhaps a bit of both?
berlioz comes naturally to me, that effortlessness is translated in the music I think – it is what it is, I try not to overwork songs, I try to be spontaneous – maybe that’s why I’m brave enough to call it jazz. 


What is the relationship between jazz and electronic music from your point of view?
I’m no expert, but jazz to me, and I’m not the first to say it, is an attitude – so, electronic music will be in relationship with jazz when the composer embodies a jazz attitude… 

We love your artwork for releases. Where do they come from and what does the style represent? 
Aren’t they incredible? Pat Thomas is my head designer and has been since day one, he’s a childhood friend and is based in South London – we started with the impressionist movement as our inspirational starting point and developed our tastes for berlioz from there – Pat hand paints each release, he’s the brains behind tour/release artworks, I just butt in here and there. 


Congrats on your debut album! How are you feeling about the release?
Thank you, I’m feeling quite scared! So much of myself has gone into this record, so I  feel quite vulnerable.
 

Talk us through the creative process of the record? How did you envision a wider body of work, conceptually and structurally?
I created dozens of demos in my little bedroom studio, I gave myself total creative freedom and shut out the world for a couple of months, it was a super cathartic experience – my wife Joycelyn really helped me push through, to do the best I could and keep creating when I felt like I had nothing left in me – then I took 11 of those demos to the most talented jazz musicians I could find, to replay and solo on my songs, then I took those session tracks to the South of France for 3 weeks with my wife and arranged/mixed the final works. I wanted the album to be a positive affirmation for myself and my listeners, it was a beautiful way to work, also a huge privilege, one I don’t take for granted!


What’s to come from you – this year and beyond? 
Stay true to my values, stay independent – I’d like to take a holiday at some point!