No Label DIY \ CD\DL \ 2025
ROJI means “garden” in Japanese and is one of the many projects of the incredibly prolific German drummer Jörg A. Schneider from Hückelhoven. He began playing in the early 1990s, starting out in noise rock bands. For many years, he has been active on the improvised and experimental scene, creating a wide range of music and collaborating with various artists. This year, he performed at Mózg club in Bydgoszcz with his other band, Team Prime, and last year he joined the Chicago duo Drazek Fuscaldo for several concerts in Poland.
ROJI is completed by two Portuguese free jazz musicians — bassist Gonçalo Almeida (known from Albatre, ATOS, Bulliphant, Cement Shoes, Dream & Drone Orchestra, Hydra Ensemble, and many others), and trumpeter João Almeida (Garfo, HYPER.OBJECT, ikb, Linae, Medusa Unit, MOORIS, PEACHFUZZ). Initially, the project was a duo with Gonçalo Almeida, but for the past few years they have performed as a trio.
On their latest and fourth album — Tsunami Deluxe (their second as a trio) — the group, known for its explosive energy and pushing sonic boundaries, truly cranks up the heat. On this double album featuring twelve tracks, the musicians drag the listener into a wild, loud, and unstable inferno for nearly two hours. Distorted, noisy sonic storms demand complete surrender to their unpredictable, intense, and chaotic energy. Gonçalo’s heavily distorted bass blends with Schneider’s fractured and powerful drumming to drive this jazz-core juggernaut. Though there’s hardly a moment to breathe, occasional passages appear where João releases trumpet melodies (e.g., Impaled Unicorn and Grilled Chicken Mouse), adding a touch of subtle beauty to the relentless brutality. And it’s precisely those rare moments that show ROJI — João, Jörg, and Gonçalo — offer no mercy to the listener throughout the album.
The album was recorded in Schneider’s home studio, Laundry Room, in July 2024, and self-released. Tsunami Deluxe came out in early May this year, and the musicians hit the road in mid-May for a tour of Japan, where they played 10 concerts. Knowing the musical tastes of Japanese audiences, this was a perfect match. This is not music for passive listeners. The album’s length may be intimidating, but fans of radical free-improv will surely be intrigued. And of course, you can always take it in doses. Highly recommended!
Jarosław Mak
Translate: Piotr Sulik