jan-mittendorp

Born in 1959 and started playing music (guitar) when he was 14. First acoustic blues / jazz / skilffle and later on electric blues and jazz. Started booking his own bands (and others) in 1988 and founded Crossroads blues agency. Since 1993 his main focus was booking European tours for USA blues artists. In 1997 he founded his own record label (Black and Tan Records) combining the tours and releases of the same artists.

This blues bandleader, who sings and plays guitar and calls his music "bluez," began releasing his own compact discs in 2001. When Billy Jones substituted a "z" for an "s," he was not trying to make the name of his beloved genre closer to the way a drunken bar patron might pronounce it at the end of the night. Rather, "bluez" is all about being independent from the big-time music business, a stance more often taken by indie rockers.

While in reality even the biggest blues labels are nothing but small independents, these firms still represent too big a clique for Jones, who prefers issuing material on his own Cyborg-Blue imprint. A new Bluestronica release brings together blues grooves, roots influences and electronic production in a relaxed, rhythm-driven collection of tracks and remixes.

The release features music from artists including Boo Boo Davis, Blu ACiD, Mississippi Big Beat, ElectroBluesSociety, Roscoe Chenier, Bacon Fat Louis, Harrison Kennedy and miXendorp.

The tracks combine blues vocals, harmonica, guitars and roots grooves with electronic beats, subtle production layers and downtempo influences. Some songs lean more toward electro swing and groove-based remixes, while others stay closer to traditional blues feeling with a modern touch.

Rather than treating blues as a museum style, this release approaches it as living music that can still connect with contemporary sounds and audiences.

Several tracks are built around strong grooves and rhythmic loops, making the release suitable not only for blues listeners, but also for fans of lounge, roots electronica, nu-jazz and alternative groove music. The combination of organic instruments and electronic production creates an atmosphere that works equally well for listening at home, late-night radio, playlists and relaxed club settings.

With this release, Bluestronica continues exploring the space between roots music and modern groove culture — without losing the raw and human feeling that makes blues music timeless.