Description
Debut studio album by Dutch electronic music producer and DJ Speedy J (real name Jochem Paap), Ginger was originally released in June 1993 as part of Warp Records Artificial Intelligence series.
Remastered in 2021, the reissue contains the original design by longtime Warp collaborators The Designers Republic.
Rotterdam-based Jochem Paap began creating techno tracks such as “Three O’Three” and “Something For Your Mind” in his hometown to play out in clubs, and chose the artist name Speedy J as a reference to his DJ skills. As commented on by All Music, Paap’s clear intent with Ginger was “to take his music out of the rave and into the home-listening environment,” and balance elements of the manic energy that defined his early releases with a lush sound palette. Writing and recording on his own in The Plant studio, the album was released on a number of different labels internationally and brought his minimal but melodic production style to a far wider audience, with critics noting his meticulous attention to audio design, skillful use of track interludes (the “Fill” tracks on Ginger, something Black Dog Productions also explored on Bytes), and a careful balancing of four-to-the-floor grooves with ambient textures. He released a second album with Warp, 1995’s G-Spot, and has continued to make a diverse range of electronic music, included releases on labels such as Mike Paradinas’ Planet Mu and Peter Namlook’s FAX +49-69/450464, and showcasing a more experimental strand of releases via his own Electric Deluxe imprint. The music on Ginger has been highlighted as a seminal release in a number of retrospective features by the likes of Pitchfork, The Wire and FACT.
