Brijean Murphy is an Los Angeles-born, Oakland-based percussionist, who has made a name for herself as a highly-sought after touring musician with stints in the touring bands of Toro Y Moi, U.S. Girls and Poolside, as well as several others — and as the story goes, Murphy can trace the origins of her musical career to her childhood. Murphy’s father, Patrick Murphy is a percussionist and engineer, who taught a young Brijean her first patterns on a pair of congas that she inherited from the late Trinidadian steel pan drum legend Vince Charles.
During a very busy tour schedule, the Los Angeles-born, Oakland-based percussionist managed to find some free time to collaborate with Doug Stuart, a producer, who shares a background as a jazz and pop sessions musician, who has worked with JOVM mainstays Bells Atlas, Meerna, Luke Temple, Jay Stone and others. Written and recorded in marathon sessions at their intimate home studio, wedged between rarely over-lapping tour schedules, the duo formed BRIJEAN, a project that meshes Murphy’s Latin jazz and soul upbringing with Murphy’s 70s disco and 90s house-inspired production.
Slated for a June 28, 2019 through Native Cat Recordings, BRIJEAN’s debut effort, WALKIE TALKIE EP finds Murphy stepping out into the spotlight. Interestingly, the EP’s latest single, the slickly produced, Sunday afternoon disco soul-like “Show and Tell” is centered around a sinuous and propulsive bass line, glistening chimes, shimmering synths, Latin soul percussion, dreamily delivered vocals singing metaphysical-leaning lyrics, and a sleek hook within an expansive and trippy arrangement that nods at Roy Ayers and classic house.
Co-directed by Sarah Strunin and Brijean Murphy, the recently released video is a surrealistic fever dream that opens with an older gentleman using an elliptical machine in candlelit suburban-like living room — while watching a seemingly old TV show that features Murphy singing and swaying along to the song. A woman (presumably his wife or a relation) walks into the room, turn son the light and begins reading a book while drinking tea. The woman continues reading by the flickering light of the TV screen. A disco ball appears out of nowhere, which turns the room into an impromptu dance floor. It’s trippy, mischievous, downright bizarre and memorable.
