“Juha is a funky pie bursting at the seams with irresistible beats and attitude.”
- Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle
"What a gift! Juha is a brilliant little genius. There is no one quite like him."
- Marc Almond
“I’ve become a three-headed gargoyle perched on the steps of Motown,” says Juha of his current incarnation. The Grooms of God, his latest release, is a concept album about men who move through the world as society’s outcasts: the madman, the runaway, the thief, and the whore, among others. It opens with a sample of Thich Nhat Hahn advising, "No discrimination against the garbage in favor of the rose" - a phrase which sums up its heart: that categories of saint and sinner are in the eye of the beholder. Musically, Juha's cocky raps still make appearances (most of which curiously reference his dick), but The Grooms of God leans more towards what he’s termed "Gothic Soul": harmony-rich vocals that dwell in minor keys. His trademark remains creating gospel choirs made up solely of himself, layering his voice upon his voice to form “little vocal armies of me.”
The Grooms of God features thirteen original songs, plus rewrites of work by Willie Dixon, Tchaikovsky, and Gwen “Ain’t Nothin Goin On But The Rent” Guthrie. In the process, Juha flirts with Middle Easter disco (“Akhar Virgin”), 80’s roller skating hip hop (“Dip Dip”), world fusion (the popular “Weasel”), and sounds pulled and fused from all over the globe. Themes range from the silly (- a Public Service Announcement for men about shaking thoroughly at the urinal to avoid dribble) to the cautionary (the a cappella “Can The Bengal Bend All Day,” a true tale of a man-eating tiger who stalks amidst humanity’s encroachment on nature) to the harrowing (“Paul In Swan Lake,” a personal reflection on the mid-90’s US AIDS Crisis set to a classical-electro beat).
Co-producer Th’ Mole says: “The Grooms of God speaks of a dark and painful past, but there is an almost gospel-like overtone of redemption and faith.” It is a mix of junkyard and treasure chest, a ruby rattling in a rusty beer can, arguing passionately for a sense of inner peace. And in the words of one critic: “It’s all that and a lot of bass.”
About Juha
In 2002, Juha’s Polari album was released by hardcore upstart Agitprop Records. Fusing elements of Middle Eastern, Hawaiian, and punk music over a hip hop back-drop, it garnered instant critical acclaim and scampered to #1 on the Outvoice album chart. Juha has received a Fellowship in New Genres from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, a Threshold Grant, a residency at the Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts in San Francisco, and a grant from the Horizons Foundation.
On his ability to merge disparate sounds into a cohesive whole, Juha says: “If you’ve got multiple personalities, just make sure you put them all in your orchestra.” Juha’s take on his musical evolution: “I’m no spring chicken - now I’m full-grown cock.”
Juha lives in the Hackney borough of London, UK.
Pronounce Juha!
With its Arabic roots, Juha is a name that’s difficult for many Westerners to get their tongues around. Wanna give it a shot? Try a French "Je" (as in "Je voudrais coucher avec toi, Juha") and then a "ha" (as in "Ha ha ha - My, but that's rich!"). That's a good approximation. Your pronunciation is not totally accurate at this point, but you're pretty darn close and much better at it than most English-speakers!
Web
Juhamusic.com - Myspace.com/juha - Cdbaby.com/juha2
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