OBX

What is OBX?

OBX is the acronym for Off Beat Xperiment and as its name suggests, is based on Up-Beat, syncope or if you prefer the “Shake it up”.

In this project we work mainly with Jamaican rhythms, all of them mixed with jazz, progressive, electronic or anything else that comes to mind. There is no censorship in this fusion, only the presence of ska, reggae or rocksteady as a common thread.

The line-up is 100% instrumental, like a classic jazz sextet, with two winds, keyboard, guitar, bass and drums.

Ángel Rodríguez

Joan Ramon Quirante

Sergi Karod

Quim Molera

Xavier Alomar

Rafa Rodríguez

Biography

OBX is the personal project of composer and saxophonist Quim Molera. Without renouncing the clear influences of groups such as NY Ska Jazz or Tokyo Skapara, he has wanted to turn the genre around and add new elements to the usual fusion between Jamaican rhythms and jazz essences.

For this adventure he has surrounded himself with fellow musicians from the Barcelona scene with whom he had already shared studies or stages.

An eclectic group of characters with great musical sensitivity but not all of them with experience with reggae or ska, therefore free of a backpack of preconceived ideas that allows them to look for a completely new sound.

In Off Beat compositions we can find amalgam bars, synthesizers or guitar solos very far away from the concept we have of reggae, but always with the Up-Beat as a basis, whether one drop, rocksteady, ska-punk or the most classic ska-jazz.

OBX’s live show is completed with versions of other groups on the scene such as TSPO or NYSJE themselves, and some classics from the hard-bop jazz era.

Interesting Times

Interesting Times is the title of our first EP.

The album was recorded at the studio El Tostadero with producer Marc Molas and has been released by Shimauma Records.

It consists of five 100% original songs that are a clear example of our style based on the fusion of Jamaican rhythms with other sounds.

If we had to put a label on it we could classify it as Ska-Jazz, but some sounds are closer to pop, more traditional reggae or even some progressive touches.

The EP is named after one of the tracks, which we borrowed from a Terry Pratchett‘s and which fit us as since the theme is in 7/4, which is a pretty interesting time for a reggae composition. But fate made the record come out in the midst of the COVID pandemic, in April 2020, and made good that Chinese curse that says “I hope you live interesting times“.

So we hope you all enjoy your Interesting Times and make them more enjoyable with our music.

Contacte

info@offbeat-xperiment.com

Management – @OriolCorroto