Iconic Producer Jacknife Lee On His New Music With Telefís & Rokia Koné, Future Plans & More

Irish-born, California-based Jacknife Lee is the acclaimed producer of countles globally-renowned artists (e.g. U2, R.E.M, The Killers, Weezer, Blur, Snow Patrol) and earned GRAMMY recognition for his work on Taylor Swift’s multi-million selling Red. Lee has also found success as a mixer, remixer and songwriter, showing long-term versatility as a creative force for decades within the musical realm.

Rokia Koné — one of Mali’s most popular female singers — recently announced her long-awaited debut album BAMANAN, a collaboration with Jacknife Lee. Ahead of its release on February 18, 2022, the duo have shared the single “N’yanyan.” BAMANAN finds Lee upholding the stark beauty of Rokia’s voice with subtlety and sensitivity. Every nuance and breath is heard, each inflection and melismatic improvisation carefully-preserved. And interestingly, the duo collaborated on this album remotely.

Also new and original from Jacknife Lee is the forthcoming album from Telefís. A duo of Lee and Cathal Coughlan, the album a hAon is set for release later this week on February 11, 2022. The group recently released a remix of the third single from that album, “Falun Gong Dancer,” as featuring the work of Public Image Ltd.’s Jah Wobbly. In the words of the well-regarded outlet Far Out Magazine, this one is “a shimmering piece of pop. Laced in hypnotic energy, the song is steeped in Irish history.”

On February 9, 2022, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jacknife Lee via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond his new music with Rokia Koné and Telefís, we spoke about production techniques and future plans for him. More on Lee’s various projects can be found online by clicking here, here and here.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER

Tags: Ireland, Jacknife Lee, Mali, Rokia Kone, Telefis, The Cars, The Killers, U2, WEEZER

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."