Umoja is Sjef Rolet and Job de la Porte the quintessential sunshine duo from the

wet fields of The Netherlands. The name Umoja is a Swahili word meaning ‘unity’. Beyond being a mere artistic name, the spirit of togetherness (Umoja) is a philosophy shared by the two producers. Between Sjef and Job, Umoja has over a decade of experience dishing out warm dusty grooves. The duo is part of the Amsterdam based INI Movement, an eclectic boutique label, licensing and events platform.

The conception of Umoja is not a fable involving neither an A&R exec nor does it involve been stranded in the Amazon rainforest with nothing but two synthesizers. It is rather an organic evolution between two humble groove aficionados whose path crossed over half a decade ago. Both Sjef and Job are Haarlemites born and bred in the commuting town of Haarlem in the Netherlands. The duo came to know each other through their individual production and disc jockeying rendezvous. Their musical partnership would not take off until 8 months later when they collectively built a studio in a massive loft then occupied by Sjef Rolet. The studio became known as the Pigeon Paradise. It was during this period that the two producers intimately got to know the each other’s work. Sjef was at this time more aligned with hip-hop productions and Job with trip hop productions. They however shared a similar trait: an intrinsic appreciation and understanding of world rhythm, the mechanisms of groove and contemporary electronic beats. In the summer of 2011, with some time to spare they both sought to expand their production skills. Unbeknownst to the other, they were both experimenting with sounds from afro-beat and world music traditions. These experimentations later came to be known as the ‘after-pigeon late night sessions’. It was during this period that both producers immensely influenced and learned from each other; the birth of Umoja had arrived.

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