A collaboration with Onyx Collective’s Isaiah Barr, “My Blue Orange” turns the big city into a romantic, jazzy fantasy.
Ibn Itaka, a producer from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, dropped out of business school in Montreal to dedicate himself to producing music full-time. After realizing no one in Puerto Rico was making the sort of music he wanted to make, he began saving up to move to New York in 2014 by working at a Walmart. He began crafting his forthcoming debut album back in 2016, a time when he was still learning to produce and still discovering the big city and all its sounds and colors. Via email, he told AdHoc of his love for jazz and how he believes it’s “the best place to start” when it comes to “understanding the fundamentals of music.”
Colores, the record that resulted, is due for release on April 19 via New York’s Abu Recordings. Today, we’re premiering the music video for the album’s second single, “My Blue Orange.” The track is an instrumental reflection of New York’s sonic atmosphere, achieved through a truly charming combination of hip-hop and jazz elements. It differs from the album’s first single, “Summertime,” which was certainly more influenced by Itaka’s Puerto Rican background in that it explored the sounds and rhythms of the contemporary Afro-Latin jazz movement. “My Blue Orange” also features the enchantingly smooth saxophone of Isaiah Barr, a member of the iconic New York ensemble, Onyx Collective.
According to Itaka, “My Blue Orange” is “an electronic jazz fantasy filled with romance and enigma.” The track is just a minute-and-a-half long, offering a momentary yet blissful glimpse of life in the big city. Its accompanying music video—created by Henry Kinder, Ames Ward and Georgica Pettus—waltzes to Itaka’s minimal yet hard-hitting beats, beautifully capturing people’s smiling faces as they go about their day as it merges all their stories into one joyous tune. Though Itaka has since returned to Puerto Rico, the video reflects his memory of New York, slowing the fast pace of the city and allowing viewers a moment to contemplate a place that he loves—in all its beautiful imperfections.