By Anna Johnson, Fourth Year English and French
berlioz, the uncapitalised musical alias of Jasper Attlee, might just be redefining the way we think about house music. Imagine bold brushstrokes on a canvas of rhythm, warm hues bleeding into hypnotic grooves—he calls it 'if Matisse made house music'. This vibrant blend of house and jazz is making waves across dance floors and streaming platforms alike.
In our conversation, berlioz explains why he thinks his music is comforting and helps people to relax and focus. Equal parts composer and curator of atmosphere, he has crafted a genre-fluid approach that invites listeners to lose themselves in the music. He once called Bristol home while studying music here and will be returning later this month to perform a number of his hits.
As we head into library season, the greatest companion is a good study track to energise and ground you. Research shows that classical music can enhance focus, lower blood pressure, and promote relaxation. Attlee’s debut album, open this wall, achieves a similar effect, blending a steady, grounding beat with the improvisational flair of jazz.
Bright piano chords converse with pulsing basslines, while saxophones and trumpets weave through warm electronic textures. The result is music that invites introspection as easily as it fits a dancefloor.
When asked what it takes to paint with sound, Attlee says that it all begins in his room with some experimentation before taking these 'little fledglings' to the studio. 'I bring in some incredibly talented musicians to play the parts individually and I mix them back at home,' he explains. 'I try and let in as much magic as I can throughout the process.'
'Influences I use for my music,' he begins, 'are often kind of oblique to what I’m creating.' Attlee is often inspired by books and TV as well as particular musicians. 'While I was writing the demos for my debut album me and my wife were listening to Steely Dan absolutely non-stop, but we were also hooked on David Lynch’s Twin Peaks', he expands.
'I feel that infused itself so much into the way I was thinking and creating more than any music I was listening to.' During the creation of his first EP, he was consumed by David Foster Wallace’s bestselling 1996 novel, Infinite Jest. 'I wasn’t listening to music at all!'
While the name berlioz may initially conjure up the image of the 19th-century French Romantic composer, Attlee admits that he was also inspired by the character of the grey kitten from Aristocats. 'The name had been bubbling in my head for years before I launched the project,' he says, adding that he was also inspired by 'a brilliant character in The Master and Margarita', Mikhail Bulgakov’s surrealist novel.
'You don’t know if you’ll ever create something that resonates with enough people to make what you do viable for a living,' he shares, explaining that it took almost 10 years to reach success. His wife Joycelyn is his biggest supporter. 'None of this could have happened without her–she’s my co-producer, manager, A&R [artists and repertoire rep] all wrapped up in one.'
During the album’s titular song 'open this wall', the interception of a snipped-up interview with Nancy Wilson offers some solace for those in full-time library mode. 'Her words resonated so much,' he explains while reflecting on his experience trying to break through as an independent artist.
Wilson encourages people to burst open a metaphorical wall and stay motivated. The house-jazz musician wanted to thread this sense of comfort throughout. 'My mum describes it as this conversation: "How are things going to be?"..."They’re going to be alright."'
His unique sound caught the attention of a global audience, welcoming just shy of 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His popularity grew on TikTok, where his music appears in over 50,000 videos. berlioz posts clips from animated films with his music layered over the top, with tongue-in-cheek captions like 'babe, you’re not a French grandmother visiting NYC', or 'pov: it’s 1920s and all you want to do is get home and play some jazz'.
It creates a sense of escape–an interval to a hyperactive scroll. Enamoured by his music, users have shared a personal resonance with his album, describing his concerts as 'an out-of-body experience' and the feel of his music as 'the main character in an indie film'.
'Maybe people feel like they can concentrate or relax to my music because it makes them feel like they’re enough,' he ponders, 'and things will resolve positively in their life.'
For Attlee, creativity itself is a release. 'It’s a "getting out" process,' he explains. 'It doesn’t matter whether it gets released to the world for people to see or not–so long as I can show my wife, I’m happy.'
We discuss the city where he studied his craft, where it all started for him. 'It holds a really special place in my heart.' He tells me he used to get the £1 Megabus to visit his wife in Cardiff, regularly went to 'a crazy Kundalini [yoga] class' and enjoyed reading on Brandon Hill.
berlioz is most excited to perform 'open this wall' when he plays at the Bristol Beacon on 24th February. 'It’s such a gorgeous song to hear with the band. I often feel like I want it to go on and on when we play it live.' He promises big things for the show. 'Me and the band will really be starting to get into our stride by the time we’re playing the Bristol gig.'
For those seeking a moment of calm amidst the chaos of exam season, 'open this wall' offers just that—a space where steady beats and dreamy harmonies remind you that things, in the end, will be alright. Whether you're a student buried in books or simply seeking escape, berlioz's music is an invitation: let the walls dissolve, and lose yourself in sound.
Featured Image: berliozWill you be seeing berlioz in Bristol later this month?
