Jenova 7

Jenova 7 is the musical “nom de plume” of Boston-based multimedia artist Michael J. Sirois (born 1989). His genres include trip-hop, downtempo, chill-out and instrumental hip-hop.

He is most recognized for the “Dusted Jazz” instrumental series, distinct for exploring jazz grooves, organic drum breaks and moody, cinematic vibes. His style is influenced by the pioneering trip-hop artists of the 90s such as DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, DJ Cam and Portishead, as well as sample based Golden Era hip-hop producers such as DJ Premier and Pete Rock.

In late 2010, after graduating from college with a degree in film, he moved to Los Angeles for a year and started making music as “Jenova 7” with the trip-hop netlabel Dusted Wax Kingdom. In late 2013, he joined the Los Angeles based Cold Busted record label.

As a self-taught musician, his style has been inspired and guided by his versatile taste in music and his love for visual storytelling. Every album is meant to be the soundtrack to an imaginary film. His albums are a blend of the past and present—a mix of vintage crate digger samples accompanied by live instrumentation. His solo performances often feature original cinematic background visuals set behind simultaneous MPC beatmaking and improvised guitar playing.

He has collaborated with French trip-hop producer Hugo Kant and produced instrumentals for Craig G (of the legendary Juice Crew hip-hop collective). He is also a member of the enigmatic trip-hop trio Wax Triptych, alongside fellow artists Mononome & Mr. Moods.