JBLA came into being after Julian Jöckel (midnightopera) and Stuart Argabright (Ike Yard, Black Rain, o13) performed at a party in Brussels on the 5th of Oct. 2012 on invitation from Bernardo Risquez & Michael Langeder (Different Fountains).
They all had met for the first time the year before through Michael Kreitz from meakusma when Different Fountains & o13 played concerts in Eupen. After staying at Different Fountains studio the day after the Brussels event they set up a rather improvised jam session. Julian played synth on a yamaha dx7, Bernardo worked the low frequencies on an old eminent organ while Michael contributed machine sounds and took care of the live fx engineering. Stuart put together some words and brought a beat to the occasion of the jam session at the DF studio.
During the short Euro tour with Ike Yard, L.I.E.S label head Ron Morelli and artist Svengalisghost came to the Paris show and were talking with Stuart about the streetwalkers of Belleville, specifically the sad Chinese hookers out on the street. Combined with news about recent Foxxconn workers suicides in China and witnessing altercations close to the Air BnB where he stayed.
The Belleville EP are two cuts from that session with remixes from Ron Morelli + Svengalisghost and Vereker.
