Jameson Distilled Sounds 2025: See Global Artists Collab
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Jameson brought 20 artists together for the return of the Irish whiskey label’s collaborative music experience, Distilled Sounds; musicians were each paired with another for a week of studio sessions, with the challenge of writing and performing a new track.
Artists from around the world — from India to Ireland — converged in Cavan. The rural county is about two hours north of Dublin, replete with serene lakeside cabins and rolling green hills. And, as luck would have it, the artists were able to collaborate under uncharacteristically blue skies.
Along the way, the global musicians had help from Anderson .Paak, known for his genre-bending collaborations and deep well of music knowledge. .Paak, assuming the role of “music distiller” for the second year in a row, guided the musicians with workshops, panels, studio sessions, and even a live performance. The artists were tasked with blending their unique styles and influences into one track, which they performed at the end of the week.
Skinner, who came up in the Irish punk and DIY scenes, was paired with Malaysia’s St. Kylo. He discussed the creative process of blending their two styles. “I’m very heavily based in the DIY punk scene. His stuff is heavily rooted in R&B, funk, kind of hip-hop-based as well. I think that if you’re a well-rounded musician, you should be able to work on anything, and it’s good for creativity to work outside your comfort zone.”
As for what he took from the trip? “I’d say the biggest thing is, there’s so many cultures here. You’ve got people from Namibia, Kenya, some places I’ve never even heard of. And getting to hear what the music scene is like in their country, the different struggles that they have to face, be it with promoters or venues or booking agents or funding, and seeing everyone’s different take on that is super, super interesting and very, very valuable knowledge to have.”
The artists had an opportunity to collaborate before the weeklong in-person sessions in Ireland, but that brought its own challenges as well, including the eight-hour time zone difference between Skinner and St. Kylo. “It was a strange experience too, because most of the people here have never met each other,” said Skinner. “So working with someone where you’re basically making art together, but you’ve never met each other, and you literally couldn’t get further away on the opposite side of the world. It was a challenge, but I think I like a challenge, so it’s fun.”
Now, Jameson is dropping the performances, with the last collaborations to land on Sept. 24. You can check out all of the collaborations here, or see some favorites below.
