START HERE: What is the Jamaraz Music Universe?
- Ricky Jamaraz
- Apr 14
- 6 min read
The Jamaraz Music Universe (JMU) is a fictional world made real through albums, characters and storylines - a large-scale creative project completely orchestrated by me, Ricky Jamaraz.
When some poor unknowing soul dares ask me what the JMU is, I usually reply with:
"Take the concept of Gorillaz and multiply it by the concept of the Marvel Cinematic Universe"
The purpose of this little article is just to inform those who are interested in my work but don't know where to begin when it comes to understanding what it is I actually do.
So, if you'd like to learn more, allow me to give you a guided tour of what I'm currently dedicating my life to building!
Origin Story: How It Came To Be
For those completely unfamiliar with my work, I began releasing music as Ricky Jamaraz (no, that's not my real name) when I was 13 years old in the latter half of 2021. I did this for about 3 years, until in November 2024 I spontaneously released a 4-track EP under the alias of Sammy Phase, a character first mentioned in the Ricky Jamaraz song Sammy from my album Return To Zero (released Oct. 2024).
What started out as a simple, slightly meta, experiment soon inflated in my mind to become the basis for the JMU. The idea of a fictional universe with characters that cross-over was officially cemented in my mind when I decided to have Sammy's character be friends with Chester Howls and Marshall McKaire, two separate characters who were the co-protagonists of a previous story album I made called Dec. 13th 1998 (released Dec. 2023).
From this point onwards, I've continued to push my creativity to the limits, and the universe has since expanded into a network of cross-generational characters and storylines that come exploding out of my mind...
Behind The Curtain: How I Build The JMU
Essentially, the JMU is one large story with many different moving parts. I could've told this story by writing books, drawing pictures or making films - but ultimately I chose to tell this story through music, since it's what I'm best at and it's what excites me the most.
A large part of the JMU is about musical realism. When I make songs and set them to be released in the 90s, I'm not just putting a "90s" label on it, I want it to ACTUALLY sound like the 90s to a stranger who may discover it.
I do this by essentially simulating recording environments and practices that were common at the time I want a song to be set - e.g. for a song I want to present as "recorded on a budget in 1992", I'll record it on a multitrack cassette recorder in a specific way to get that cheap, early 90s home studio sound.
As well as the music being extremely narrative-driven, a lot of my visuals are very much narrative-based. For all the different characters that create the music of the JMU, each one has a unique visual persona, and I bring these characters to life through my wardrobe and a handful of varied wigs.
The fact they all share the same face always makes me smile, because it's a reminder about what this whole project is ACTUALLY about. I've always loved lots of types of music, and I've always felt like I'm multiple different people in one, so the JMU is really the truest form of self-expression for me. Every character is just a crazy exaggeration of one part of me - or someone I want to become.
How To Explore The JMU
Okay, so if you're reading this then hopefully you understand how the JMU came to be and how and why I create in the way I do.
By this point, you may be wanting to dive into the rabbit hole of my work and explore all my different projects etc., but you likely feel a bit intimidated by the scale of it all and might not know where to begin.
Totally fair, and honestly this has been my main problem since I started this whole mega-project. Finding an way to present myself and my art in the most effective and accessible way is a pretty tough challenge, and honestly, I'm still working on it.
For now, I think the easiest entry point is to just listen to a "best of" playlist I made on Spotify, compiling all the best tracks released as part of the Jamaraz Music Universe.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, the JMU is so much more than a collection of songs and albums. Each artist and even album has its own story that I want to share here on my website, but I haven't had the time to really sit and write it all down. I will one day ;-)
There is an unofficial Jamaraz Music Universe wiki on a website called Fandom, which contains a lot of in-universe stories and lore that I've explained in the past through videos, posts, or even just when speaking with fans directly.
Some stuff on there is a bit out of date, but it'll do for now :-)
Frequently Asked Questions
Favourite artist and why?
I can't pick a favourite! They all mean a lot to me. Sammy Phase makes me the most nostalgic though because it's the project that started it all, but if I said he was my favourite I'd feel like I'm letting all the others down!
Influences for each JMU artist?
I'm just going to do this in list format:
Sammy Phase - Alex G, Elliott Smith, The Velvet Underground
Ross Wonder - Nujabes, J Dilla, A Tribe Called Quest
Sweat Glass Halo - Johnny Foreigner, Los Campesinos!, Late Of The Pier
KiNG HERTZiE - Neon Indian, Com Truise
Crashtune Megavex - Passion Pit, Metro Station, Graduation-era Kanye West
Sometimes, I Sit - Brian Eno, space in general
Glinter - Pavement, Dinosaur Jr.
Are your past albums released as Ricky Jamaraz canon in the JMU?
By default, no. All the music I put out before I conceived the idea of the JMU remains outside of the JMU, unless I make an exception, for example the RJ song 'Sammy' being the basis for the story of Sammy Phase.
However, I plan on re-recording some old songs and including them as part of future JMU projects. No harm in recycling some old tunes!
Is there an order I should listen in or should I just wing it?
Just wing it :-) Even though I frame the JMU as one large story, it's way to daunting to treat it like one thing, so just start anywhere, and as you listen to more projects, the stories will unfold!
Are you building towards one big final project (like Endgame) No I am not. In fact I hope I never do, because I feel like if I set a point where the JMU 'finishes', then I won't know what to do next, since this project is what motivates me to get out of bed every morning. In an ideal world, JMU will be in a constant state of being unfinished, and I hope it grows with me as I live my life.
Are Chester and Marshall canon to the JMU?
Indeed they are! For those who don't know, Chester and Marshall are the joint-protagonists of my album 'Dec. 13th 1998', which I released as Ricky Jamaraz in 2023. The album was technically the beginning of the JMU, as I created a fictional city called Anagood for the characters to live in, a city which is now inhabited by many of the JMU artists today.
Will there be a major collab from the characters?
So far, I have had a couple artists collaborate on a song (Sammy Phase and Ross Wonder on 'Can We Dance?'), but I wouldn't call it a major collab.
I do have plans in the future to create a live album featuring recorded live sets from 2 or 3 JMU artists all playing a show together in Dec 1998 (attended by Chester and Marshall, see above), but that's not something I'll be working on for a while.
Are you considered the God of the JMU?
That's for my characters to decide ;-)
What Next?
Well, you've made it to the end. Hopefully this gave you a good idea of who I am and what it is I'm (trying) to create.
If you'd like to be part of this project and watch me bring all my ideas to life through my music, I invite you to join my mailing list by clicking on the button below!
If you do, I'll send you an unreleased demo song of mine, and you'll get weekly updates from me, giving you a real insider's view of my life. I know "getting updates" isn't that enticing, but you'll be joining a group of people that are supporting something wildly ambitious, new, and truly artistic (if I do say so myself!).
So who wouldn't wanna be a part of that? :-)
You'll also get early access to music I make and merch discounts and like other random free stuff if that interests you at all...
See you there.
RJ
P.S. If you ever fancy getting in touch and saying hi, email me at music@rickyjamaraz.co.uk