Composition, Producing · Queer · American
About
Jerrilynn Patton, known professionally as Jlin, is an American electronic composer, producer, and musician whose work bridges electronic music, contemporary composition, experimental music, and dance. A native of Gary, Indiana, she developed a distinctive rhythmic approach influenced by Chicago footwork while building a broader compositional practice that has earned international recognition.
Biography
Jerrilynn Patton, known professionally as Jlin, is an American electronic composer and producer from Gary, Indiana. Building on the rhythms of Chicago footwork, she has developed a distinctive practice that moves between electronic music, contemporary composition, and dance. A former steel-factory worker, she drew widespread attention with her 2015 debut album, Dark Energy, whose intricate percussion and unconventional rhythmic structures helped establish her sound.
Jlin’s work has expanded into concert music and interdisciplinary performance. She composed music for choreographer Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography and has created or collaborated on work with Third Coast Percussion and Kronos Quartet. Her 2024 album Akoma features collaborations with Philip Glass, Björk, and Kronos Quartet. These projects have carried her rhythmic and compositional approach into dance and ensemble settings without confining it to a single genre.
In 2023, Jlin was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Music for Perspective, a work recorded by Third Coast Percussion. On May 15, 2025, she performed at the Library of Congress in a program that included the world premiere of its first full electronic-music commission, A Dance With My Favorite Opponent and Veyari (Sanctum Aeternum). Her continuing work across recordings, commissions, and performances reflects a career that connects electronic production with contemporary composition and movement.
BQW Impact
Jlin has expanded the visibility of Black queer women within electronic and contemporary music. Her work challenges the boundaries between club music, electronic production, contemporary composition, and experimental performance while maintaining a distinctive rhythmic language rooted in her experience and musical influences.
Her trajectory from Gary’s industrial landscape to major international stages and contemporary-music institutions has broadened the visibility of Black women and queer artists within genres and compositional spaces where they have historically been underrepresented.
Notable Works
Dark Energy (2015)
Jlin’s debut studio album, establishing her distinctive approach to complex electronic rhythm and sound.
Black Origami (2017)
Her second studio album, expanding the rhythmic and compositional vocabulary introduced on Dark Energy.
Autobiography (2018)
Music created for choreographer Wayne McGregor’s dance work Autobiography.
Embryo (2021)
An EP extending Jlin’s electronic and compositional practice.
Perspective (2023)
A suite of electronic compositions that became the basis for her Pulitzer Prize–finalist work.
Akoma (2024)
A studio album featuring collaborations with Philip Glass, Björk, and Kronos Quartet.
Learn More
Current releases, biography, projects, performances, and professional information.
Official social account for current updates and work.
Record of Jlin’s 2025 electronic music commission and premiere.
Official record of Jlin’s 2023 Music finalist recognition.
Profile details
- Fields: Music
- Roles: Composition, Producing
- Gender Identity: Woman
- LGBTQ Identity: Queer
- Nationality: American
- Ethnicity: African American
- City: Gary
- State/Province: Indiana
- Country: United States
- Region: North America
- Language(s): English
- Topics: Electronic, Experimental