Nu jazz is a loosely defined style of Electronic-based music that revolves around and is heavily influenced by the performance aspect of Jazz music. These aspects can be considered within the jazz-influenced arrangements; jazzy textures; jazz samples; the live "feel" and "groove" of jazz; and even adding live jazz instrumentation in tandem with the electronic-based jazz music. The stylistic origins of nu jazz can be traced down to various styles of Jazz Fusion and EDM. Genres such as IDM, Downtempo, Drum and Bass, and Breakbeat have crossed paths with nu jazz. Similarities have been drawn to Acid Jazz despite nu jazz being more electronic-based than Funk-based.
Nu jazz emerged in the early 1990s across the world in the early advent of electronic-based music production software. Musicians, either in jazz and/or EDM backgrounds, would implement their jazz/EDM knowledge into these forms of music production software to create jazz compositions into electronic dance club and neo-lounge settings. The interplay of this blend would range from adding jazz instrumentation and samples into electronic beats (Amon Tobin, St Germain, Fila Brazillia, Jazzanova, etc) to more band-based jazz with electronic elements (The Cinematic Orchestra, Jaga Jazzist, Nils Petter Molvær, Bugge Wesseltoft, etc). The compilation series Saint-Germain-des-Prés Café gave nu jazz more mainstream recognition in the turn of the century.
This dualistic interplay of nu jazz carries on to more contemporary acts of the 2010s onwards with the integration of Glitch Hop and Wonky music. Labels such as electronic-based Ninja Tune and Brainfeeder have dabbled in nu jazz.
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