Incognito: Connecting the World to Music

Miss. Wheeler is a free lance journalist, model and aspiring actress. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from a private Jesuit University and is pursuing a Juris Doctorate, focusing on Entertainment Law.

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Published: September 3, 2008

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AAJ: She is certainly an asset to Incognito. Daniel Maunick, your son, is also a musician. Is he currently working on anything?

JM: He is currently working with Sabrina Malheiros. She is the daughter of Alex Malheiros, the bassist from the legendary Azymuth. He is co-writing and co-producing. He is really the right hand of that artist. He works a lot from Brazil.

AAJ: You produce for other musical acts. Are you producing anything now?

JM: I am producing Dira, who is a young singer from Indonesia. I want to give back to those areas that have shown me so much love. They have shown Incognito a different way of life. It teaches humility and so I want to give something back. She is a local artist who is unknown, and has worked really hard. She has a great chance of shining internationally. I am doing Dira's album, and also a remix album of Tales from the Beach. We are using dance music's best crop.

Incognito

Dance music has always played an important part in Incognito. When I left school, I saved my money and flew to New York to go to clubs like, Paradise Garage, Limelight and Area. I was into clubbing and dancing. I have always felt that dancing is a really important part of Incognito and a part that a lot of people miss because many artists use DJs to remix their material for commercial reasons. We have always worked alongside DJs; even with the first Incognito album from 1979, Jazz Funk (Capitol, 1981) that was released again in 1981. We have always worked with people who are in club music.

One of the single biggest hits in Europe for Incognito is "Always There," remixed by David Morales. There are three elements to understanding Incognito: the dance thing, the live thing, and the recording thing. Some musicians lose the focus of what music is really about—it is a connection to people. Clubbing restores that faith in me. Music isn't about math or science, it's about feeling. As a producer, whether Incognito is playing a ballad or an up-tempo number, it always has a groove, groove is really important. That groove can uplift the people. I want people who listen to our music to feel joyful. When I listen to Curtis Mayfield, even the ballads have me rocking in my chair and that is the way I love to make music.

Selected Discography

Incognito, Tales from the Beach (Heads Up, 2008)
Incognito, Bee + Things + Flowers (Narada, 2006)
Incognito, Eleven (Narada, 2006)
Incognito, Best Of Incognito 20th Century Masters Of The Millennium Collection (Hip-O, 2006)
Incognito, 25th Chapter (Dome, 2005)
Incognito, Adventures in Black Sunshine (Narada, 2004)
Incognito, Love X Who Needs Love Remixes (Pony Canyon, 2003)
Incognito, Who Needs Love (Boutique, 2003)
Incognito, One Nation (Pony Canyon, 2003)
Incognito, Life Stranger than Fiction (Sony International, 2001)
Incognito, Best of Incognito (Verve, 2000)
Incognito, Future Remixed (Universal/Talkin Loud, 2000)
Incognito, No Time Like the Present (Verve, 1999)
Incognito, Beneath the Surface (Polygram Records, 1997)
Incognito, Last Night in Tokyo Live (Import, 1996)
Incognito, 100° and Rising (Polygram Records, 1995)
Incognito, Positivity (Polygram Records, 1994)
Incognito, Tribes, Vibes and Scribes (Talkin Loud, 1992)
Incognito, Inside Life (Polygram Records, 1991)
Incognito, Jazz Funk (Capitol, 1981)