New Music

Astral Traveling is a collection of Lonnie Liston Smith reimagined tracks from the flautist-saxophonist-producer Chip Wickham. The EP is his first release under Gondwana Records; the label founded by Manchester jazz scene pioneer Matthew Halsall.

The EP stays true to the legendary Lonnie Liston Smith’s 1970’s spiritual jazz sound, and yet these reinterpretations feel incredibly current, and totally Wickham’s own.

The composition of Wickham’s first track perfectly describes its title. Steady builds of harmonic tension and releases really characterise a sense of journeying in Astral Traveling. A unison of saxophone parts move inquisitively through the piece, whilst flowing harp glissandos and emotive solos summon a feeling of wonder. Wickham modernises Lonnie Liston Smith’s original with contemporary drums and keys. Astral Traveling is perhaps my favourite of the EP.

Sais (Egypt) is certainly a well arranged reinterpretation. Where Smith’s original is a more cosmic and little wilder, particularly in the percussion, Wickham creates a picture of pure serenity, with free flowing flute solos that soar and dive in between the steady afro-cuban rhythm section. Warm, rounded horns give body to the track that beautifully balance Wickhams’ weightless melodies on flute, whilst the groove remains incessant, with gentle cymbal crescendos that pour from one phrase into the next. Sais (Egypt) is truly a passage to paradise!

Peaceful Ones brings a more sultry sound to the EP. Deep tones from Wickham’s tenor sax, reimagined from the vocals on Smith’s original, combine with low-slung rhythms to form a moodier aesthetic. Peaceful Ones displays some of Wickham’s best tenor playing to date. Another clever reinterpretation of Smith’s original.

Catch Chip Wickham on his UK tour in October.

Last week, Nu Genea (Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina) released their latest psychedelic disco track, Tienaté; a sound that perfectly embodies the persistent beams of the Neopolitian sun. Tienaté, meaning ‘keep it’, is released two weeks ahead of the Naples duo’s third album; Bar Mediterraneo, available next Friday.

Both Di Lena and Aquilina share a common interest for early dance music, its origins across the world, and how these styles have combined and found themselves on the shores of Naples. In 2018, the pair curated Napoli Segreta, a compilation album of rare Neapolitan funk and disco grooves from the 70’s and 80’s. The influence of this music is unmistakable in Nu Genea’s sound; if you’re a fan of Nu Genea, make sure you have a listen to Napoli Segreta!

Tienaté does not fall short of this, with heavy influences of 70’s disco and fragments of different cultures that sit totally comfortably amid the synths, guitar and bass. Tienaté rehashes classic western disco features, such as sustained bodies of strings, showcasing instead string trills that pull influence from south-east of the mediterranean, alongside quirky synth melodies that blur the decade that Tienaté is actually from. The psychedelic guitar riffs, afro-cuban rhythms on congas and the unapologetic vocals from Fabiana Martone sung in Neapolitan, blend together to create a sound that radiates an energy of pure sunshine.

Catch them at Gala Festival this June or We Out Here in August.

Having graced listeners with Vocoder last month, Tuesday saw the release of another synth fuelled dance track; Grammar. This is Sam Shepherd’s second track since the highly acclaimed and beautifully ethereal collaboration piece ‘Promises’, with Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra, released just over a year ago.

After creating the dreamlike ambient-jazz-symphony ‘Promises’, Grammar and Vocoder mark Shepherd’s return to dark beats and his unparalleled mastery over synths. The tone of Grammar is set right from the start; an insistent thudding beat, the low end buzz of the melodic bassline, and refined use of filters that carve direction out of the synth loops. In true Floating Points style, the track is artfully layered in textures, with descriptive frequency manipulation and carefully placed details that define the overall groove.

Grammar is another much needed dance track from the highly skilled producer, leaving a murmur of excitement for what is to come from Floating Points this year.

The Official Audio visuals of a wavetable graphic with a dancing figure that forms out of the sound waves is also epic - definitely worth taking a look.

The release of ‘May As Well Be’ last week marks another union between Rhythm Section International and Vels Trio for their coming debut album ‘Celestial Greens’, which will be available for your ears to feast on next month.

This synth heavy groove is familiar to the trio’s prog electro-jazz style demonstrated in ‘Yellow Ochre’ (2017). ‘May As Well Be’ embodies a video-game style funk with a retro 80’s synth sound - also tying in with the album artwork. Vels Trio take a nostalgic trip with galactic arpeggiated synths in the intro, and a nylony synth on the hook in ‘May As Well Be’, creating a retro futuristic re-imagined aesthetic. Next to the smooth, organic jazz sections and the bass-driven funk of the hook, Vels Trio demonstrate their range of influences and the fluidity of modern Jazz music today. In an interview with Haste Magazine, Jack Stephenson-Oliver (keys) stated; ‘The whole idea of jazz and where it comes from is that it’s an evolving art form...Jazz is a pioneering genre.’

The trio have spent time honing in on their sound and putting a lot into practicing together; ‘There’s no ego in the rehearsal room’, Jack told Rhythm Passport in 2019. Attention to detail in their sound certainly resonates in ‘Celestial Greens’ too, with the band working on multiples versions of their tracks, as to prioritise building compositions with the album format first and foremost in mind.

Celestial Greens is available to pre-order on Bandcamp.

Last week saw drummer, producer and composer Moses Boyd release his compelling remix of Nubya Garcia’s ‘Pace’, the opening track from her Mercury Price nominated album SOURCE.

Pace is a sonic translation of the ‘overwhelming speed we are living our lives…more specifically on the notion of the “rat race”’, writes Garcia on her Instagram post praising Moses Boyd’s remix. Truly a reflection of this, Pace resonates a frantic sound brimming with complexities; a multitude of rising and falling emotions depicted through Garcia’s ever expressive tenor saxophone, accompanied by the drums, bass and keys all emanating a raw, improvisational style of playing. ‘Pacing yourself and your output is so so key for longevity,’ Garcia concludes on her post; ‘work smart.’

Moses Boyd’s remix certainly does not undermine the significance of ‘pace’. This track is quickly becoming a favourite for Moses Boyd and Nubya Garcia fans alike, already climbing its way up their most streamed tracks. A far darker, ambient soundscape allows for Garcia’s lyrical sax to soar above the somber haze, to be joined by a damp, murky Jungle-style beat.

Another new track from Bradley Zero’s tasty record label, six years on from the extremely well-received Midnight In Peckham EP, the New Zealand raised brothers of Chaos In The CBD have come together with Rhythm Section International once more for the release of a woozy after-dark remix of 30/70’s latest single, Tastes Like Freedom.

Far darker in mood than 30/70’s original, this remix is characterised by the distanced saxophone, a cyclical busy beat, spacey damp chords and momentary whispers taken from Allysha Joy’s vocals. This nocturnal jazz-house sound has such a forward facing momentum, a sound that feels like a journey - a pretty signature Chaos In The CBD quality, I think. A masterful remix!

Pre-order the vinyl on bandcamp and look out for the releases of the coming remixes by Carista, Tornado Wallace Red Face and Yu Su Midnight Blossom (particularly excited to hear this one).

Two weeks ago today saw the release of another soulful, smooth groove from the Melbourne collective 30/70. Joining their acclaimed previous releases under Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section International, Tastes Like Freedom transports you on a sensual experience that fills the body with warmth and melts the mind like butter.

Released just towards the end of pride month, the track is a celebration of limitless sexual freedom.

Tastes Like Freedom features Allysha Joy’s ever soulful vocals; open, compelling expressions of truth, heavy with passion. Every syllable is a caress of seduction, every syncopated rhythm and dream-like chord plunging you deeper into the distinct sound of 30/70.

This hazy jazz-funk track provides some much needed warmth and freedom for this summer.

With the release of Get Sun in March, Hiatus Kaiyote produced another expansive track so on brand to their sound; upbeat, busy but totally aligned - just so sonically full. Get Sun, featuring Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai, introduces sweeping strings and high energy brass stabs that hint at an exciting new direction for their sound.

So the release of Red Room a few days ago, a 3am jam session in a red lit studio in Rio, stands in distinct contrast; the sound feels organic, minimal and warm - not a stretch from Nai Palm’s solo album Needle Paw. If listeners were after the “Wondercore” sound they know and love, Red Room may even come as a disappointment…

But Red Room is, in its entirety, a jam. Raw, reassuring and filled with pure contentment, the track honours a beauty in humble imperfections that are an all to often edited-out quality in music production today. Particularly for Nai Palm, who in a podcast interview mentions the power in Lauryn Hill’s live “Unplugged” when her voice breaks; vocal imperfections are not only what makes a voice human, but are also, in Nai’s words, what connects people. For me, Nai Palm’s vocal cracks are some of the most beautiful moments in this track. Allowing for the natural imperfections in music is grounding and powerful in its vulnerability - it’s something that should be cherished!

The podcast is called ‘It’s a Long Story’ with Nai Palm if you want to have a listen, and for more on the creation and meaning of the track have a look at the Hiatus Kaiyote’s instagram post on Red Room.

Released as a single earlier this month under Headcount Records, Breadsticks is an improvisation characterised by an intricate groove from drummer and producer Mike Bentley, a dream-like instrumental blend of keys and bass from the Sydney trio Foshe, and the faint bustle of Parlour Cucina as a musical backdrop.

The two artists, with a common interest for the ground between jazz and house, have collaborated on breadsticks, creating an engaging journey through a euphoric soundscape of improvisation and quick paced polyrhythms that gives the track a momentum with intention. Pure improvisations require an attuned familiarity of each other’s playing, and a unanimous understanding of the direction the music is taking, which makes this unique composition all the more compelling.

The collaborative album, Parlour Cucina (look out for it’s release end of May on bandcamp) was recorded during a 6 month residency there pre-covid, where the recording of a number of live, totally improvised sessions has led to the creation of this album.

Released earlier this month, Outlines is a compilation album of 10 tracks bringing to light a collection of emerging European producers and artists. The album is beautifully pieced together; varying influences of jazz, broken beat and house from 22 different artists have been woven together into a seamless consistency that runs throughout.

With a focus on jazz for Part 1 of the Vinyl (the first 5 tracks), Quiroga and 291out’s 'Fantasia Mélange' is the furthest point at the jazz end on the album; with its largely organic instrumentation typical to jazz, this track is literally sunshine for the ears. As part 1 evolves, broken beat merged jazz adds a fresh momentum to the record, particularly apparent at SofaTalk’s rework of 'Evidente', by pianist Domenico Sanna. This intricate groove is comprised of complex syncopated rhythms, spoken word and at one point a synth solo that gives an infected, futuristic buzz to the authentic improvisation. This rework really is genius.

Part 2, as described by ANMA & Cognitiva Records as the “dancefloor disc”, brings just as much musicality, opening with Aura Safari’s 'Velvet Horizon', characterised by jazz flute that cruises over a funky synth riffs and a kick heavy breakbeat. Soon enough, Part 2 sets into an ‘after-dark’ atmosphere, perhaps most apparent with the introduction of 'Hibiscus', by Footshooter, featuring distinct, soulful vocals from the 30/70 singer Allysha Joy. 'Hibiscus' demonstrates a collected balance between the cold, clattering beat with a spacious use of reverb on the keys, and the raspy warmth that radiates from Joy’s vocals.

Track recommendation: Evidente (SofaTalk Rework) by Domenico Sanna, Gio Lacovelli, Shalka Manì.