Track: Colectiva x Maria Grapsa release empowering debut single ‘Under The’
Here’s a reminder, if you needed one, that outside the nu-jazz hullabaloo the bedrock of the UK scene is thriving, still pushing those boundaries with vibrant, inventive music. Colectiva’s debut single ‘Under the’, available via Movimientos Records tears the envelope stamped Latin jazz wide open and fills it with some thrillingly different messages. Springing from …
News: Falle Nioke and sir Was announce joint EP; hear ‘Rain’
FORWARD-thinking indie labels are fast beginning to celebrate the soulful connection between dancefloor-slanted electronica and the rhythmic foundations of anything dubbed ‘world’ music. So right on cue Moshi Moshi offshoot PRAH have announced the release of a new EP, Marasi, which will be ready for consumption on April 30th. The new record captures the results …
News: Mdou Moctar set to release a new album for Matador; hear ‘Tala Tannam’
MDOU MOCTAR is at last gathering momentum. Still, it’s been an epic journey since 2008 when his raw, emotional guitar music first began to spread across West Africa via the DIY network of traded SIM cards. Picked up by Chris Kirkley of Sahel Sounds, who sent Mdou a much-needed left-handed Strat, and which label then …
News: Daptone to release an album from Morocco’s Innov Gnawa; hear ‘Chorfa’
DAPTONE, the home of soul and funk, is one of those labels whose judgement you can trust; when they’re onto something you just know it’s going to deliver. News that they will be releasing Innov Gnawa’s new album, LILA, on April 30th may seem a bit leftfield given that the band are dedicated explorers of …
Album review: Sarah Haras – ‘Mirage’: deeply effective and affecting abstraction
Often abstract albums come across like a loose series of random sketches; but not Mirage. It’s got a clear vision that binds it together and like the best electronic music suggests something different to every listener each time they tune in … and that is some achievement
Album Review: Caravela deliver the sparkling fusion of ‘Orla’
Now here’s a new thing beaming out from the London jazz firmament. Caravela, a five-piece multinational band from everywhere (well Portugal, South America and Australia), now based in the capital and delivering their debut LP Orla via None More Records. The record is just a bit different from the burgeoning body of work regularly rolling …
Track: Laundromat release the track ‘Flat Planet’ ahead of new EP, ‘Red’
Customer advice- get into this Laundromat now before the crowds show up. After two sold out EPs on Brace Yourself (‘Blue’ and ‘Green’), the label has just announced ‘Red’, a third instalment from Brighton musician Toby Hayes (a.k.a the above mentioned Laundromat), available digitally or as an appropriately coloured 7” from 23rd April. If preview …
See: Toumani Diabate & The London Symphony Orchestra release video for ‘Hainamady Town’
Collaborations between improvising musicians and orchestras sometimes reveal nothing but a culture clash. The performances can sound disjointed and fragmented, the musical equivalent of cut and paste. But when Toumani Diabate, the kora maestro, and his band of eminent Malian musicians shared the Barbican stage with the London Symphony Orchestra back in 2008, the connection …
See: Florence Adooni releases new video for glorious new single ‘Mam Pe’ela Su’ure’
Need to raise those spirits? Here’s a gorgeous ray of Frafra gospel warmth to help you head for brighter days. Florence Adooni has been revered as one of the leading vocalists in North Ghana for some time now but she’s also been pushing boundaries as one of the key contributors to the vibrant roots-fusion sounds …
Album Review: Coma World – Coma World
The London nu-jazz/electronic scene is one ecosystem that does more than sustain itself. From the Steamdown/Trinity/Deptford/Greenwich source point to the hubbub around Hackney’s Total Refreshment Centre to the outflow from vibrant labels like Walthamstow’s Byrd Out, it’s a community that continues to create through crossovers, connections and collaborations. Cue yet more evidence of the surge, …