Review: Hot 8 Brass Band - Big Tuba (Tru Thoughts Recordings)

Hot 8 Brass Band have a long history with a cover version and 'Big Tuba' gives you a full blast of New Orlean's Mardi Gras!

Grammy-winning Hot 8 Brass Band’s first new project since 2019, featuring previously released singles “Big Tuba”, their cover of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Fight Song” and focus track “Let’s Stay Together”. This 10-track album delves into the traditional jazz heritage of their hometown of New Orleans, available digitally, on CD and vinyl. The vinyl release includes a special 3-colour A-Side/B-Side vinyl, a 12” poster insert, and an exclusive 7” featuring the final album track, Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together”, and the bands iconic cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing (Bossman Edit)”, making it’s vinyl debut. 

Funnily enough I was talking to label boss Robert Luis at the We Out Here Festival lasts year about how they got to do a cover of The Special's 'Ghost Town' which may be why it's not on this album but check out what is!

Artist:  Hot 8 Brass Band 
Title: Big Tuba
Release date: 28th February, 2024
Label : Tru-Thoughts Recordings
Catalog Number  TRU462D
Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Benji Bower & The Terra Collective Orchestra present Terra Coda (Tru Thoughts Recordings)

A truely ambitious project for Tru-Thoughts as only a 25 year old could imagine: ladies and gentlemen, Benji Bower & The Terra Collective Orchestra present Terra Coda!

After celebrating Tru Thought's 25th anniversary compilation 'Shapes 25' (see review HERE) we know the label is diverse to say the least, but then there's 'out-there' and  Benji Bower & The Terra Collective Orchestra present 'Terra Coda' is definitely out-there.

Benji Bower (aka Unforscene) has left behind his nu-jazz, boken, boogie past for the time being, organised a 60-piece orchestra of Bristol's finest and put on his composer, pianist, producer, musical director hat to combine and record a modern classical/part operatic, part OST "ode to Earth'.

This has the professionalism of BBC at the Proms but with solemness of a cathedral service for the long lost.  It's superb and it comes across like a soundtrack to a horror movie at times (like 'Descent') but it does leave you somewhat drained; but in a good way. 'Love Letter' features Kathleen Frances, a track Benji descibes as "beautiful yet crushing" (it''s a bit Anohni & The Johnsons with big strings) and that probably descibes most if not all the tracks here. 'Kalaallit Nunaat' featuring James Gow seems really sad as does 'Whale Lament' (as you'd expect from its title) whilst on the upside, there's 'Leviathan' that features the vibes of Harriet Riley) (what's with Bristol and leviathans? Check Ishmael Ensemble's review HERE) 

Many of the musicians here have played with The Heritage Orchestra, Portishead, Massive Attack, The Cinematic Orchestra (and many more) and it certainly comes across.

This is a magnificent work that's Benji has based on Taoist theory of 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) and even a QiGong practictioner would be left breathless after hearing this - at least check out the beauty in 'Perpetuus' to get a feel for this.

Artist: Benji Bower & The Terra Collective Orchestra
Title: Terra Coda 
Release date: 11th Octomber, 2024
Label : Tru-Thoughts Recordings
Catalog Number  TRU460D
Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Fybe:one - Don't Let Go - You Go Down Smooth (Tru Thoughts Recordings)

Here's some hot nu-soul/R&B,dubby/bruk double A side tracks; 'Don't Let Go' features. Liam Bailey and 'You Go Down Smooth' features Georgia Blackwell.

Fybe:one is the South London based multi-talented Greg Haynes and he's linked up with Liam Bailey (the singer/songwriter from Nottingham not Leon Bailey, who has worked with El Michels Affair and Chase & Status and not the Aston Villa winger as someone tried to convince me).

And 'Don't Let Go', the instrumental version is like a spiritually hypnotic drunk fest; something that doesn't come over with the great vocal version that tells of the fear of lonliness and longing.

'You Go Down Smooth' is more upbeat and another track about the pain of love and the vocals work so well with the strings and the dubby bits.

Tru-Thoughts are known for being a little bit/a lot "different" - this is a long way from Palm Skin Productions' 'Trickle Up EP' (see review HERE) or Biggabush's 'A Different Style EP' (see Review HERE) but equally essential. 

Artist: Fybe:one

Title:  Don't Let Go - You Go Down Smooth EP

Release date: 11th April, 2023

Label : Tru-Thoughts

Catalog Number : Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Anchorsong - Windmills (Salamanda Remix) (Tru Thoughts Recordings)

Tru Thoughts ended last year with their best release of the year [Ed. that's because you're Edit was on it - see A Different Style EP by Biggabush] so what will 2023 bring?

Well, compared ot the 8 tracks on 'A Different Style' this release has a very different style with just the two; the original Anchorsong (aka Masaaki Yoshida) version of 'Windmills', a short and atmospheric track and a Salamanda remix.

Salamanda are new to me and the track itself has 'moved' to a gentle shinto water garden at the break of day with sunlight shimmering on the water (just like the cover image).

Apparently, Salamanda are based in Seoul, South Korea and have already found fans for thier electronic ambience on a number of labels around the globe and have a thier own NTS radio show.

'Windmills' was one of the many highlights on Anchorsong's 2021 album 'Mirage' so let's hope that there's more stunning remixes in the pipeline like this one.

Artist: Anchorsong 

Title: Windmills (Salamanda Remix)

Release date: 12th January, 2023

Label : Tru-Thoughts

Catalog Number : Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Biggabush - A Different Style EP (Tru Thoughts Recordings)

After our recent interview with Glyn 'Biggabush' Bush - he of Rocker's Hi-fi, Studio Don, Lightning Head, MDO, the black Albumen and half of The Dandelion Set - here's the long awaited follow-up EP to last year's fantastic 'BiggaBush Freevisited' - 'A Different Style'.

Now, you might be thinking that that is odd that there needs a 'different style' for a Biggabush as he's a master of so many styles but as he says, "The thing I love about a good remix is that it references the original track but adds the remixers stamp and style in a respectful way that enhances the song and takes it off in new directions that I would never have thought of".

And we certainly love these styles as it's introduced us to four new 'followers' of the Biggabush set.

Sentinel 793 certainly has a lot of dub/reggae/afrobeat in his bruk and it's quite stripped back but not at all naked.  At the other extreme Robot Riddims has put 'Black Swan Revival' through his 8-bit noise conveyer belt system and it's all pretty minimal .

Then James Hayford makes an appearance as with his 'Shoes' monika for the appropriately entitled 'Sole Sister' track. 

Bigga has been such a Studio Don and Lighting Head of dub for so long, rising to the dub on 'Real & Regal' with his mate Farda P who sounds so deep and resonant; it must be weird having such a great voice as Farda P when he's doing everyday conversations.

And at the furtherest extreme of all, I'd never thought I'd be lucky enough to re-edit the most euphoric track from the album, 'This River' (now with vocals by the incredible Jackie 'sounds like Ella' Walters) as Glyn and I walk along the River Stour's towpath in both our adopted county of Dorset, hand-in-hand (metaphorically of course).

We might think of Glyn as the Dr. Who of dub, instrumental hip-hop, ambient dub, electro, deep house, prog rock as he free-from-ed 'Free' into 'Freevisited' (so clever eh!) and now with another different style, who knows, with all the references to 'God' on the 'This River' track, there's a remote chance that it might be No. 1 at Christmas! 

See full YATM interview HERE.

Artist: Biggabush

Title: A Different Style EP

Release date: 6th December, 2022

Label : Tru-Thoughts

Catalog Number : Digital / JunoDownload / Traxsource / Bandcamp

1		The River (Sentinel 679 Runs Deep Version)                                                      7:02    Featuring - Jackie Walters
2		Black Swan Revival (Robot Riddims Hurting A Different Style Remix)                4:56 Featuring - Farda P, Jackie Walters
3		Illegal Rising Dub (Biggabush Remix)                                                                 7:08 Featuring - Farda P
4		Sole Sister (James Hayford Shoes Remix)                                                         7:01
5		This River (Gerry Hectic’s River Stour Towpath Extension)                              13:56 Featuring - Jackie Walters
6		The River (Sentinel 679 Remix Instrumental)                                                     7:02
7		Black Swan Revival (Robot Riddims Hurting A Different Style Instrumental)      4:55
8		Illegal Rising Dub (Instrumental) (Biggabush Remix)                                          7:08