Review: re:ni – BeautySick (Timedance)

When you think of acorn falling and trees of a musical kind, you've got your multiple Wainwright family, Steve and Hollie Cook and now, re:ni (aka Lauren Bush) and her drum/percussion obsessed Dad, Glyn 'Bigga' Bush.

I mention the Bush history with drums (whether it be Magic Drum Orchestra, the reggae/dub of Ligntning Head,the house side of Rocker's HiFi, the prog The black Albumen or even the variety on his 1BTN show, Bigga's Big Dig), as the Timedance varient is very much darker coming out of the shadows of post-dubstep dark electronic d'n'b.

The four tracks kick off with 'BURSTTRAP' that's possibley trap on a dancehall dub trip which kinda sound Krautrock?

There's definitely some techno/trans europe express/warehouse to 'Below Sanpaku' and definitely some heavy industry assult on 'BeautySick' (that's Dad's favourite) whilst 'Blame is the Name of the Game' is more a mix of all the above with a gamelan-electronic tendancies.

re:ni was mentioned in our big interview/catch up with BiggaBush (see HERE) and she does a monthly radio show, 'RE:LAX' with Laska on NTS (next 3rd March - see HERE) for more "Forward-thinking sounds from across the bass spectrum".

Artist: re:ni 
Title: BeautySick
Release Date : 23rd February, 2023
Catalog Number : Timedance 032
Label :Timedance
Format: 12" / Digital / Bandcamp

 

Review: musclecars - Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) feat. Natalie Greffel (BBE Music)

New York flute gang gets 'Ha Ya!' with the musclecars for the first in the 'Best Of' 2024 folder!

You'll recall we were very excited about musclecars being represented on the Audrey Powne single, 'Feed The Fire'(see review HERE)

There's a deep spiritual feel to this and their other productions (what's the odd on them getting together with Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi on BBE with the 'Anima' project? - see reveiw HERE) and then there's others who just want to paaarrrrrrtteeeeeeee with the Shannon Harris' A Love 4 Joy Journey Mix.

And these guys do like the perfect lenght of 7-9 minutes per track and will be featuring in our charts for ever more: but where's the Audrey Powne remix? (don't forget last week's 'Single of the Week', 'From The Fire'. see review HERE)

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Artist: musclecars feat. Natalie Greffel

Title: Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) original / instrumental / Shannon Harris' A Love 4 Joy Journey Mix.   

Release date: 23rd February, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE763SDG2

Format: Digital  

Review: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers - When Hurt Walks Out The Door (Ramrock Red Records)

Craig Charles' Funk & Soul show loves these guys and so will you when hurt walks out the door with their new single on Ramrock Records.

If you like that mix of US soul via Stax, Stateside, Motown (Marcus was a member of Detroit's very own Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels) and that UK style of  R&B (at random, say, Van Morrison, Frankie Miller, Jess Roden, Graham Parker), 'Hurt Walks Out The Door' is right up your street with it's immaculate horn arrangements and solid guitar solo (that really stands out on the instrumental version).

Kinda of reminds me of James Carr's classic, 'Dark End Of The Street' and don't forget the album 'Interstate 75' (see review HERE) for even more great tracks.

Even so, you gotta get the instrumental of 'When Hurt Walks Out The Door' as the organ will make the hairs on the back of your neck and the guitar solo will make you cry and reach for the Wah Wah pedal at the same time.

Artist: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers

Title: When Hurt Walks Out The Door

Release date: 23rd February, 2024

Label: Ramrock Red

Cat. No: RRR057

Format: Bandcamp / Digital

Reviews: Peacey - Playground (feat. Rona Ray) (Atjazz Record Company)

The wait for the Peacey album continues but that's cool whilst Atjazz keep teasing us with singles like 'Playground' with instrumental and acid versions. 

Following on from the "holiday" release of 'Cultural Bandit' that featured the 'angry' and insightful spoken word poetry of Vanessa Hidary (see review HERE) this track is more of a post UKG boogie soul that features the vocals of Rona Ray whilst deep in the background in the spirit of Roger Troutman (Mr Peacey knows his synth history I reckon).

And it's the synth acid vocal version and dub that's going to get some serious club plays if you ask me.

Strongly suspect one of these tracks will be featured on this months' Colour & Pitch Sessions mixtape (see below) and 'Playground', like Culture Bandit' and ‘Play It By Ear’, are from the forthcoming Peacey album 'Play It By Ear' that's due out in a couple of months. 

Artist: Peacey

Title: Playground feat. Rona Ray

Release date: 23rd February 2024

Label: Atjazz Record Company

Catalog Number: ARC230ADS3 Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Eric Hilton - Sound Vagabond (Montserrat House)

Eric Hilton if half of Thievery Corporation but his new album, Sound Vagabond, is no 50% effort, in fact it's more than 100% essential this year.

Thievery Corporation, as one of the early exponents of trip-hop, downtempo, dubby beats, making their name with Bebel Gilberto as one of Gilles Peterson's favourite tracks on the late 1990's, 'So Com Vocé', forming the ESL label and being sought after remixes ever since.

Since 2020 Eric has been just as busy as 'Sound Vagabond' is his sixth album on his own Montserrat House label.  Don't think for a moment he's not got the enthusiasm for a 14 track instrumental album as this sound vagabond has travelled the world and picked up so many influences that the album is a proper melting pot but not sloppy; all tracks are as sharp as the 60s mod artwork.

With such a history of making music with samples and remixing, it is incredible that the album has been formed with some free library music as a backbone.  From the opening track, hip-hoppy harp with 60s organ on 'Endless Affair' (like a modern day Thomas Crown) to the last track 'Lumi' (that possible encapsulates the whole album) you'll be thinking, "this is my favourite" track as it's quality throughout.

If you push me, 'Poppy Fields' is a fantastic mix of 60s cinematic Indo-funk acid jazz and the longest tracks on the album, 'Mumbai Hustle' (very sexy) and the dreamy jazz beats of 'Cerro Alegre' are mesmeric; along with 'The Grand Intro'.

This album has been inspired by many global influences and as an album for the world, the only problem with this album is tht all the tracks could be longer as they are so good and whilst we loved his album with Natalia Clavier, 'Corazón Kintsugi' from last year (see review HERE), 'Sound Vagabond' is even better! 

Artist: Eric Hilton  

Title: Sound Vagabond 

Release date: 23rd February, 2024

Label : Montserrat House
 

Catalog Number : MH027 Digital / Bandcamp 

 

Review: Tomasz Guiddo & Jimi Tenor - Where The Wild Roam / Smile (Compost Records)

The word on the streets was that Compost Records have got some really exciting projects lined up for us this year - and it's true! 

It hasn't taken us long to get impatient for Vol. 2 of the 'Future Sounds Of Kraut' compilation by Fred und Luna but here's another project  to get estatic over as globe trotting DJ and veteran of undergroung sounds, Tomasz Guiddo teams up with electronic/jazz/afrobeat/Sun Ra fan, Jimi Tenor: 'Future Sounds of Finland' you might say?

This EP features two tracks, 'Where The Wild Roam' and 'Smile' featuring Louie Austen who probably couldn't help but smile after getting the call to do some post-Rat Pack crooning for Compost.

'Smile' is a Guiddo/Tenor take on Lounge jazz and it's really cool with bits of Indo-Café Del Mar shuffle - a perfect compliment to Eric Hilton's 'Sound Vagabond' (see review HERE and also released today) especially as there's an instrumental version.

'Where The Wild Roam' is one for the Flute Gang (Jimi on top form as usual) along with some 60s space-mod organ and dreamy Mike Sammes Singer's style vocals.  Love the original and there's remixes by Erobique (pretty funky 'Disko' meets boogie), Ale Castro (Argentinian Italo-House stylee) and the approapriately more "less defined out-there" one by Freestyle Man. 

All the instrumentals and radio edits are great so get your orders in for the 12" as they're guaranteed to be 'Sold Out' before you can say, "Sähkö Puu" or "Philophon" - it's #1 on Sun Ra's Chart on Jupiter Radio.

  

 

Artist: Tomasz Guiddo & Jimi Tenor 

Title:  Where The Wild Roam

Release date: 23rd February, 2024

Label : Compost Records

Catalog Number :  CPT 627 12" / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Otis Sandsjö - Y-OTIS TRE (We Jazz Records)

We Jazz Records knows a winner project when it sees one and ' Y-OTIS TRE' is definitely that, three is a magic number after all!

Saxman Otis Sandsjö follows-up 'Y-Otis' and 'Y-Otis 2' with another adventure into experimental, avant-garde abstract jazz hip-hop soaked 12 tracks with multi-instrumentalist/bassist/producer Petter Eldh (he of ENEMY, Koma Saxo, Tilo Weber and more) and synths/keyboards of Dan Nicholls (he of divr's 'Is This Water' album- see review HERE)

This is going to be one of my favourite albums of the year as don't we all love a bit of Berlin based Scandi-space jazz that follows the paths of Jimi Tenor (recently 'discovered' by soul-jazz London DJ legend Robbie Vincent!), Madlib and Thundercat/Kamasi Washington.

Not convinced?  Listen to the totally manic-cinematic-Bruk-eque 'LOOMY' and 'midi day job, pt. 4' which stacks up to any 'golden-era' Daedelus or the other single, 'CLICKS 2023' or the instant favourite, 'perla / moln'.

No surprise then that Gilles Peterson, Jazzwise, WIRE and the like are early to the party with this one and any label as varied as hosting The Stance Brothers (see review HERE) and Anni Kiviniemi Trio (see review HERE) is going to be open to the Y-Otis project; FOUR as they might say (as in sometime words have more than one meaning).

Artist: Otis Sandsjö 

Title: Y-Otis Tre

Release date: 23rd February 2024

Label : We Jazz Records

Catalog Number : WJLP63

Format: LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: David Manso - Groovy Smile (Be Adult Music)

Don't be confused by the artwork as this isn't Acid, it's just a 'Groovy Smile' from Be Adult Music.

But it's more than a groovy smile cos there's a right groovy track behind it.  It's the first solo release by DJ David Manso, not to be confused with legend David Mancuso, even if there's a fair bit of Paradise Garage and funk influence on 'Reason To Smile' on a beach with the usual beach dreams of Be Adult Music.

The 'sister' track, 'Groovy W.' is even funkier and jazzy with a sax spurt that's 70s friendly; it's like a very cool remix of an unknown  Average White Band/Weather Report track.

This is a fantastic way to celebrate the label's 350th release and expect to hear this on all great parties this year and definitely one earmarked for this months' Colour & Pitch Mixtape.

Artist: David Manso

Title: Groovy Smile

Release date: 22nd February 2024

Label; Be Adult Music

Catalog Number: BAM350

Review: Substance Abuse ft. Kurious - Don't Add Me EP (Ramrock Red Records)

Substance Abuse is a pretty cool name for a couple of High School kids that happened to find themselves growing up a the heart of the LA hip-hop scene in the 1990s; but what's this match up with Kurious all about in 2024?

Curiously enough, I find that I picked up their 'Profitless Thoughts' 12" featuring MF Doom a mere 10 years after it was released on Kutmasta Kurt's Santa Monica label Threshold Recordings, (Ed. it's take's that long for Imports?) but when you're hanging around Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib, Declaime, Oh No and the like like they were, it's still a surprise that their 'Bridges' track (featuring Aceyalone) came on Ramrock Red  back in 2019.

Apparently, the connection with 'Bridges' was made via Ladbroke Audio's A&R man Neil who introduced Ramrock's Jo Wallace and Kurious is equally well connected with scene legends like Doom (particularly, on 'Born Like This' that features my favourite Dilla track, 'Lightworks') and Kool Keith (he of Dr. Octagon and many, many more).

'Don't Add Me' is more funky-jazz hip-hop, consious boom bap with the sideways poke (no pun) at the shallowness of the 'social media' fallacy of off quoted likes/adds/plays etc is some quality assurance (and that's without touching the evil of SM's role in the increasing list of teen/adult murders).  

Back to the record, in explicit, clean, instrumental forms, "Don't Add Me" is perhaps a reminder that social media can be a force tor good and any rap that warns us that, "Gil Scott-Heron will not post on Instagram" - is an odd mirror of 'This Revolution Will Not Be Televised'; a far cry from Kardasians/West self-implosion

Nicely follow's the label's Joeseph Malik's release, 'Be A Lion' featuring Kameelah Waheed (see review HERE) and in both cases, all are showing us that hip-hop still has substance and it's not to be abused; you do the sums (as the kids might say).

PS. Big radio shouts to BBC 6 Music for their Dilla day (especially Gilles Peterson for featuring BBE's Peter Adarkwah at Gilles Peterson - Pete BBE on J Dilla - BBC Sounds : as one Detroit resident put it, "it seems that you're doing more (to celebrate) than we are in Detroit".

Artist: Substance Abuse 

Title: Don't Add Me ft Kurious

Release date: 19th February, 2024

Label: Ramrock Red

Cat. No: RRR055

Format: Bandcamp / Digital

Review: Audrey Powne - From The Fire + Instrumental (BBE Music)

Edging ever closer to the album release, this single of 'From The Fire' with the instrumental goes to show what a talent BBE have discovered with Audrey Powne.

This track is a perfect mix of R&B/Soul, Herbie Hancock inspired jazz and Roy Hargrove hip-hip - much in the same ways as the equally 'Feed The Fire' (see review HERE with Atjazz and musclecars remixes).

Still no news on the Audrey Powne remix of musclecars as yet bit if half as good as the tinged-dub style of the instrumental of 'From The Fire', I can't wait.

Artist:  Audrey Powne 

Title: From The Fire + Instrumental  

Release date: 16th February, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE753SDG2b

Format: Digital