VA - Remixes JID020

Since its 2017 inception, Jazz Is Dead has remained true to its mission of honoring the legacies of their musical heroes through cross generational collaborations. With Jazz Is Dead Series 2, co-founders Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, have delivered an unimpeachable collection of fresh and captivating recordings inspired by jazz’s past, present, and future. The series features new albums from legends Lonnie Liston Smith,Jean Carne, Tony Allen, Henry Franklin,Phil Ranelin,Wendell Harrison, Garrett Saracho, and the modern contemporary Los Angeles based collective Katalyst.

For Remixes JID020, the label has tapped a few of their favorite contemporary artists and producers to offer their own take on the music of Series 2. The album features a variety of dynamic personalities with remixes from London based artists Shabaka Hutchins and Theon Cross, New York tastemaker Melanie Charles, LA based producer Bei Ru, Brazil’s Dj Nyack, Detroit based producer Tall Black Guy, Bay Area producer Mophono and the LA based house duo LO & Diisko.

The album begins with Mophono’s reinvention of the late Tony Allen’s “Don’t Believe the Dancers” immediately placing listeners in a trance with percussive sounds that further animate Allen’s traditional Afrobeat patterns; paying homage to the era of music Allen created alongside Fela Kuti’s Africa 70. The track comes to a close with Mophono’s sampling of Allen’s voice, a call to drummers all around the world to continue to build and expand on the art of drumming.

On the remix of Jean Carne’s “Black Rainbows” featuring vocals by Loren Oden, Melanie Charles plays on the fantasy-like feelings of the original recording, delivering a refreshing ode to Blackness. The lyrics fall into an evocative mantra as Charles sings along with Carne and Oden painting visions of Black beauty.

Henry Franklin is a longstanding contributor to the genre as one of jazz’s most influential heartbeats. The song “African Sun” incorporates distinctly West African rhythms alongside jazz modalities, a meeting of two cultures ripped apart but in continuous conversation with each other. Through this reimagining, Shabaka Hutchins continues this cross-cultural conversation, achieving a strong musical meditation that mimics the rise and fall of the sun.

Overall, JID020 earns its place in the Jazz Is Dead catalog as it further celebrates the spirit of collaboration amongst artists young and old. What unites these the DJs, producers, and musicians with the Jazz Is Dead ethos is their unbent dedication to remaining true to their own vibe and sound all the while preserving the energy and feeling of the original recordings. 

Tracklist:
1. Don't Believe The Dancers (Mophono Remix)
2. Phoenix (Theon Cross Remix)
3. Reflections (Bei Ru Remix)
4. Love Brings Happiness (Tall Black Guy and Kaidi Tatham Remix)
5. Black Rainbow (Melanie Charles Remix)
6. African Sun (Shabaka Hutchings Remix)
7. Altitude (L.O. & Diisco Remix)
8. Running With The Tribe (DJ Nyack Remix)

Miles Spilsbury - Light Manoeuvres

Debut album from UK jazz saxophonist and composer Miles Spilsbury, featuring Carlos Niño. Produced by Slugabed.

Light Manoeuvres is about warmth, generosity and openness. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres was sketched in fragments, but began to take shape in earnest during a period of living under the Marseille haze in the South of France. 

The specific character and opacity of the light in Marseille inspired the album title which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion. Sand blows over from the Sahara on the Sirocco wind and is whipped up by the Mistral, the Marseille sky becomes golden and vapoured, then intermittently pastel blue. That image stuck while shaping this body of work, and became integral to the function of the compositions - which act as jumping off points for the players and myself, vehicles for improvisation and gateways to something else entirely. 

Tracklist:
1. Cloud Formations
2. Gratitude
3. Light Theme
4. Cyclamen
5. Water on Water
6. Tungsten
7. Uig
8. En-Vau

Four Tet - Live at Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023

Live At Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023 clocks in at around two hours and features the full recording from the UK artist's set at the titular venue in May of this year. Across the set, he reworks classic tracks such as 'Kool FM' and 'Teenage Birdsong', taking in material from albums such as Rounds, Beautiful Rewind and Sixteen Oceans.

Tracklist:
1. School Green Romantics (Live at Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023)
2. 4T Two Thousand (Live at Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023)
3. Baby Plastic Salad Angel (Live at Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023)
4. Feedback Mango (Live at Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023)
5. Lush FM Trance Fingers (Live at Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023)
6. Three Birdsong (Live at Alexandra Palace London, 24th May 2023)

Kiefer - It's Ok, B U

Kiefer’s new album sees the L.A. based artist return to his roots – playing keys and making beats. It’s Ok, B U combines the hallmarks of Kiefer’s sound – masterful piano playing, mesmeric beats, and vibrant melodies – with serious emotional heft. In addition to being a celebrated solo artist, Kiefer is a Grammy-winning producer who has worked with the likes of Drake and Anderson .Paak.

Tracklist:
1. I Could Cry
2. Panic
3. My Disorder
4. Dreamer
5. High
6. Falling
7. I Wish I Wasn't Me
8. Head Trip (feat. Luke Titus)
9. Hips
10. Doomed
11. August Again
12. I was Foolish, I Guess
13. Glowing (feat. Pera Krstajic)
14. Forgetting U
15. It's Ok, B U
16. I Mean That

*Bonus (Kiefer - Dreamer - Live from Stones Throw Studios)



*Bonus (Kiefer - August Again - Live from Stones Throw Studios)

Eli Escobar - The Beach Album

Eli Escobar returns for his 9th full length LP. While his last few projects found him exploring downtempo beats, EBM and ambient influences, this latest offering of Eli's studio craftsmanship marks a return to the sound of his early releases like Up All Night and Happiness. Warm samples expertly woven into classic drum machine rhythms and searing synth lines, The Beach Album takes listeners on a journey through golden era hip hop beats, feel-good NY-styled house grooves into sweaty techno bangers. Similar to Eli's DJ sets, the 16 track long player has something for everyone. Created during the uncertainty of the pandemic when as Eli put it, "It didn't feel like the right time to release dance music," The Beach album celebrates the return of NY nightlife and optimism for the future.

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Daywun
3. Breeze
4. C@n U F33l It
5. Manhattan
6. In My Bones
7. If It Takes A Miracle
8. Kindbud Beat
9. Memories
10. Findaway2day
11. Smile
12. Down All Day
13. Springcancelled
14. He Loves Me
15. Shelter
16. Something Inside Of Me
17. Ocean Outro

Astrid Engberg - Trust

“Trust is for the love of my intuition. It’s for new motherhood and a reminder to myself and everybody that you’re allowed to be in the world in a different way than society dictates.”

Astrid Engberg’s masterful sophomore album Trust finds the Danish singer, producer, composer and DJ paying tribute to intuition and new motherhood. Spanning contemporary soul, nu jazz, electronic and more, the LP sees her collaborating with a line-up of Nordic talent as well as Los Angeles-based Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, a venerated multi-instrumentalist, conductor and composer known for works with Ray Charles, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige as well as his esteemed orchestral reimagining of J Dilla’s back catalogue titled Suite For Ma Dukes. Trust will be released through the Danish record label Creak Inc. Records which specialises in groundbreaking Danish music.

Growing up in a household where classical music was the sole genre of choice, which influenced her musical education through music schools and choirs, it was a world revered by her parents but one Astrid couldn’t conform to. Feeling different, or in her words “an alien”, she’d find her own sanctuary in music once she discovered her library’s CD collection aged 8. She’d fervently rinse instrumental jazz and West African records, among others, and make mixtapes. This routine continued until she was 15, by which point she was becoming confident in her voice and why music was essential to her.

“The reason I make music is because it’s my best language,” Astrid candidly states, while adding that singing brought her a sense of being at home. In her debut album Tulpa, which Bandcamp Daily listed as one of its Best albums of 2020 and brought national acclaim with winning Best Vocal Release of The Year from Danish Music Award Jazz, she was able to give words to her mental and physical recovery from a head injury in her young adulthood which still impacts her everyday life over a decade later.

Her latest album follows as a means of expression, taking form five months after giving birth to her first-born, a daughter. Created with playful joy, openness and gratitude, she recalls it as being a “super smooth and fast process.” Despite all structures and practical tasks being turned upside down as a new mother, Trust was complete nine months later. "I couldn’t have long rehearsals and recording sessions, so the album was given space to emerge freely and flourish inside myself. Most of it was written inside my head, for example, while I was taking a walk with my baby or when I sang to her, and then recorded in the studio or at home during the short periods I had free.”

Astrid has long mastered utilising her time, blasting through short-burst activity. Severe headaches and neck pain are the lasting effects of her bike accident, meaning across her years making music from Paris with French beatmakers and then returning to Denmark, her routine has been a couple of intense hours followed by rest. This was largely unchanged with the arrival of her daughter, putting her a step ahead.

Intuition comes into her methods with giving herself space and pushing against our high-paced performance culture. “You need to have space in you to hear what’s happening. In the past when I’ve composed, I’d hear a melody and try to follow it by hearing what falls around it. I feel with this album it was unfolding to me, naturally arising from within. You need to trust that what you hear is the way you need to go. Trust the process. Trust that it’s ok to play around with music, to take it down in your form. I want to encourage others to trust themselves through me learning to trust myself. My hope is that those who need it can feel understood in my music, that they can lean back in the sound, the words, and the circles of melodies intertwining with each other and think, 'ah, she understands me.’"

Intuition in motherhood relates to simply doing what feels right for herself and her daughter, often going against the status quo. Throughout her pregnancy and in the first few months of her arrival, Astrid’s headaches and pains ceased. Their return was difficult. Going into the studio and having that output was essential. By putting her daughter into daycare from an early age to allow for this time, she had to trust her intuition. “I see people casting judgement on this. She’d go for 2-3 hours and she was happy. I was a better mum because I could make music and rest. But even when you think it’s a good idea, it isn’t easy. It’s not like I’m made of stone - here take my baby.” Her track ‘On Time’ zones in on this, with the melody coming to her with the lyrics “You know that I try.” She adds, “Inside I was thinking what if she starts crying and I’m not there. I had all these worries. My mind was playing tricks. I had to tell myself that she’s fine because my intuition says so. I’m gonna be there when she needs me, so trust this, my daughter.”

As with her debut album, these 11 tracks were written, composed and produced by Astrid. Appreciating the value of collaborating, she brought in a string of talented musicians, including jazz trumpeter Tobias Wiklund and saxophonist Maria Dybbroe. “I was ready to be inspired by what they’d create which I’d later arrange in the way I want,” she explains. “It’s wonderful not to stand in the way of the ego. The conversations we’d have were great for me - moments of joy, laughter and then to work.”

In valuable conversations, her connection with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson looms large. Introduced to Suite For Ma Dukes not long after its 2009 release, it was a performance and record that blew her mind and became a Holy Grail in her collection. During the pandemic she’d reach out with some of her music after he put out a call for fans interested in online sessions with him. He enjoyed her music to the extent that he proposed to connect on a one-to-one level, and they’d have their first of several Zooms. On sending him the three album tracks that he features on, she recalls being red-faced when he said it was an honour to contribute.

“I’m so grateful for these tracks and his work. He’s a representation of the music business that I want to be part of. If I can in my own way, with what I am and who I am, be a kind of representation of that world, that’s cool for me.” - Astrid Engberg

“After meeting Astrid and discovering her music, I immediately felt like I met another member of my musical family. I love how earthy and celestial her voice, compositions, and productions are. I love how uplifting her music is while still feeling authentic and coming out of the realness of what seems to me like the suffering of any awakened and caring individual has. At a time when I feel that the world desperately needs more female leaders, Astrid in my opinion is a perfect example of someone whose voice needs to be amplified and enjoyed." - Miguel Atwood-Ferguson 

Tracklist:
1. Blue Rise and The Fall (feat. Tobias Wiklund)
2. On Time
3. Falling (OK Not Cool)
4. Spirits Came Told Me (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
5. Feelings
6. I Should Care
7. Loving Contemplation (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
8. Radio2200
9. Chains (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
10. Body Follows Body (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
11. Adaptation (Walls)

Black Rave Culture - Black Rave Culture Vol 3

Tracklist:
1. Full Circle
2. Blood Omen
3. One Way Ticket
4. Dat Jaunt Go Pt. 2
5. Crazy Legs
6. Run It Up
7. Blowin Os
8. Amtrak
9. Ama Beat That
10. Track Hawk

Hidden Orchestra - To Dream is to Forget

Since its inception, producer and composer Joe Acheson has carefully developed Hidden Orchestra from a simple initial project concept of ‘an imagined orchestra’ into something that has flourished into a widespan musical universe of its own, that is truly unlike anything else.

After multiple albums with respected independent label Tru Thoughts, continued support from the likes of The Guardian, BBC6Music, FIP, JazzFM, several awards for innovative soundtrack work intertwined with AI and consistent global touring of an energetic and intriguing live show featuring two duelling drummers, their reach and influence has swollen to make them one of the highest regarded names in independent music today and has even led to collaborations beyond the world of music, with The British Library, Kew Gardens and National Trust all enlisting Acheson for unique installation projects. Yet regardless of the current brief in front of him, the initial mission statement to ‘create electronic music with acoustic means’ remains.

Acheson achieves this task with aplomb, conjuring intricate yet expansive worlds of sound, built in collaboration with a select core of talented musicians, combined with Acheson’s bespoke samples, field recordings, and carefully honed composition and arrangement sensibilities. Detail and craftsmanship are at the core of everything he does, even musically directing a diverse array of instrumentalists to capture unique samples of both improvised and scored nature. This ingenious approach really sets his work apart from the crowd and allows Acheson’s artistic vision to come to life exactly as intended.

While new album ‘To Dream is to Forget’ certainly maintains this mission statement, it does also bring about a sea change for the project on a few fronts. Released via Acheson’s own newly formed Lone Figures imprint, the musical direction for the record involved a concerted effort to condense musical themes and ideas into more immediate arrangements, with less utilisation of field recordings than previously released material.

Predominantly sticking to this ethos has indeed meant an average track length reduction throughout, however there is still the same high level of musicality and no shortage of ideas within this rich collection of 10 original tracks.

A familiar cast of contributors return - with long term members Jamie Graham (drums), Tim Lane (drums), and Poppy Ackroyd (violin) all present, alongside newer personnel - Jack McNeill (clarinet) and Rebecca Knight (cello) all helping to realise Acheson’s musical vision.

The album title is taken from a line by Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa - “No one tires of dreaming, because to dream is to forget, and forgetting does not weigh on us, it is a dreamless sleep throughout which we remain awake.”

And this seems an apt calling card for a collection that draws influence from a fantastic and diverse array of places. Musically at any given point you are as likely to hear sounds akin to Max Cooper or Four Tet as you are Stravinsky, Debussy, and Ravel.

With the idea of ‘reimagining’ playing a key role in the creation of the project, this track leans into the overarching concept and nature of dreams reworking everyday experience into new subconscious stories… 

Tracklist:
1. Hammered
2. Little Buddy Move
3. Skylarks
4. Nightfall
5. Scatter
6. Ripple
7. Broken
8. Cage Then Brick
9. Reverse Learning
10. To Dream Is To Forget

Carlos Niño - (I'm just) Chillin', on Fire

Over the past few years, concert patrons have stopped the musician Carlos Niño after gigs to ask two simple questions: “Are you a shaman?” “I hear the medicine in your music, can I come to your next ceremony?” The queries are fair enough: Looking at Niño, a tall man with a wild beard and kind eyes, one would think he’s from some faraway time and could maybe cast spells. Once you get to know him, you find that he’s just an incredibly sweet guy with a laid-back demeanor, and that he isn’t some guru claiming to have an all-access pass to the otherworld.

So what does he say to those wondering if he’s a spiritual teacher?

“I’m just chillin’, on fire,” he declares. “I'm not rolling with or out any kind of religious or traditional focus, rules or doctrine. I'm just presenting something that has a lot of energy, and is intended to be an opening for those of us who are journeying, creating musically, and for those who gather with us.”

Indeed, there’s a communal essence to Niño’s self-described Energetic Space Music. As leader of Carlos Niño & Friends, he encourages his collaborators to improvise without preconceived ideas of what the sound is supposed to entail. His new album, (I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire, features more than a dozen musicians and includes a who’s who of sonic experimentation — everyone from guitarist Nate Mercereau and saxophonist Kamasi Washington, to New Age cornerstone Laraaji and hip-hop legend André 3000 playing his now trademark flute. On purpose, Niño lets the music drift and the unity ensue, making (I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire another highlight in a recent run of sublime work.

But where albums like 2020’s Chicago Waves (with multi-instrumentalist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson) and last year’s Extra Presence hovered in the speakers, (I’m just) Chillin’ forges ahead in certain spots through energetic drums equally indebted to jazz and electronic funk. It eschews genre, but the tenets of ‘70s underground jazz are present. Fifty years ago, acts like Brother Ah, the Ensemble Al-Salaam and Mtume Umoja Ensemble crafted music that scanned as Spiritual Jazz yet flared in many different directions. They leaned into the transcendence of the music overall, not artificial terms used to market it. (I’m just) Chillin’ emits the same emotion: On “Mighty Stillness,” when the experimental violinist V.C.R proclaims her “ancestral right” to rest, she evokes Black women like Jeanne Lee, Jayne Cortez and Beatrice Parker, innovative vocalists from indie scenes who embodied the same freedom. Then on “Love Dedication (for Annelise),” Niño uses subtle bass (from Michael Alvidrez) and a serene piano loop (from Surya Botofasina) to speak of endearment in broad terms. “Love is unconditional — everywhere, everything, flowing always,” he observes. “Totally alive, no upper limit.” Though he hesitates to embrace comparisons to the spacious arrangements heard on indie labels of the ‘70s like Strata, Strata-East and Tribe (only because of how much he respects their legacies, not wanting to claim any space in their fields), there’s no denying his stature as an anchor in the jazz, hip-hop and beat scenes in Los Angeles over the last nearly 30 years, and how his influences are alive in what he makes.

“All of those labels to me are hugely influential,” Niño says. “When I think about Strata-East, I immediately think of Pharaoh Sanders, and I think of one of my favorite albums of all-time, Live at the East (on Impulse!), and how The East and that movement is a huge influence. I'm not from that community. I don't claim any direct connection to it, but my awareness of it and my appreciation of it is gigantic.”

The vocals for (I’m just) Chillin’ were compiled unconventionally. “I was like, ‘I'm going to turn on the mic, and you're going to listen all the way through the album and record anything you're feeling at any moment,’” Niño says of the creative process. “It was completely open to their interpretation.” He found that the vocalists Cavana Lee, Maia, Mia Doi Todd, and V.C.R interpreted the music in similar ways: “People who are not even in the same room, who did not hear what the other person did, they all created these really cool weavings — and it was so fun.”

While the album compiles live and studio arrangements recorded in places like Venice, Leimert Park and Woodstock over the past three years, it feels harmonious, as if captured in one space with all musicians present. This highlights Niño’s ability as a conductor and producer. That he could winnow such vast experimentation into a seamless set is a worthy feat on its own. Much like Niño’s other LPs, (I’m just) Chillin’ is an immersive listen that requires attentive ears to fully absorb. In a world dominated by social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it seems we’re all in a hurry for no reason in particular. By creating music with tender messages and leisurely pacing, Niño nudges listeners to slow down and appreciate life’s natural wonders, to savor the journey and not rush so quickly to the destination. In turn, his art conjures pastoral images — endless fields, boundless oceans, ripples crashing along the shoreline. It urges you to simply look up: notice the wind rustling through the trees, listen to the birds sing a glorious song. This is real life, the stuff you can’t quite capture with a smartphone camera. As a conduit, Niño embodies the water he cherishes so deeply. He’s not just the bandleader, but a vessel for everyone’s ideas to shine through.

“Creativity, to me, is an expression of a being's state, and their states of being,” he says. “It's really reflecting or reporting how they feel. The deeper ‘why’ is what I'm getting to with all this, what is inside that feeling, and it's not uncharted territory. I'm one of these people who's very into organizing, curating and offering; it's a deeply sharing kind of thing. It's a living thing; it grows. Sometimes it gets sculpted. Sometimes it gets rocked by forces outside of its maneuvering. Sometimes it looks one way. Sometimes it looks another way, but it's alive.” 

Tracklist:
1. Venice 100720, Hands In Soil
2. Mighty Stillness
3. Love Dedication (for Annelise)
4. Flutestargate
5. Maha Rose North 102021, Breathwork
6. Transcendental Bounce, Run to it
7. Taaaud
8. Spacial
9. Am I Dreaming?
10. Etheric Windsurfing, flips and twirls
11. Boom Bap Spiritual
12. Woo, Acknowledgement
13. Sandra's Willows
14. One For Derf
15. Conversations
16. Essence, The Mermaids Call
17. Eightspace 082222
18. Credits and Thank Yous for DSP Listening

Bibio - Sunbursting EP

BIB10 was a landmark album for Bibio, crystallising over twenty years of his music career with expert guitar-based songwriting. One year on, he follows up with the equally masterful Sunbursting EP, as per the tradition he has kept with every album since his Warp debut in 2009. Not only are these EPs epilogues to each era and album cycle, but also enticing little worlds of their own: from the incendiary and ecstatic beats of The Apple And The Tooth, to the haunting downtempo folk of The Green EP, to the synthfunk and soul stardom of The Serious EP. Sunbursting EP is no different, drowning in retro warmth, and the wide array of instruments and styles that has made each new release from Bibio a highly anticipated one.

Frequent collaborator Olivier St. Louis wades into the opening ‘Sorry (Won’t Cut It)’ with elegant, smooth harmonies, as the two show off even more of their golden musical partnership with a rippling, funky lilt and lightly swishing drums. ‘A Matter Of Fact’ rocks and rolls over snappy, choppy rhythms, while twisting vocoded vocals are reflected in the disco ball. The centrepiece here is undoubtedly ‘All Of The Above’, a multi-phased tour through infinitely groovy movements. Saxophone melodies flow besides rotations of sitar guitar and glockenspiel twinkles, before a soulful funk switch-up lands in passionate, intimate territory, lined with red velvet satin, and fur. ‘Clay Dots’ and ‘Sunbursting’ are a bucolic closing duo: the former’s sunset coloured guitar plucks croon in the seaside, melting over subtle drum machine pulses, before the EP leaves with introspective, fluttering notes from saxophonist Óskar Guðjónsson.

Expanding his latest musical chapter, Sunbursting EP is another round of rock and pop prowess from Bibio.

Tracklist:
1. Sorry (Won’t Cut It)
2. Shine A Light On Your Mirror
3. A Matter Of Fact
4. Rosewoods
5. All Of The Above
6. Clay Dots
7. Sunbursting

*Bonus (Bibio - Sunbursting (Solo Guitar Session))

Khalab - Layers

Every person we meet, every moment we live through, all the love we feel, and the losses we endure, add another layer to the intricate pattern of our lives. Like multicolored threads, these layers twist together to form a complex, vibrant tapestry - a reflection of our life journey until this point.

On his new album Layers, Khalab acknowledges and celebrates the encounters that have shaped his ever-evolving musical vision. The record represents the culmination of a creative journey that began with Eunoto EP (Black Acre Records, 2015), evolved with the Afro-Futuristic soundscapes of 2018’s highly acclaimed album Black Noise 2084 (On The Corner Records), and has since developed further through a series of experiences and deep musical collaborations. Layers summons all the alchemy of Khalab’s live performances, and embodies the transcendental power of music-making as a collective art form.

“Since the release of Black Noise 2084 I’ve increasingly developed the stage and band dynamic, focusing on arranging with the musicians in mind, and this album was almost entirely conceived together with musicians I’ve collaborated with”, says Khalab.

In a testament to the label’s close-knit and highly collaborative nature, Khalab's live band includes a cadre of musicians from the Hyperjazz family, including David Paulis and Enrico Truzzi of Phresoul, as well Pietro Santangelo, Fabio Sasso, and longstanding creative-partner Nicola Guida.

The album’s nine tracks feature an impressive lineup of collaborators old and new, including UK drummer and producer Emanative, Burkinabe singer, guitarist, and m'bira player Gabin Dabiré, Italian producer Clap! Clap!, multi-wind instrumentalist Tamar Osborn, drummer and producer Tommaso Cappellato, British-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed, Bristol’s vocalist and producer Grove, multi-instrumentalist Tenderlonious, Italian jazz singer Alessia Obino and British-born Nigerian spoken-word artist Joshua Idehen.

Layers still revolve around the key components of Khalab’s sound - dark and trancey electronics and his research into Black music and all its evolutions - but with a bigger emphasis on harmonic arrangements. Across the record, Khalab’s productions twist and pulsate into mesmerizing motifs, as the interplay between different instruments coalesce into focused melodies and rich, complex textures. Khalab and his collaborators masterfully blend gloomy and radiant tones, eliciting feelings of both doom and hope.

For Khalab, Layers represents the end point of a journey that began with the synthesis of ancestral rhythms and electronic experimentation on Black Noise 2084 and has taken him on a meandering route through a Mauritanian refugee camp (M’berra, Real World Recordings, 2021), and deep into the catalogs of legendary Italian labels Soul Note and Black Saint (for the Hyperituals compilations).

Tracklist:
1. Drone Ra (feat. Yazz Ahmed/Alessia Obino)
2. Conscious Friendship (feat. Emanative/Tamar Osborn/Grove)
3. Tunnel Of Jealousy (feat. Lady Blue Eyes)
4. Acid Vaccine (feat. Clap! Clap!)
5. Layers (feat. Joshua Idehen)
6. Female Side (feat. Tommaso Cappellato)
7. Mental Coach (feat. Gabin Dabire)
8. Romantic Loco (feat. Tenderlonious)
9. Tribal Noise

El-B - The Specials Folder

Tracklist:
1. N3
2. Space
3. Bleep Key
4. Sully – Broadway G (El-B Remix)
5. Untitled
6. Brixton 2 Croydon (2-Step Mix)
7. Streatham Dub
8. Chronic Groove
9. Alto Riddim
10. Pebbles

James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven

James Blake has made a name for himself as an expert pop, soul, and R&B songwriter, but back in the day he was an idiosyncratic club wizard chopping up breaks and transforming synths for the likes of Hessle, Hemlock, and R&S. Playing Robots Into Heaven returns to those label-hopping days with new singer/songwriter sensibilities; the signature crooning vocals are there, but the tracks are dominated by bass. ‘Loading’ has pulsating two step rhythms, high pitched vocal cuts, and blazing synths fit for a pirate radio stream, while ‘Big Hammer’ is a bossy, lasering slice of Patois-fuelled dancehall and minimal trap.

Tracklist:
1. Asking To Break
2. Loading
3. Tell Me
4. Fall Back
5. He's Been Wonderful
6. Big Hammer
7. I Want You To Know
8. Night Sky
9. Fire The Editor
10. If You Can Hear Me
11. Playing Robots Into Heaven

*Bonus (James Blake - Structuring Robots Into Heaven (Part One))

Godblesscomputers - Faded Views

Ta-ku’s 823 and Berlin’s Jakarta Records are excited to announce the release of Godblesscomputers’s fourth full-length record, “Faded Views”. The LP melds bright electronic flourishes with laidback synth-driven backdrops across the nine-track release, weaving tapestries of mellow folktronica and groovy jazz harmony infused with continuous sonic intrigue that will keep you grooving into a tropical disposition. Paying homage to his musical moniker, the Bologna-based producer makes timely metallic interjections amidst lush, effortlessly groovy soundscapes. Explore a world of found, recycled, and synthesized sound on “Faded Views.”

Tracklist:
1. Colors
2. Mirrors
3. Hello
4. You Feel Me
5. Above The Lake
6. Burnt
7. Changing
8. Farfalle
9. Lama's Chant

Ta-Ku - Songs To Come Home To

Tracklist:
1. The End (feat. Thrupence, Will Paquin, rum.gold)

2. Home (Kenny's Interlude) (feat. Joekenneth)
3. Smile (feat. Xavier Omär, Daisy World, ROMderful)
4. Way Out (feat. Milan Ring, matt mcwaters, ?uestlove)
5. Cry (feat. Becca Hatch)
6. Inner Soul (feat. matt mcwaters & Chanel Loren)
7. Better (feat. Jay Prince & Billy Davis)
8. Call My Name (feat. JMSN)
9. Hard2say (feat. 1300 & Sango)
10. Two of Us (feat. alayna)
11. Through and Falling (feat. matt mcwaters & kerri)
12. We Got (feat. Louis Baker & Repeat Pattern)
13. Know Me (feat. NOÉ, James Poyser, KAINA)
14. The Score (feat. Panama)
15. Lightning (feat. Wafia & Young Franco)
16. Runaway (feat. RINI & Touch Sensitive)
17. Dawn (feat. NOÉ, Cabu, TRŪ SAALI)
18. Hopes & Dreams (feat. Hopes & Dreams Club)
19. Thinking of You
20. Take on Me (Bonus Cover) (feat. NOÉ)

VA - 10/10

Celebrating 10 years pushing real 140, Sector 7 Sounds presents an eight-deep compilation which shouts for where Boofy’s label has been, where it’s at and where it’s heading in the future. Split between original tracks from close-quarters crew and up and comers, and remixes of classics from the label’s archives, 10/10 distils the label’s fundamentals in a double 12” drop loaded with system-ready weight and invention in every bar.

Rather than a vanity vehicle for his own output, Boofy set up Sector 7 in 2013 with artwork and some early beats provided by long-time sparring partner Lemzly Dale. The mission was to build out a label which pushed the sounds Boofy was drawn to in the club, pivoting around 140 and dubstep-influences but crucially always shot through with flair and spark rather than trying to retread old ground. That mission holds true 10 years in, with frequent flyers like Jook and Drone flanked by memorable, ear-snagging turns from the likes of Hi5 Ghost, Kahn & Neek and Commodo.

The distinctive qualities of all the tracks on 10/10 is the result of a purposeful drive by Boofy to present standout moments. As 140 has matured over time, Sector 7 remains committed to offering more than just faithful genre studies. Every selection, assembled with care over a two-year period, is a reflection of Boofy’s impassioned approach as a DJ. In widening the scope for the remix disc, he’s making clear he wants the label to grow without losing touch with the sonic foundations they first started building on. Sharp-eared heads already knew Sector 7 was a must-check for the freshest 140 styles, and their faith has been justified ten-fold on this expertly executed collection. 

Tracklist:
1. Boofy – More Or Less
2. Invader Spade – Midori
3. jook & Lemzly Dale – Beloved
4. Leon P – Baile Grime
5. Commodo – Guah (Ikonika Remix)
6. Drone – No Future (Giant Swan Remix)
7. Kahn & Neek – Random Lab (Josi Devil Remix)
8. jook – Gold Rush (EVA808 Diamond Version)

VA - If Music Presents: You Need This: If Music Is 20 compiled by Jean​-​Claude

Celebrating two decades of IF Music's scrupulous curation through its record shop, a thriving website, album reissues and compilations in collaboration with BBE Music, parties and radio shows, “IF Music Presents You Need This: 20 years” is a 9 track, double vinyl LP beautifully put together by Jean-Claude.

Coming, as it does, as the 9th release in the “You Need This” series of compilations curated by Jean-Claude, this album features music that ranges from 1980 (Christine Schaller's spectacular “Fidji”) to exclusive tracks from the likes of Emanative & Liz Elensky (‘Fall Into Me’) and Tenderlonious (‘Dennison Point’) which both bring us up to the present day.

It is Jean-Claude's remarkable ear for music that, as with all the previous “You Need This” releases, creates a wonderfully coherent journey through the decades across the four sides of this masterpiece of a compilation album.

As mentioned earlier “You Need This: 20 Years” will be released as a double LP pressed on 180 gramme heavy vinyl, cut at 45rpm and on digital. Whether this starts, adds or completes your collection of Jean-Claude's “You Need This” series of compilations, “20 Years” is a must-have and indeed, you really do need this!

Tracklist:
1. Tamar Osborn - Sunday Sea Improvisation
2. Christine Schaller - Fidji
3. Emanative;Liz Elensky - Fall In To Me
4. Atilla Engin Group - Turkish Showbiz
5. Tenderlonious - Dennison Point
6. Sylvain Kassap - Adelie (For Lady D.)
7. Ola Szmidt - We Are Not Invisible
8. Greetje Bijma Kwintet - Big Kalimba
9. Sarathy Korwar - At the Speed of Light

Palm Skin Productions - A Swarm In July

Palm Skin Productions – AKA versatile musician and producer Simon Richmond (whose CV includes Mo’ Wax, Depeche Mode, REM, Pulp, Neneh Cherry, and The Bays) – announces a new album ‘A Swarm In July’ a proverbial inspired record.

‘A Swarm In July' is a concept record that offers an alternative set of hacked proverbs to mirror the movement of the music and its path from ambience to rhythm, from harmony to noise, from its closed-in intimacies to its soaring expansions. The album looks at what happens when you choose to shift the crop - when you find the story within the story. As Simon eloquently puts it:

“A proverb. A phrase. A saying. A Say-ing - the performance of that which has been said. A maxim. A truism. True-ism - the ideology or the myth of truth? Whose truth? Who puts you in the picture? What is the crop, the edit? When can you trust a truism in the world of deep fake? If every story is dependent on its beginning and end, how many stories are there, dormant, within the prescribed boundaries? Pre-Scribed - already written - typeset for us.”

‘A Swarm In July’ is a masterclass on how to frame and evolve stories and sound, created and recorded far and wide, while static and on the move. The title itself is taken from the proverbial bee-keepers saying, “A swarm in July is not worth a fly”, meaning that the later in the year it is, the less time there will be for bees to collect pollen from the flowers in blossom. Simon instead recontextualises this within the framework of the politically manufactured UK migrant crisis, dissecting the language used to dehumanise refugees: “When does a group become a swarm? When is a swarm valuable, and to whom? A swarm of bees to the beekeeper? A swarm of people to the forces of repression and hate?”

Lead-single ‘Them That Help’, an orchestral, almost neo-classical, texturised soundscape featuring the transcendent viola of John Metcalfe (Duke Quartet/The Durutti Column), is taken from the false proverb “the Lord helps them that help themselves”, a phrase that originated in ancient Greece as “the Gods help those who help themselves” but has since been weaponised to accelerate neo-liberal agendas. Palm Skin Productions subverts the fictitious biblical reference, turning heresy into class critique:

“Take a set of scales. At one end put the gold-plated pomp of high religion. The acquisition of wealth and people. The colonising forces that helped themselves to vast swathes of the world. At the other end of the scale are the carers, the helpers, the friends. The people. The heavyweights.”

Elsewhere on the record, ‘Need Is A Friend’, partially recorded on headphones in Ralph Lawson’s (20/20 Vision label boss) front room in Leeds, hanging out before a gig, is a play on “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Simon adds: “How often do we tell a story of obligation to make us feel better? Are these needs, or are they choices? Are these needs the friends we rely on as our alibis? With friends like needs, who needs enemies?”. For ‘We Stand, Divided’, a take on “Together we stand, divided we fall”, Simon contextualises again through the prism of the toxic UK immigration debate, fuelled by the fires of the Brexit referendum: “So many are taught to fear difference, to harden community into a dividing wall, but our strength is in our beautiful variation. Puppets stand in homogenous herds, moulded to a single malleable unit. We stand in celebratory disarray.”

‘I Say Not As I’ harnesses the language of the great British playwright Harold Pinter, a personal hero to Simon: “He can make the most mundane phrase bristle with menace. Ordinary objects and actions become sinister in his hands, just as the forces of oppression and torture get portrayed within the familiarity of cliché and monotony.” Album closer ‘Far From The Tree’ is in memory of Simon’s father who passed away while he was making this record: “It was important for me to finish the record with a piece of music for him that also has something of him in it. I’m so glad the finished piece - ‘Far From The Tree’ - is something that I think adequately fills the space I had in my mind but also makes sense in terms of the rest of the record.” 

Tracklist:
1. We Stand, Divided
2. Himself and The Devil
3. The Sword Will Die
4. Them That Help
5. I Say, Not As I
6. My Bones, But Words
7. Need Is A Friend
8. Far From The Tree

Werkha - Beat Tapestry

First Word is pleased to bring you more music from Werkha!

'Beat Tapestry' is a 14-track affair, previously released only on a very limited cassette, and comprised of various beats and bobs from Werkha's harddrive, ranging from slow synthy grooves, to wonky astral house vibes, up to funky 140bpm territory.

This follows recent acclaimed releases for First Word, the 2022 sophomore album 'All Werk Is Play', and 2020 EP 'The Rigour', additionally to a 10 year anniversary version of Werkha's debut 'Cube & Puzzle'.

Werkha recently toured the UK supporting Manchester legends A Certain Ratio, who he's also just provided a remix for, as well as performing live shows recently at Glastonbury, Love Supreme, Kelburn Garden Party, Jazz In The Park, Brick Lane Festival and Dour Festival, to name a few.

In the past, Werkha has toured with artists like Mr Scruff and Bonobo, and previous radio support comes from BBC's Jamz Supernova, Tom Ravenscroft, Afrodeutsche & Huey Morgan, as well as selectors such as DJ Paulette, Scratcha DVA, Zakia Sewell, Harvey Sutherland & Jyoty.

Tracklist:
1. FAH 23
2. Nu Junior
3. Low Art
4. Head Rush
5. Now Flux
6. Time Between
7. Ego State
8. The Common
9. Wooden Truck In The Sky
10. Battered Mars Bar (Beat Tapestry Edit)
11. Daft O'Clock
12. The Bee
13. Phase 9 Fnk
14. Hold The Rail

Brian Jackson - Mami Wata - Joaquin Joe Claussell Sacred Rhythm and Cosmic Arts Remixes

"Mami Wata" - A Captivating Journey through West African Rhythms.

Experience the mesmerizing fusion of traditional African sounds and modern Latin house in Brian Jackson's latest single package, "Mami Wata." Drawing inspiration from the depths of West African mythology, this track takes you on a captivating sonic adventure that spans vast regions of the continent.

Brian Jackson's rendition of a traditional African song resonates with the richness and abundance symbolized by the mythical figure of Mami Wata. From the sacred lands of the Dogon in Mali to the vibrant rhythms of Ghana, and even reaching into the heart of Central and Southern Africa, this composition pays homage to the diverse tapestry of African cultures.

To further elevate this masterpiece, Brian has collaborated with the masterful Joe Claussell, who lends his expert touch to craft a remix that intertwines a modern Latin house thread with the African fabric of the original composition. The result is the Sacred Arts Mix, a true testament to the power of music as it effortlessly merges genres and weaves an enchanting spell over the dancefloor.

This single package boasts not just one, but six distinct versions of "Mami Wata," each carefully crafted with its own unique tempo and subtle seasoning. Whether you prefer the rhythmic intensity of the Sacred Rhythm version, the deep dub vibes of the Deep Dub edition, or the extended album version that allows you to fully immerse yourself in the magic of the composition, this release offers a diverse range of musical experiences.

The remix package brings to life Brian’s immersive vocals, flute, kalimba, and organ playing. And for those seeking a slower, introspective groove, the Cosmic Arts Future Instrumental Slow version provides a celestial atmosphere that will make you feel as though you're floating among the stars. 

Tracklist:
1. Mami Wata (Joaquin's Sacred Rhythm Version)
2. Mami Wata (Joaquin's Extended Album Version)
3. Mami Wata (Joaquin's House Dance Dub Reprise)
4. Mami Wata (Joaquin's Sacred Arts Story Mix)
5. Mami Wata (Joaquin's Deep Dub)
6. Mami Wata (Joaquin's Cosmic Arts Future Instrumental Slow Dub)
7. Mami Wata