Album review: Crimi – ‘Luci E Guai’: potent fusion music from Julien Lesuisse
THE MOST potent fusion music, the stuff that’s born from experience rather than cooked up as an experiment, comes from travellers in search of sounds. Julien Lesuisse is one such explorer. The vocalist and sax player has been a central player in Lyon’s Mazalda, a band that steadily evolved from jazz messengers to sound system-driven …
Album review: Joao Selva – ‘Navegar’: Latin optimism with endless energy
WELL it looks like the summer vibes may need a little boost this year, so here’s a release that’s set to heat things up. Brazilian troubadour Joao Selva, now based in Lyon, definitely aims to shake us around with his samba infused, funk primed second album, Navegar, available on Underdog records from April 2nd. Born …
See: Crimi bring irresistible global beat to ‘Chi Ci Talia’
FRENCH bands just seem to handle fusion music so naturally. They absorb the sounds around them, let them ferment and then uncork something with familiar flavours and an individual twist. Enter Julien Lesuisse’s new band Crimi, a hard-funk four-piece who draw from the dynamic energy of his previous dance-focused crew Mazalda, the emotion of traditional …
Album review: TOMAGA – ‘INTIMATE IMMENSITY’: a final testament in darkwave from Tom Relleen
TOM RELLEEN was a cornerstone of London’s experimental/electronic music scene. Co-founder of Phonica Records, promoter and prolific musician, he was a hub around which creativity revolved. Forming Tomaga with percussionist Valentina Magaletti in 2013, the duo went on to release six expansive albums as well as boundary-pushing collaborative records with Pierre Bastien and Neil Tolliday. …
EP review: Dundundun – ‘Dundundun’: electronically charged debut from the wild West Country
THE WILD West Country has always taken beats and grooves seriously. From the dub haze agitation of The Pop Group, through Smith & Mighty’s mashed -p visions to trip-hop’s treasure trove and beyond, it’s a place with a sonic core like no other, always bubbling, always explosive. Now courtesy of Bristol sound purveyors Worm Discs …
Track: Hear Koma Saxo’s ‘Fiskeskärsmelodin’, leading for their new live album
FINLAND – the happiest country in the world, apparently … well that’s not really a surprise when they’ve got We Jazz records, the Helsinki-based label, dedicated to keeping pulses racing and minds open. Now comes news of their latest contribution to our wellbeing, a live recording of the potent five piece Koma Saxo captured in …
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 …