world fusion
Album Review : Júlio Resende Fado Jazz – Sons Of Revolution : immaculate and moving fusion from the Portuguese quartet.
Portuguese jazz pianist and composer Júlio Resende has just released a fourth Fado jazz journey, ‘Sons Of Revolution’ through the indispensable ACT label and it’s another intriguing excursion. Resende first explored the alchemic potential of blending Fado music with the free spirit of jazz sensibilities on his 2013 album, ‘Amália por Júlio Resende’. A deep …
Album Review: Muito Kaballa – Like A River : a refreshing burst of inventive new fusion.
A transitional album or an album about transitions, well ‘Like A River’ by Muito Kaballa is both. It marks the Cologne based collective’s move from Belgian label Rebel Up to the equally dynamic but maybe higher profile Batov Records and meets the rising levels of expectation surrounding the band within the global beat world. Led …
Album Review : Huw Marc Bennett – Days Like Now : Folktronica, funk and global beats make inspired new connections
Welsh producer and bassist Huw Marc Bennett is one of those orbital artists who washes up on your essential listening zones with a tidal regularity. A global beats innovator and world music synergist, his inspired 2016 album ‘Kiera’ under the guise of Susso emerged from his trip through Gambia making music with Mandinka griot families. …
Album Review: Nickodemus – Soul & Science: flowing global beats for moving and messaging.
New York based sonic traveller, producer and DJ Nickodemus is one of those global beats’ touchstones. Motivating dancefloors across the continents since the mid nineties and founder of the world rhythm epicentre that is Wonderwheel Recordings, he is a devoted fusionist with a deep feel for all his influences. Latin, disco, Arabic, funk, soul, afrobeat, …
Album Review: ‘Yalla Miku’ – Yalla Miku : Gnawa rhythms, East African roots and post punk dynamism connect on this electric debut.
Every city has a true face, a side which, as Lydon said ‘the tourists never see” and revealing that real identity is what Yalla Miku are all about. Formed by the founder of Swiss label Bongo Joe, musician Cyril Yeterian and his band mate from the aptly named Cyril Cyril, percussionist Cyril Bondi, Yalla Miku’s …
Album Review: João Selva- Passarinho : Re-shaping samba soul, funk and pop with a fresh momentum.
The troubadour will travel but they always have roots. Brazilian song-crafter João Selva may have ended up in Lyon but those formative years in Ipanema and Rio is at the heart of his borderless grooves. Schooled in bossa nova and the traditions of Capoeira, steeped in the diasporic riches of Brazilian music and gifted with …
Album Review : Lucas Santtana – O Paraiso : Sophisticated samba pop that goes deeper
It seems a long while since Lucas Santtana first pushed to the front of listening lists beyond the Bahia with his first Mais Um releases. The natural flow of his songs, his giddy experimentation and ability to dig the finest grooves may have come as a surprise at the time but with a back story …
Track/Video: ‘Go-to’ instrumentalist Amir Yaghmai slips into the solo spotlight with ‘White Turtleneck’ from soon come debut ‘Go Bozo’.
Don’t you just love labels that do things differently? LA’s Colorfield Records are on a mission driven by the search for spontaneity, coaxing consummate musicians from session and backing bands to step out of the shadows themselves and record their own music. Plus to add more energy to the proceedings, the debutants are encouraged to …
Track/Video: Sao Paulo soul on the rise -Tagua Tagua releases sultry cut ‘Tanto’ ahead of new album announcement.
It feels like a new wave of Brazilian pop is about to break. This year we have seen Sessa’s lush neo-tropicalia impress widely with the release of his beguiling ‘Estrella’. Now comes news from renowned global dance pace-setters Wonderwheel Recordings of the spring album release by Felipe Puperi (a.k.a Tagua Tagua). Acclaimed in his home …
Album Review: Nyati Mayi & The Astral Synth Transmitters -‘Lulanga Tales’: electro- African fusion that reaches higher.
Some people are extraordinary singers and some people have extraordinary voices. As a vocalist Nyati Mayi probably falls into the latter bag, able to project a stunning range of notes, tones, textures and feelings often within the same song. The thing with an extraordinary voice is that sometimes it needs grounding, a foundation that prevents …