Something sublimely soulful, built around a passion and talent for songwriting that feels like an extension of the self – poetic and personal, but also mysterious; intimate yet vast. The kind of talent that once lit up the airwaves, now requiring a little deeper of a dig to find.
Jazz Fusion
One of independent hip hop’s most authentic and moving voices returns this season with a stylistically modest yet conceptually and melodically majestic album.
An old-school drum-line with a Philadelphia groove about it, blending smoothly with world music tones and organic layers of synth / string / voice… An intoxicating mystique, and a melancholic aura from the chords to back up the instant escapism of the track. Beth Gladen sets herself apart from the crowd, with the beautifully original, piano-led trip-hop and alternative essence of Re-Birth.
Backed by a clear and concise knowledge of music’s past, The Karma Of Trust offers a heavy opening track, both political and topical, before proceeding into an album that’s self-described as something purely for ‘the people’.
istimtā’ – a romanticised take on the Arabic word ‘إِسْتِمْتَاع’, meaning ‘jouissance’ or ‘enjoyment’. The instrumental album from composer Horny Cricket explores this concept wholeheartedly.
Creative production blends retro and contemporary flavours, promising a strong groove and plenty to contemplate, as producer and artist Eddie Moore kicks off his jazz-fusing album Intuition.
Creative composer and sound artist Robert Dilemma openly indulges in self-defined guilty pleasures, for this extensive and uniquely eclectic new project The Soft Parts.
Brilliantly produced by JimmyAli, Cheque showcases the very best of the sharp-witted and compelling sound of Mahogany Jones.
The comfort and escapism of alcohol stands tall in the optimism and brightness of the music, whereas the darker reality of the grip of addiction pours through in the relentless longing and lostness of the lyrics.
Funky bass and hi-hats lead us into the seductively intimate groove of Monstrous’ latest two-track EP You Want More.
“…I’m struggling daily, barely making it through the night, and it seems our struggles are so different but so similar… mostly I don’t have the time, to see what you see.”
Beautifully arranged, with subtle vocal flavours throughout and fragments of rhythm and warmth all around, Sunday Alchemy is a finely crafted and faultlessly performed guitar piece, with a summer edge of peaceful celebration at its core.