Sound Bites

TIP: Theo Parrish, Duminie Deporres, Wajeed – Gentrified Love Pt. 2.

Posted by soulid on October 27, 2016
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Theo Parrish, Duminie Deporres, Wajeed - Gentrified Love Part 2.

There’s always cause for some sort of celebration when Sound Signature drops a new twelve-inch. The last time it happened was back in January when Byron the Aquarius blessed us with a killer two tracker of future Jazz-inflected deep house. Well some nine months later we finally get word of a new entry in the label’s vinyl catalogue, SS064, courtesy of a surprise drop at the imprint’s new website launch. And what a gestation period it has been, as Mr Parrish not only steps up with his first new material since last year’s ‘American Intelligence’ opus, but also teams up with two Detroit musical luminaries in the form of Waajeed (Dirt Tech Reck, PPP, Bling47) and guitarist and frequent collaborator Duminie DePorres (Rotating Assembly, Submerge).

Dubbed ‘Gentrified Love Part 2’ (assuming Part 1 is on its way too, gotta love those pressing plant delays!), the record features two tracks of mechanised funk, of which by now the label and its boss have become celebrated for. Both ‘Warrior Code’ and ‘Leave The Funk To Us’ originally featured on the ‘These Songs That Should’ve Been Out On Wax By Now’ CD compilations (see, clues in the name, right?) released earlier this year but both now find themselves sharing etched grooves on vinyl, just in time for those claustrophobic winter months.

Pull up a chair and enjoy the short clips below then head over to here to grab the tunes. And for those of you who aren’t wax fetishists, there’s even a digital alternative in the form of WAV files (saves on shipping!). Now we just need the GBP/USD rate to sort itself out…

Tommaso Cappellato prepares ‘Aforemention’, shares new track ‘Team Ball’

Posted by soulid on October 25, 2016
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Tommaso Cappellato

It’s been a while since Tommaso Cappellato’s last album was released – just over three years to be exact. The project, entitled ‘Cosm’ethic’ and put out at the time by the ever excellent Jazz Re:freshed crew, is a superb collection of spiritually charged contemporary Jazz (you can read a more detailed rundown of the album from my 2013 self here), so when Mark de Clive-Lowe disclosed that the follow up would be appearing on his own Mashibeats imprint, our interest was immediately piqued.

Whereas the previous album was a deep and dense ensemble piece, the new release, ‘Aforemention’, appears to be a slightly more reflective affair with Cappellato working pretty much solo, concocting otherworldly rhythms from a melange of drum, percussion, synth, and other electronic gadgetry. Furthermore, the guest list is sparse, with internationally acclaimed drummer Victor Lewis dropping some spoken word on lead single ‘Team Ball’, while elsewhere vocalists Nia Andrews and Dulcinea Detwah are the only other individuals credited with an appearance on the project. ‘Team Ball’ is a languid and drawn out percussive beast of a track, awash with lush synth lines and a bass line that ebbs and flows above chattering drums. Not too dissimilar to some of the more organic Jazz inflected experiments of Carl Craig, this wears it’s blurs the lines between past, present and future well.

You can stream the composition, as well as another track from the forthcoming album, ‘Pastlife Flashbacks’, below. The digital and CD release is scheduled for Friday November 11th, while a strictly limited 300 run of double vinyl is expected to follow a week later on Mental Groove Records.

For a little flavour of the influences behind the album, you should take a listen to this recent mixtape selected by Cappellato, an excellent mix of deep Jazz, Brazilian vibes, soulful electronica and techno. Listen below:

Yussef Kamaal share a little more goodness from ‘Black Focus’

Posted by soulid on October 12, 2016
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Yussef Kamaal

Ahead of their debut long player ‘Black Focus’, soon to be hitting the shelves on Brownswood Recordings November 4th, South London’s finest Yussef Kamaal have leaked a further two tracks from the highly anticipated project. After easing us in just a few weeks ago with the truly sublime ‘Yo Chavez’ and the frenetic drum and synth interlude ‘WingTai Drums’, it’s now time for the follow up to take centre stage, and the tracks in question, ‘Lowrider’ and ‘Black Focus’ , certainly don’t disappoint.

‘Lowrider’ is a killer slice of future Jazz fusion, indebted to early 80s Brit funk and the classic Headhunters sound of the mid-Seventies, inasmuch as it is to the broken beat styling of Kaidi Tatham et al. Atmospheric keys and guitar intersperse, while feverish drums propel the track forward.  Meanwhile the title cut ‘Black Focus’ give way to a more contemplative mood all together, as drum, horns and keys combine for a deliciously laid back vibe. Certainly for us November can’t come around quick  enough!

The album ‘Black Focus’ is available to pre-order now via Bandcamp. You can stream selected tracks below.

TIP: Ben Sun “Glass Waves”

Posted by soulid on October 11, 2016
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Ben Sun

Released this week on the ever dependable Delusions of Grandeur imprint, Aussie house master Ben Sun returns with an excellent slice of high tech soul. ‘Glass Waves’ is a particular highlight from a solid three tracker, incorporating shimmering synths and a stuttering drum track to produce an ethereal track that manages to evoke memories of some of the best Chicago house of days gone by. Meanwhile we’re also quite partial to the chugging loveliness that is ‘Star Ritual’ that covers the the over half of the B side on this release. Stream the ‘Glass Waves’ below, and pick up both tracks now on the ‘Tides EP’.

NxWorries set to unleash debut longplayer ‘Yes Lawd’

Posted by soulid on September 20, 2016
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Nxworries

If there’s one man that’s dominated our musical commute in 2016, it’s Anderson.Paak. The Oxnard native and super soul brother is a beast on the mic, while his discography so far askews the more trap-tinged productions of so many of his peers, favouring as he does a more melodic and old school orientated approach to beatmaking. Needless to say that, since dropping his sophomore album ‘Malibu’ at the turn of the year, we’ve had his sounds on constant rotation here, and now a new project is seemingly set to be released soon on the mighty Stones Throw Records.

Teaming up with renowned hip-hop beatsmith Knxwledge and following their hotly tipped first EP ‘Link Up & Suede’, aired last December, the duo are all set to unleash their full collaborative debut as NxWorries, titled ‘Yes Lawd!’. Anyone not au fait with the work of Knxwledge should head over to his Bandcamp right now, where you’re sure to find beat tape after beat tape available to download… prolific really isn’t the word on this one. An expert on muddied loops, sample chops, and heavy drums, he can certainly bring the funk as witnessed last year on Kendrick Lamar’s award winning album ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’, and here it seems he’s soon to be the perfect foil for .Paak’s buttery flow.

First up to bat from the longplayer (aside from the previously issued tracks from the EP) is ‘Lyk This’, a supremely flavoursome cut, which pairs bombastic drums and sampled strings with a brazen, self assured turn from the singer. It certainly has our collective heads bumping and promises much for an album that may yet feature on a few end of year lists!

The album ‘Yes Lawd!’ drops on Stones Throw Records, October 21st 2016. Stream selected tracks from the LP below.