Soul-Identity Music

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: