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Yearly Archives: 2016
Kylie Audist: Family Dinner [Freestyle]
Vocalist Kylie Audist has been a member of the burgeoning soul scene in Melbourne for several years. Whether being a featured vocalist for the raw soul outfit The Bamboos or other musical collectives, her powerful emotive vocals are the driving force behind a number of their funk and soul tunes. On her fourth LP, “Family Dinner” Audist deviates from the customary hard driving rhythms of 60s soul in favor of 80s flavored boogie disco grooves. With the LP produced by Bamboos founder Lance Ferguson you can be certain that the grooves and overall instrumentation is in good hands. Evidence can found on “Sensational” for starters. Kylie’s voice roars over a thunderous bass and synth groove. “Waste Of Time” is a mid-tempo tune with a dreamy melody, Kylie shifts to a softer tone and is supported by tasty horns and infectious guitar rhythms. “Rewards” is another winner, a playful swaying Disco tune laced with funky guitar riffs. Loyal fans are used to her brilliance, it’s time for everyone to take notice.
Various Artists: Kon and the Gang [BBE]
In a short period of time, renowned DJ/Producer Kon has established himself as one of the masters of the edits as well as a premiere remixer. The Boston Massachusetts native made an impressive début with “On My Way” and now with his latest entitled “Kon & The Gang” he dispels any notion of a sophomore slump. Kon adds his editing skills to “Closer” from Truccy (Rainer Truby/Corrado Bucci), transforming it into an infectious boogie disco tune. “Can’t Get Enough” shows Kon at his best. He does a brilliant job of chopping up the Eleven King classic and transforming it into a new tune altogether. With the Doc Daneeka track “I Promise” that features Seven Davis Jr, Kon takes an already scintillating tune and flips it into a thumping house tune. Essential house grooves, wonderful boogie tunes, this disc provides that and more. You need this in your collection.
San Lazaro: La Despedida [Hope Street]
Based in Melbourne, San Lazaro is a collection of musicians with roots spanning from Chile to Cuba and Catalonia. Their taut experimental compositions fall into many categories but the foundation is authentic Latin music with a spice of Cuban flavor. “Esperanza De La Rumba” starts off with hypnotic percussion followed by wah-wah guitar and soaring vocals. “Descarga Soledad”, arguably the strongest track is Latin meets psychedelic rhythms. “Rompe El Cascaron” features strong vocal contributions from everyone augmented by tender guitar rhythms. San Lazaro’s lyrics are laced with gripping stories chronicling everyday life. Overall their harmonic vocals, robust horns and infectious guitar rhythms make for an engaging listen.
Travis and Tom: The London Cologne Journeys of Travis Blaque and Shareholder Tom [Buro 9]
The seeds of Travis & tom were planted in 2009 when London based MC Travis Blaque and Colonge producer Shareholder Tom first met. This was during the recording sessions for Shareholder Tom’s debut album. A friendship formed over the years and it was only a matter of time before they would collaborate for a LP. The result is “The London Colonge Journeies of Travis and Shareholder Tom” Travis’s smooth flow shines on the Afro funk grooves of “The Good Good” and the reggae flavored “Lisa. You have to Change”. “I’ve got To Get Away” is a tropical infused pop tune certain to generate good vibes. .This is another gem to emerge from the Cologne Germany based Buro 9 label.
United Vibrations: The Myth of The Golden Ratio [Ubiquity]
United Vibrations is comprised of three brothers Ahmad, Kareem, Yusef Dayes along with close friend Wayne Francis II.Their latest release “The Myth Of The Golden Ratio” is a tale of a time long ago when people prospered simply from the fruits of nature and lived a life devoid of greed or corruption. Their music is a myriad of flavors that defies categories that is best summed up as conscious music filled with African and Caribbean rhythms. Among the highlights are “Grow” filled with a haunting bass groove and horns that speaks to the divide between government and residents. “Far Far Away” is divided into three parts, act one builds momentum with shimmering percussion and hypnotic horns Act two evolves into a full blown jam session delivering messages from the past to revisit a fertile world of love and peace and a call to take back our communities. Conceptually and rhythmically this LP hits the mark by stirring your consciousness and your soul. This is a superb recording that certainly qualifies as one of the most important records you’ll hear this year.
Jazz Invaders: Find The Love [Social Beats]
“Find The Love” is the latest release from the six member ensemble from the Netherlands from as The Jazz Invaders. Their ten track disc is smoothed out soul jazz layered with warm harmonies and solid horn arrangements layered over Disco rhythms. “Disco Fever” is a soft mid-tempo boogie tune sprinkled with Linda Bloemhard’s sweetened vocals. The title track starts out with a bit of funky fusion flavor before seguing into mellow soul. “Much Rosie”, the only instrumental showcases sweet horn soloing and organ rhythms. Overall this is a pleasant journey to the land of eighties flavored Disco grooves, no doubt you’ll enjoy the ride.
Various Artists: Movements Vol 8 [Tramprecords]
The Bravarian based label Tramp records return with their long running series entitled “Movements”. Volume eight showcases eighteen tracks of the rarest of rare soul music. Comprised of a variety of unsung artists displaying notable skills yet never gaining a mainstream audience. Among the highlights are the soul jazz tune “Slow Down” by veteran vocalist Howlett Smith. “Don’t Give A Damn” is down home soul from the King Cain Silvertone Band. Vibraphonist Ulysses Crockett delivers some tasty soul jazz with “Sunshine Superman”. Just when you think they have unearthed all the hidden gems they dig even deeper. There’s much more to savor here and while you’re enjoying it you can be sure that volume nine isn’t far behind.
Nomade Orquestra: [Far Out]
The Sao Paolo based band known as the Nomade Orquestra is a hybrid of influences fromjazz and funk to Afrobeat blended into their Brazilian roots. The strong level of musicianship from the ten member group that is evident right from the start. “Samurai” opens up with swaying horn arrangements and a thumping rhythm section. There’s some spirited soloing from Marco Stoppa on Trumpet and Marcos Mauricio on keys. “Morning Birds” is filled with hypnotic flute rhythms and features Beto Montag on Marimba. “Venus” is spacey psychedelic jazz featuring haunting guitar rhythms courtesy of Luiz Galvao. Formed in 2012 this band displays a maturity well beyond their existence. This band is cooking on all levels and this superb release is evidence of that.
Jonny Drop: Beat Tape [Albert’s Favourites]
London based DJ Jonny Drop latest release “Beat Tape” offers a myriad of rhythms that your average beat tape doesn’t. Instead of your usual electronic drum patterns supplying the beats there are snare drum rhythms reminiscent from the seventies soul period that provide the foundation. Not too surprising considering Drop is an avid drummer himself. Add some sassy jazz vocal samples and astral melodies and you have a recording that provides definite satisfaction. Highlights include “Mind field” is cosmic jazz funk with ethereal vocal samples. “Billy’s Girl”features spacey keys and dreamy soundscapes. “This Is The One” is filled with haunting vocals and strings. This release is filled with superb remixing as well as a glimpse into Drop’s musical archive. As far as beat tapes go, this is definitely a cut above the rest.
Andy Compton: Sowetan Onesteps [Peng]
The latest from Bristol based house producer Andy Compton is an ode to South Africa and the bond he has built over the past five years. In recent years South Africa has emerged as one of the most beloved scenes for house music and their dance parties have been known to attract thousands. It was there in 2014 that Compton met Soweto percussionist Bonging and Guitarist Shamrock. The trio proceeded to collaborate on several compositions and the result is “Sowetan Onesteps”. The eleven track disc features Compton’s signature lush production and sultry vocals layered over deep house grooves, Shamrock’s guitar riffs and vocal scats adds new elements to tracks like “A Fathers Love” and “Chillin In The Ghetto”. Bonging’s conga playing evokes the spirit of South Africa and is felt throughout the disc. Vocal highlights include “Time” featuring Kenyan resident and vocalist Asali and “I Belong” features Celestine. This is another triumph for Compton. After thirty albums is still going strong and delivering tasty music.
Snowboy: New York Afternoon [Snowboy Records]
Veteran DJ/Percussionist Mark Cotgrove aka Snowboy has had a long and distinguish career. He’s been an in demand session percussionist, working with esteemed artists like Lisa Stansfield and James Taylor. With his sixteenth album. “New York Afternoon” he has covered of some of his favorite recordings and given them new life. The title track is a cover of the Richie Cole dance classic. The tune is sung by vocalist Mark Evans and backed by sexy horns and sunny rhythms. “Ole Mambo” originally by Edmundo Ros receives an overhaul complete with horn overdubs and sounds more progressive than the original. With “Better” and “Oxen Free” Cotgrove covers two tunes from Boston Mass singer/pianist Jen Kearny. who returns the favor by adding her vocals to the revamped recordings. Cotgrove’s production and arrangements are first rate and the musicians on board are simply superb. A tremendous recording where the covers actually out do the originals. Cotgrove demonstrates once again that he’s a sparkling conga player and an important ambassador of Latin music.
Jack Costanzo: Mr Bongo [Jazzman Records]
Legendary percussionist Jack Costanzo, aptly named Mr Bongo was unquestionably the premiere percussionist of his era for Latin music. A career that started in the 40s, he’s performed with everyone from Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra to Gilbert Castellanos. Costanzo honed his skills in Havana, Cuba and he would eventually front his own Orchestra throughout the 50s and 60s during the Mambo craze. After a semi retirement, he returned to record with Ubiquity records in 2001. Jazzman records, arguably the premiere crate diggers of obscure music have compiled a superb collections of his early recordings. “Quiera” recorded live “Maleguena” one of several recordings that feature prominent pianist Eddie Cano is a eight burner filled with sizzling percussion and piano soloing. “Caravan” brings the heat with blistering trumpet soloing to complement the fiery rhythm section. If you need an introduction to the Mambo and Mr Costanzo in particular then you certainly need this in your collection.
Beatspoke: The Journey Is The Destination [BBE]
Off the heals of their impressive debut “No Rush”, Sarah Gessler and Josh Fontan, the duo known as Beatspoke return with “The Journey Is The Destination”. Their sophomore LP is features the electro-soul vibes that garnered them critical acclaim. Sarah’s lush vocals glide over the emotive down-tempo beats like “Untended” and “Sink Or Swim”. French rapper Pumpkin jumps on board and drops a few verses on the moody “Fading Fast” and “Solid Information”. Multi-instrumentalist Rom lends his talents on “Lately”. The tight production of Fontan, the spoken word of Gessler and a few friends make for a sublime melodic listening experience.
Guts: Eternal [Heavenly Sweetness]
“Eternal”, the new LP from Fabrice Franck Henri, aka Guts is a contrast in musical styles. The French producer’s follow up to his previous release “Hip-Hop Over All” features hip-hop, soul, pop and Afro-beat rhythms. With his working band on board, Guts has enlisted an eclectic group of artists to bring his musical vision to life. Brooklyn based hip-hop group Tanya Morgan appear on four tracks here. Of those “All Of Nothing” is the strongest. Aided by vocalist Lorine Chia, the hip-hop trio trade verses over a funky drum beat and bass groove. Trumpeter/Vocalist and Label mate Leron Thomas appears on five of tracks . He applies his uncompromising blend of genres to the twisted funk tune “Give You Up” Guts and his band stretch out on their own by covering the Ronnie Laws classic “Every Generation and the laid back piano driven jazz funk “Desintoxication”. “Eternal” has a little something for everyone and offers another example of the burgeoning talent emerging from the Heavenly Sweetness roster.
Shez Raja: Gurutopia [Dot Time]
With “Gurutopia”, Guitarist Shez Raja picks up from where he left off from his previous live release. He continues to expand on his own brand of fusion by incorporating Middle Eastern rhythms with funk and jazz with impressive results. Raja once again surrounds himself with an array of all star musicians like veteran Guitarist Mike Stern and Trumpeter Randy Brecker. Not to leave out his core band who are more than capable of holding their own. Violinist Pascal Roggen dynamic phrasings on “Maharaja” drives this tune to greater heights. Brecker’s feathery phrasings and superb soloing shines through on “Sketches Of Space”. Stern’s improvised playing stands out on the spirited opener “Rabbits”. Raja’s dynamic playing is the driving force throughout and flashes of brilliance can be heard, specifically on the aptly titled “Rocknrolla”. The diversity of rhythms and superb performances make for a compelling recording..