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Yearly Archives: 2018
Killiam Shakespeare: A Town Called Elsewhere [Ropeadope]
There were a flurry of great lps dropping in 2015 so you’re forgiven if you missed the debut of Killiam Shakespeare. The Philadelphia based band is led by the duo of Keyboardist Corey Bernhard and drummer Steve McKie. Their debut unleashed a collection of spaced out funky compositions that defies genres and proved to be deeply satisfying. Their sophomore release “A Town Called Elsewhere” builds on that debut and demonstrates a maturity in their sound. There are hypnotic instrumentals to savor like “Barry’s Prophecy” and Salt & Pepper Wings”. There’s some vocal contributions that lift these compositions another notch as well. Chris Turner’s vocals are perfectly suited for the emotive “WDTKAL”. Amber Navran of Moonchild lends her sublime vocals to “The One”. The disc wraps up the funky string laden “Milk, Honey, Blood & Tears”. This is one of a handful of bands separating themselves from the pack. The textures and the melodies will linger with you long after the song is over. You need to get familiar with them
Fatima: And Yet It’s All Love [Eglo]
Vocalist Fatima has been serenading us with future soul rhythms since landing in London in 2006. Soon after she connected with Alexander Nut, head of Eglo Records where she’s consistently released an array of future soul heaters. Her sophomore release “And Yet It’s All Love” follows up the 2014 critically acclaimed “Yellow Memories”. That would be a tough act for anyone but Fatima seamlessly pulls it off. “Somebody Else” highlights Fatima’s soulful style augmented by the soul infused hip-hop production of JD Reid. Other notable producers include Flako, who adds another dimension with the string laden “Waltz”. Purist produced two of the strongest tracks here, the gorgeous “Only” and the piano jazz infused “May I”. Fatima has solidified herself as a voice to be reckoned with. No matter what style she’s singing it’s always a delight. This superb release has something for everyone and shouldn’t be missed.
Cookin On 3 Burners: Lab Experiments Vol. 2 [Soul Messin’]
“Lab Experiments Vol.2 picks up where the gritty soul of Vol.1 left off. Organist Jake Mason, guitarist Dan West and others collaborate on a number of smoking tunes with grooves to make you move. “The Jump Off” sets the disc in motion with Mason’s sizzling organ riffs and West’s thumping guitar licks. Up and coming vocalist Kaiit keeps the fire burning on “Warning” while Fallon Williams gritty vocals punctuate “Force Of Nature”. The bands slows down the pace nice and easy on the laid back “Sunday Mumma” but this is mostly a get up and boogie affair. With notable contributions from mainstay Kylie Audist and Simon Burke, this release marks another winner from the Melbourne funk and soul group.
Georgia Anne Muldrow: Overload [Brainfeeder]
Ever since her spectaclur ep “Worthnothings” and her debut lp “Olesi: Fragments Of An Earth” Georgia Anne Muldrow has serenaded us with her blend of intergalactic jazz inspired funk. With her latest release “Overload” she has signed up with Brainfeeder, the label founded by visionary multi-instrumentalist producer Flying Lotus. They’ve known each other for years but felt that this was the right time to work together. The title track has already generated a lot of heat and rightfully so. Produced by Mike & Keys (50 Cent, Snoog Dogg) “Overload’s” infectious trap infused beats and sunny chords sets the disc in motion. Dutchman Moods and Manila’s Lustbass contribute two gorgeous tunes. The mellow funk of “Aerosol” and the astral stylings of “Vital Transformation”. “Canadian Hillbilly” is another highlight filled with warm spiritual melodies. Muldrow and Brainfeeder have managed to make her music more accessible without compromising her core. The result is a superb release that will please loyal fans and welcome new ones.
Ratgrave: Ratgrave [Apron]
Ratgrave is the duo of multi-instrumentalist Max Graef and bassist Julius Conrad. Their self titled release is filled with adventurous experimental fusion and live instrumentation. “Wilder, glib Hut” and “Fantastic Neckground” are filled with spacey synths and warped guitar rhythms. “El Schnorro” is another highlight laced with tripped out synths. “Eln Kola Bitte!” goes in a slightly different direction with blissful keys and a funky mid-tempo groove. Graef and Conrad are always finding new paths to explore their horizons. This is a musical journey that’s well worth the ride.
Julien Dyne: Teal [Soundway]
Multi-instrumentalist Julien Dyne has consistently delivered soulful mid-tempo beats for over a decade now. With his latest release “Teal” he’s shifted gears towards a more up-tempo groove inspired sound. He starts off with the deep house grooves of “Design”. The infectious rhythm and soulful drums will ignite listeners instantly. “Hours” has more of a laid back up-tempo groove but still satisfying. It also features gorgeous vocals from Ladi 6. “Steady” has a boogie funk vibe and features Mara TK on vocals. “Teal” has the grooves to either dance to or simply nod your head to. Dyne always has a gem or two that you can’t stop listening to and this disc is no exception.
Brandon Coleman: Resistance [Brainfeeder]
Brandon Coleman has been very busy this year. When he wasn’t in the studio working on his debut he was serving as the keyboardist for tenor titan Kamasi Washington. He’s featured using the vocoder on “Vi Lua Vi Sol” on Kamasi’s latest LP “Heaven And Earth”. With his debut “Resistance” he utilizes the vocoder over an collection of funk and boogie grooves while invoking some of his influences. The opening tune “Live For Today” is an infectious foot stomping boogie tune. “Sexy” is tasty funk that’s reminiscent of Roger Troutman (Zapp). “Sundae” is an obvious nod to Herbie Hancock’s fusion era that’s elevated by N’Dambi’s vocals. This is a promising debut from a rising talent from the progressive Brainfeeder label
Anthony Joseph: People Of The Sun [Heavenly Sweetness]
Poet/musician Anthony Joseph’s latest release is his first recording in his native island of Trinidad. For Joseph the time is right spiritually to reconnect with his homeland. He has also bought his band along for the trip from France, not an easy task but the results are well worth it. There’s much to savor here starting with the opening track. “Milligan” (The Ocean), a heartfelt tribute to his Father begins with burning grooves from bassist and composer Andrew John and vocals from Ella Andall’s Orisha. Joseph’s poetic words of wisdom dance along side the spirited percussion and horn rhythms. “Dig Out Your Eye” brims with seductive soprano sax rhythms from premiere reedist Jason Yarde, who also serves as producer. “People Of The Sun” is bursting with soca, steel pan, jazz and funk rhythms. One listen and you’ll be transported to the island of Trinidad soaking in the sun and absorbing this superb collection of music. Joseph is one of our great story tellers and this album is evidence of that.
Various Artists: From The Archives Vol. 2 compiled By Volcov [BBE]
Neroli label founder Enrico Crivellaro aka Volcov demonstrated a deft ear for hidden gems with his first Volume of archives. With “From The Archives Vol 2” he compiles another impressive array of compositions ranging from soul to house and jazz infused rhythms. In a crowded field of 70s and 80s compilations Volcov decided to focus on tunes released within the last fifteen years and the ones that made the cut are simply superb. That’s evident from the start with the sorely underrated Carleen Anderson’s “All That Glitters”. This simmering jazz tinged soul burner showcases one of the unique voices of the past twenty years. “On Space” from Ron Trent is a homage to french violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. This dreamy atmospheric gem has a touch of fusion and is heavy on groove. “The Blue Room” from Quentin Kane & Simon Sheldon is an infectious up-tempo nu soul track that gets an elevated remix from Kaidi Tathum. Other highlights include Volcov’s edit of “Lawra” by drummer Tony Williams and the soulful beauty “Let The Music Play” from Collective Peace. This disc flows with one supreme track after another. As far as compilations go, this is one of the best you’ll hear this year. Highly recommended.
Lucky Brown & The SG’s: Mesquite Suite [Tramp]
Joel Ricci aka Lucky Brown returns with his third full length release for Tramp records. “Mesquite Suite” is filled with dusty instrumental analog tinged funk. The disc opens with “Lone Heart”, a slow burning funk tune in the tradition of the Menahan Street Band. “Justice” has an infectious organ grinding groove layered with sweet flute rhythms. “Glancing Meteors” is driven by funky drumming and tasty guitar licks topped off with swaying horns. A solid recording filled with inspiration from Mulatu Astatke and the aforementioned Menahan Street Band. Lucky Brown’s third lp may very well be his best.
Various Artists: Cosmic Forest – The Spiritual Sounds of MPS [MPS]
“Cosmic Forest”, Nicola Conte’s latest compilation is a journey into the vaults of Musik Produktion Schwarzwald (MPS). The German label has a catalogue of approximately 500 albums filled with Spiritual jazz composed by premiere musicians from around the world. MPS founder Hans Georg Brunner recognized the wave of 60s spiritual jazz and re-positioned the label to reflect the trend. It must have been a daunting task to choose from this collection but Conte has done an impressive job. The hypnotic “Evolution” is filled with intense rhythms by saxophonist Nathan Davis who lived in Germany during the sixties. “Revelation” is another highlight. Influenced by Eastern mysticism trumpter Hannibal Marvin Peterson’s blistering solos are augmented by swirling piano melodies and percussion. The meditative “Soledad” De Murcia” has a Latin feel courtesy of Pianist Michael Naura and vibraphonist Wolfgang Schluter. There’s no filler here, just a superb collection of tunes you’ll want to get familiar with from an underrated label
Jonny Drop: The Only Sound [Albert’s Favourites]
Drummer/beatmaker Jonny Drop’s last solo release “Beat Tape” demonstrated a niche for soulful hip hop infused grooves. Since then he formed the jazz funk band The Expansions where his sound continues to evolve. On his latest solo record it’s evident that his growth as an artist has gone to another level. “The Only Sound” is a warm imaginative soulful journey ripe with beautiful vocals, quality samples and instrumentation. “The Looking Glass” is an blissful mid tempo beauty that features heavenly vocals from Sarah Williams White. Grace Walker blesses the soulful guitar driven “Flashlight”. “Moon Food” is tinged with psychedelic rhythms and features premiere reedist Tamar Osborn on flute. Drop seamlessly blends live drumming with loops and beats so you can’t tell one from the other. It all adds up to an superb listening experience that you’ll have on repeat
Serge Gamesbourg: Boston Goes Disco! [BBE]
“Boston Goes Disco” is a deep drive into the underground world of late 70s early 80s Boston Disco. Boston native DJ/Producer Serge Gamesbourg shines a light on forgotten tunes from Massachusetts. Among this 20 track release are a few notable selections. “All In Good Time” by Wildlife is your typical blueprint disco number with swirling strings and a funky groove. Gamesbourg’s edit of funky bass driven “I’m Gonna Get You” is a highlight. The Christopher Michael Band’s “You Make Me Happy” bridges the gap between funk and Disco. Gamesbourg’s edits and reworks breathes new life into these tunes. For Disco afficionados you’ll certainly find some gems throughout this disc.
John Coltrane: Both Directions At Once – The Lost Album [Impulse]
This is comparable to finding buried treasure. Or as Sonny Rollins said, “It’s like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid”. I’m referring to the recently discovered recording by the infamous John Coltrane quartet. These are compositions that Coltrane recorded on March 6, 1963 the day before his duet recording with Johnny Hartman. At this stage in his relationship with Impulse he had the ability to come into the studio and record whenever he wanted. The result of this session is seven tunes, three of them untitled. The album opens with “Untitled Original 11383”, a fiery tune with Coltrane on Soprano. The quartet is in peak form with Elvin Jones pulsating polyrhythms and McCoy Tyner’s soloing provide superb support. “Untitled Original 11386” finds the quartet hitting hard on the Latin flavored melody. “Villa” is a bluesy number with Coltrane recording alternative takes on Tenor and Soprano. What can be said about this quartet that hasn’t been said already. Just another tremendous record by one of the best quartets of all time. Don’t hesitate to purchase.
Various Artists: Backstreet Brit Funk Vol.2 Compiled by Joey Negro [Z Records]
Leave it to premiere DJ Joey Negro to assemble another enormous selection of rare gems. Brit Funk Vol.2 has dusted off some hidden UK funk tracks from the late seventies and early eighties that will have you searching for your platform dancing shoes. There’s plenty to savor from this double lp that features several unreleased tracks. Among the highlights are Eastbound Expressway’s “Never Let Go”, a late seventies funk groove with a break beat that certainly jump started parties back in the day. “Ease Your Mind” by Touchdown has an infectious uptempo groove and swirling horn rhythm that has found it’s way into several DJ’s playlist today. “You Gotta Get It” by Congress is another banger with a wicked synth laden bass groove. Eight years after Vol.1 Negro hits the mark once again.