Crucial Material – Best Releases Of The Week (August 5th, 2019)

Back at it again with your weekly roundup of unmissable albums and EP’s from jazz, modern funk to club-ready material. We’ve even included a soundtrack selection this week from Mr. Tarantino, one of the contemporary masters of music and film integration.

As always we hope you make some nice discoveries and feel free to encourage these artists/labels if you do! Enjoy and have a great week.

Nérija “Blume”

Label: Domino Recording Co.
Buy: Physical & Digital (via Bandcamp)
Stream: Spotify

Featuring some of the top players in London’s thriving jazz scene, Nérija includes trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey, alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi (both of whom play in KOKOROKO, SEED Ensemble), tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia (Maisha, Joe-Armon Jones), trombonist Rosie Turton, guitarist Shirley Tetteh (Maisha), drummer Lizy Exell, and SEED Ensemble bassist Rio Kai. The group’s brilliant new full-length album picks right up where their 2016 debut EP left off, featuring many of the same musical elements found in the members other groups, fusing together jazz, Afrobeat rhythms, and deep South African rooted melodies.
– Selected by TJ Gorton

The Lewis Express “Clap Your Hands”

Label: ATA Records
Buy: Physical & Digital (via Bandcamp)
Stream: Spotify

The Leeds, UK quartet follows up last year’s breakthrough debut with a brand new album off of ATA Records, titled Clap Your Hands. With a nod to the classic soul-jazz sound that artists like Young-Holt Unlimited, Cannonball Adderley, and The Ramsey Lewis Trio (which the band is named after) helped establish during the sixties, the group’s sophomore album features piano-driven jazz grooves layered over funky Latin percussive rhythms.
– Selected by TJ Gorton

Sarathy Korwar “More Arriving”

Label: Leaf
Buy: Physical / Digital (via Bandcamp)
Stream Links: Spotify / Apple

On “More Arriving”, Korwar entwines jazz with not only Indian classical but also spoken word and voices from India’s burgeoning hip hop scene. The title recalls the scaremongering language rampant in Britain, where he has long resided, repurposed as a call of “brown pride”, declaiming “there are more people coming & you’ll have to deal with it!”. A powerful work of art, that explores the complexity of identity, diaspora and division.
– Selected by Oliver Brunetti

Emanative & Phil Ranelin “Vibes From The Tribe”

Label: Steve Reid Foundation
Buy: Digital & Physical (via Bandcamp)

Cosmic jazzer Emanative covers Phil Ranelin’s 1975 classic, “Vibes From The Tribe”, featuring the man himself, on trombone AND vocals for the first time. Genius! The heavy groove of the original in safe hands with this all-star band, who add their own subtle spin. On the flip lies an Al Breadwinner dub, a treatment “Vibes…” screams for, with it’s loping bassline and sparse drumming. All proceeds go to the Steve Reid Foundation. Essential!
– Selected by Oliver Brunetti

Moodswing “Outbreak EP”

Label: Obstacle
Style: UK Garage
Buy: Vinyl (via Juno)

Primo garage flavas on this EP on a label out of Germany. While it may not come from a hotbed of the Garage sound, this is one of the finest recent examples of the worldwide UKG revival. Moodswing is clearly inspired from the glory days but he/she does push the sound forward. My personal favorite is “Safire” which is reminiscent of Steve Gurley’s incredible production.
– Selected by Lexis

Windy City feat Moot Boxle “Acid Funk Vol.2”

Label: NYC US
Style: House / Acid Funk (duh!)
Buy: Vinyl (via Juno)

Volume 2 of the Acid Funk project by analog funksters Windy City and Moot Boxle has just landed. For those who may not have heard about it, it sounds like a cross between the early Metro Area EP’s and some Dam-Funk joints. Don’t sleep on it because like the 1st EP, it is limited to 200 copies. Only for the heads that know the deal.
– Selected by Lexis

Etch “Archive Trax 2008​-​2017 Vol​.​1”

Buy: Digital (Bandcamp)

Bristol’s Etch is one of the top producers in the last 10 years of the whole post dubstep/jungle/beats/grime sphere – a sound with no precise name and I think that’s actually a great thing. 28 tracks featuring some of his finest productions spawning 9 years. Incredible VIP material!
– Selected by Lexis

Quentin Tarantino “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Where the movie ranks in Tarantino’s filmography is debatable however I would argue that the soundtrack ranks near the top of the list. The film explores the end of the golden era of Hollywood and the music that accompanies it focuses mostly on rock-psychedelic-pop but also features a ton of original radio ID bumpers from Los Angeles FM stations. A few classics make the cut but as with most of his soundtracks it showcases some really deep gems.
– Selected by Lexis

More Bounce presents: Feeding U New Knocks Vol​.​2

Genre: Modern Funk
Label: More Bounce / Wicked Wax
Buy: Digital (via Bandcamp)

After the success of their 1st compilation “Feeding U New Knocks Vol.1”, the More Bounce Collective, based in Amsterdam, are back with Vol.2 of their F.U.N.K series. The new compilation features Erik Rico, Daniel Crawford, Jonny Tobin, Temu, Sivey, SKALP, just to name a few. It is available for pre-order and officially comes out on August 1st.’Feeding U New Knocks Vol.2′ is the second compilation in a series with the aim of shedding more light on this thriving movement.
– Selected by Walla P

Shigeto “Shigeto EP”

Genre: House / Jazz
Label: Vanity Press
Buy: Digital & Physical (via Bandcamp)
Stream: Spotify

Anything that Detroit based Zach Saginaw aka Shigeto releases is always well worth your attention. He is one of the few artists that always manage to make effective and smart dancefloor music. On this eponymous EP he showcases his jazz roots nicely.
– Selected by Lexis

Jeen Bassa “Cassava Pone”

Genre: Beats / Organics
Label: 22a
Buy: Physical

This is a classic beat-tape style LP from one of the most under rated Hip Hop producers in the UK right now. Warm and woozy productions that stand out in a world saturated with bland Dilla and Madlib-esque pastiches. Heavily influenced by Bassa’s Mauritian roots, the album takes you on a journey through aboriginal and pan African sounds, with heavy layers of percussion and samples from his fatherland.
Features Mo Kolours, Al Dobson Jr, Reginald Omas Mamode IV and Shepherd Manyika