Future Classic: Sean Khan (Remixes by Henry Wu & Ben Hauke)
via FarOut Recordings: London based jazz impresario Sean Khan will release his second album ‘Muriel’ later in 2015. Dedicated to the driving force behind his musical career, his mother Muriel McGinley, the album is virtuosic free, latin and nu-jazz experimentation, drenched in soul with the help of the vocal talents of Omar, Sabrina Malheiros and Heidi Vogel (Cinematic Orchestra).
This 12” features remixes from Henry Wu and Ben Hauke, two rising South London natives whose dusty house sounds are reminiscent of the jazz-wise swing of the West London broken beat sound, a movement Sean Khan himself was heavily involved in.
On the A side, Henry Wu, a key member of the tight-knit label/ loose collective 22a Records (also home to the likes of Mo Kolours and Al Dobson Jr.), imbues the original track with a distinctly organic and off-kilter groove: a loose and earthy quality which is a hallmark of the Wu sound and makes for a perfect complement to Khan’s delicious melting pot of jazz, soul and broken beat flavours. Sturdy yet swinging with strong jazzy synth stabs and topped with a child-like, wordless, sing-along vocal, it’s sure to be an underground summer club hit.
The B Side sees the mysterious Ben Hauke, whose previous releases have come courtesy of Melodica Recordings, steep Khan’s ‘Things to Say’ in his own murky yet soul-drenched sound, one that falls somewhere between hip-hop and broken house. Not much is known about this young producer, but what we can glean from his work on this remix is a sound drenched in syrupy, slightly sinister keys and a plodding, unpredictable thump not entirely dissimilar from previous Far Out remix contributor Theo Parrish. Like the work of that Detroit innovator, these two young Londoner’s contributions both look set to lend a funkily idiosyncratic and offbeat edge to all the right dance floors.
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