Crucial Material – March 29th, 2021
Another bumper edition of Crucial Material with some killer releases across the board including a potential album of the year from Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra.
But there’s a lot more music demanding our attention too. Here are our favorite EP’s, Albums and Reissues of the past couple of weeks. As always we encourage you to buy digital or physical releases if you discover a release you love. Support artists and labels!
JAZZ
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra — Promises
This genre defying epic collaborative opus delivers above and beyond expectations. The soothing and meditative movements represent the best of what music has to offer.
— Selected by ASMA
STR4TA — Aspects
Legendary DJ, producer, and all-around taste-maker Gilles Peterson teams up with Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick of Incognito, on a brilliant new project that captures the spirit of the DIY Brit-funk sound of the early 80s.
—Selected by TJ Gorton
JAB — Currents EP
Junior Alli-Balogun led ensemble drops a potential EP of the year. Deep seductive grooves, steady percussive rhythms, ample vibraphone soloing and beautifully arranged strings.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti
The Taxil Hoax — Burning Bridges For Progress
A magnificent, expansive, yet very personal, relaxing yet alarming amalgam of jazz, 80s art-rock, English folk, post-rock and ambient.
— Selected by dileta
New Life Trio — Visions Of The Third Eye
Beautiful remaster & reissue of rare LP by free & spiritual jazz trio, drummer Steve Reid (championed by Four Tet), guitarist Brandon Ross & bassist David Wertman.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti
HIP HOP / R&B
Armand Hammer & The Alchemist — Haram
Progressive rap duo ELUCID and billy woods collaborate exclusively with The Alchemist. The producer’s most subversive beats are a perfect foil for the outsider MCs.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti
Joyce Wrice — Overgrown
Joyce is a bright new independent star in the making. She fuses R&B and rap on her debut; featuring Freddie Gibbs, Kaytranada & Westside Gunn, Mndsgn & Masego.
— Selected by ASMA
High Klassified — Law of Automata: Valid
The talented producer offers us a glimpse into where his sound is heading. With forward thinking collaborations and sounds this EP is as unique as the artist.
— Selected by ASMA
SOUL / FUNK / DISCO
El Michels Affair — Yeti Season
Cinematic soul stirrers par excellence, Michels & co. are reinvigorated by psych & Turkish influences, and the vocal magic of Piya Malik, singing in Hindi, and Shannon Wise.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti
GLOBAL GROOVES
Electric Jalaba — El Hal / The Feeling
Gripping new album from the London-based live sensation, fusing electronic & live grooves with the Gnawa roots of the Moroccan-born lead singer and guimbri player Simo Lagnawi.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti
ELECTRONIC
Guedra Guedra كدرة كدرة — Vexillology
Borderless underground bass from Morocco exploring rhythm & sound, past, present & future, that ought to be blasted from every corner of the globe.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti
Big Hands — Lakamha
Extra slippery and detailed slowfast™ melters and meanderers and an enigmatic jazzy post-aquastep dream.
— Selected by dileta
Teleself — Temporary Transit EP
Two thunderous, masterfully clear-cut, but darkly entrancing breakbeat bass bangers.
— Selected by dileta
Daykoda — PHYSIS
Laid back beats, drawing heavily on jazz and underground electronic sounds. Wouldn’t sound out of place at Low End Theory.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti
Rhyw — Slithering
Buzzy and dusty power plant angular techno. You can almost hear the transformers hum and the wires crackle.
— Selected by dileta
Sunareht — Amorama
A perfected trip through all the best that post-french-touch-cyber-staccato-club music has to offer: pure joy, submerging bliss, tear-jerking nostalgia and all the skippiness you ever asked for!
— Selected by dileta
We also invite you to check out our main five playlists where you’ll find our current favorites across Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
