Exclusive Premiere: Chiminyo “Raze”
We’re excited to share a double audio and video premiere of “Raze”, taken from the brand new NRG project by Chiminyo, alter ego of drummer, percussionist and producer, Tim Doyle, renowned for both his solo releases and work with Maisha and Cykada.
The brainchild of drummer/producer Chiminyo, NRG is more than just an album, label or event. It’s a concept. Born out of a conversation about the UK Jazz scene (is it really jazz?) Chiminyo concluded that this musical expression is less about ‘jazz’ and more about energy (NRG).
So with this in mind, he set about to explore, celebrate and harness this NRG in its purest form. No labels, no promoters, no industry, no control. Just Chiminyo and members of his musical community exchanging (strictly improvised) NRG with audiences and capturing the spontaneous beauty to be shared with the world.
This first edition, NRG 1, features an all-star line-up (band members of Jorja Smith, Nubyan Twist, Gary Bartz, Nightmares on Wax, Yussef Kamaal) and you can really feel the vibrant NRG of the capital pulsating throughout. Tunes like ‘Raze’ and ‘Purple/Green’ and their whirling, high octane, jungle/broken beat aesthetic are balanced perfectly by tunes like the smooth, sexy, R&B anthem ‘SLK’ and the downtempo, ambient, Latin-house of ‘Eleguá’, a Yoruba prayer, led by trumpet player Yelfris Valdés, cleansing the room and bringing positive vibes to the band and the audience. Incredibly, this music is all improvised, yet each tune comes across as a carefully sculpted composition, a clear testament to the incredible musicians on the recording, and the high level of their chemistry.
