GIANLUCA PETRELLA レコード& CD

Review: Something of an all-star affair here, as Sacred Rhythm main man Joaquin "Joe" Clausell sprinkles some of his remix magic over 'Inner Light', one of the standout cuts from Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella's 2021 album People Need People. Whereas the original was a richly percussive, dubbed-out future jazz-goes-dub house affair, Clausell's versions are warmer, looser, jazzier and deeper. Check first the A-side 'Cosmic Arts Version', where Rasahan Ahmad's poetic spoken word vocal rises above broken beats, layered jazz horns, warm bass, glistening guitar kicks and warming electric piano keys. The flipside 'Cosmic Arts Version' is, if anything, even better, delivering dubbed-out percussion, mazy trumpet solos and trippy effects aplenty. In a word: essential!

Review: Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella follow up last year's beautiful "African Spirits / New World Shuffle" with two more lavish instrumentals. "Sun Song" lives up to its name with wave after wave of heated musicianship from the belting harmonies to the light-touch keys. "Nigeria" taps deep into the source too as it drives us through the heart of Lagos with full horns and sweeping keys. Spiritual, sun-splashed and vital.