Review: Many Hands is a fresh label helmed by Jona Jefferies and Kava that here kicks out an eclectic EP with four tracks from various members of its musical family. Dan Aikido opens with '0800 TXT4 Herb,' a smooth fusion piece that builds a laid-back groove, blending fretless bass, jazzy keys and soulful vocals all reminiscent of Rare Silk's 'Storm.' Ernie Ruso's 'Stroke It' offers slow, sensual r&b infused with P-funky wah-wah effects while DJ Nomad's 'African Boy' brings upbeat pop house next to funky organ and a female reggae MC.Jefferies' closer 'A Change Will Come' samples Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a rave-inspired beat and soulful piano. Cracking stuff.
Rhythms Of Africa (Jazzphonic instrumental) (7:20)
Review: There ain't much that Matt Early and Lee Jeffries cannot do, and they have more than proven that with the music they have dropped this month alone. There have been four or five essential 7"s on Sonic Wax In Da House and its new sister label Disco Edits and this latest one is another bomb. It finds the duo taking Afro banger 'Rhythms Of Africa' and flipping it with their own Jazzphonic mix. It takes the original into new sonic realms with jazzy, dancing keys, restless drum funk, lashings of percussion and plenty of manic flutes. The instrumental is no less busy nor effective.
Review: El Michels Affair returns with a new two-track release that showcases his continued excellence as both a producer and musician. The A-side, 'Mr Brew,' opens with a menacing intro before evolving into a spacious tune masterfully balancing tension and release. Gentle guitars, strings, flutes and brass weave over a heavy drum track to make for a bright and immersive landscape. On the B-side, 'Kodak' is a lesson in space and arrangement with mellow drums and beautiful instrumentation setting the perfect mood. EMA's trademark restraint ensures the vibe remains the focal point while delivering a perfectly crafted sound that never overwhelms.
Explanation Of The Funk (feat Dre King & DJ Stylus) (4:08)
Three-Season Crank (feat Raja Kassis) (6:11)
Slip 'n Slide (5:22)
Alligator Confrontation (5:09)
Off The Rails (5:57)
Pull My String (4:50)
Bleeps, Sweeps, & Creeps (2:30)
What Happened To Yesterday? (5:07)
Black Bird Dub (4:47)
Review: Glenn Echo & Daniel Meinecke won plenty of acclaim with their last outing What Happened To Yesterday?! and now they quickly back it up with a third outing on MotorCity Wine Recordings What Happened To Yesterday? Vol 2 is another blend of heady, dubby sounds with cosmic dance vibes that span serval sub-genres with ease. 'World In My Head' kicks off with lo-fi and low-key depths, and further downtempo tracks like 'Explanation of The Funk' with Dre King's trumpet and DJ Stylus's cuts, and 'Three-Season Crank' with Raja Kassis's guitar further sink you into blissed-out beats. The flip side has dancefloor-friendly jam 'Off The Rails,' then moves into dubby, meditative territory and ends with the gorgeous 'Black Bird Dub' which allows Echo's eclectic production and Meinecke's keyboard mastery to shine.
Review: Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer edbl aka Ed Black's new album 2010 Mixtape is another wonderful journey through an array of hip-hop styles, great songwriting and standout production skills. Following his edbl and friends series, this project highlights his love for hip-hop and features a host of UK artists from the alternative r&b and soul scenes. With mellow grooves, jazzy chords and vibey keys, 2010 Mixtape pays tribute to the great influence those styles have had on edbl's own sound. Named after the year he discovered hip-hop, the album features tons of highlights such as collaborations including Guvna B on 'Symbols,' Manik MC on 'Arcades' and KinKai on 'Too Much Shit To Do', all of which bring with soul.
Review: Viaje Sideral is a cosmic journey led by El Leon Pardo and his ancestral instrument, the kuisi, which is a pre-Colombian flute that traditionally symbolises resistance and survival. This second album from Pardo explores humanity's connection with the stars by blending Caribbean percussion, analogue synths, deep bass, electric guitars and the distinctive sounds of kuisis and trumpets. The tunes channel the tropical psychedelia of the 70s and 80s while incorporating ambient and electronic influences from artists like Terry Riley and Kraftwerk. Viaje Sideral is a great mix of dreamlike astral sounds with tropical rhythms that mean both the earthly and the cosmic are explored.
Review: The instrumental version of the underground classic Glorious Game is a collaboration between El Michels Affair and Black Thought which showcases Leon Michels' signature "cinematic soul" sound in all its considerable glory. Since the release of Sounding Out The City in 2005, Michels has consistently pushed musical boundaries and has produced for many top names. In Glorious Game, he merges soul-tinged, bottom-heavy beats with Black Thought's deeply personal lyrics and, inspired by hip-hop's sample-based production, crafts new compositions that sample and reinterpret his own work to create dynamic, loop-driven instrumentals. The album is released on Big Crown Records which marks a debut partnership which will be interesting to follow.
Review: If you don't know (well, even if you do know it is still true), Californian multi-instrumentalist Brian Ellis is Egyptian Lover's keyboard player, and is also a member of Campus Christi with Peanut Butter Wolf. He steps out alone here with a new and outlier funk album that shows off his idiosyncratic style. It is a raw and dense sound that mixes up bold funk and gritty psychedelic soul while embracing the darker edges of both styles. Along the way, Ellis explores themes of truth, authenticity and the pitfalls of wealth while reflecting on the cost of giving away one's heart. Tracks like 'The Real Deal' and 'Money Drives Me Crazy 'capture these ideas with unfiltered emotion.
Review: Resonance is the superb new album from Essa and Pitch 92. Essa is something of a veteran who back in the early part of this millennium was putting out tunes under the name Yungun. He is a Londoner and lawyer who played a key part in the UK's golden hip-hop era and picked up props for his work from dons like Nas while also working with De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Guru, Slum Village and Pharoahe Monch. This record taps into that time with its soul-drenched, low-slung and late-night beats, specially and politically aware lyrics and gorgeous samples. A contemporary classic steeped in authenticity.
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