Modern jazz group Fox Capture Plan releases their latest album Xronicle

Celebrating ten years together, their signature sound plays on

Fox Capture plan has just released their latest album XRONICLE and is currently celebrating with their 10th anniversary tour. Formed in 2011, the Japan-based trio has had a prolific career thus far creating modern jazz rock music. Comprised of Hidehiro Kawai on the double bass, Tsukasa Inoue on drums, Ryo Kishimoto on the piano, they come together to form a piano-based contemporary jazz and dance sound. The recipients of numerous awards and accolades, Fox Capture Plan won the CD Shop Grand Price Jazz Category Award, the Jazz Japan Award in the 2013, 2015, and 2020 Album of the Year Category. They have performed across the world and featured in the Fuji Rock Festival, Summer Sonic, and in the Tokyo Jazz Festival.

Across their ten years as a group, they have released an extensive discography of prolific quantities. Earlier this year, they released NEBULA, an album of alternative jazz with an ethereal twist. In 2020, they released Discovery, featuring song ‘PRDR’ with an intricate keyboard intro, as well as several TV and movie soundtracks including ‘Confidence Man – JP Princess Edition.’ Before that, in 2018 they released Capturism, and in 2017 the two albums UNTITLED and Fragile.

Their current album XRONICLE features the band’s signature fast-paced jazz beats. With a house under tone and set of rhythms that bring out the bass, ‘Akashic Xronicles’ is an especially stand-out track with a complex and intricate piano motif. Other tracks on the album, like ‘Nexus’ have more of a narrative sound with a storytelling feel that brings to mind the band’s work developing soundtracks and audio chronicles.

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Hip hop jazz fusion from Noa Erni and Robot Orchestra

We're very very happy and proud to announce the very first solo album to drop via Kommerz Records: „The Mental Traveller" is a 12 track jazz manifesto by our...

Sharing an interest both in left field jazz and hip hop beats, this international pairing gives rise to fresh tones

Noa Erni and Robot Orchestra make for a fresh voiced collaborative team. Both artists have a foundation in hip-hop production, but working together the sound that they’ve created is decidedly within the extensive realms of alternate jazz.

Whereas Robot Orchestra tends to lean in the direction of lo fi beats, Swiss born Noa Erni finds his passion in obscure jazz tones, stretching from jazz hop to nu jazz to jazztronica.

The duo’s most recent shared project is the track ‘Damn It’s Sunny’, a stirring mix of percussive beats and heartfelt hip-hop that tempts the spirit away from the body, constructing a comfortable space to wander into. It’s a work taken from Erni’s upcoming album “The Mental Traveller”; a collection of soul searching beats which is also significant in its role as the artist’s debut album.

Released via the hip hop and jazz focused label Kommerz Records, “The Mental Traveller” brings low tempo, meditative vibes to the scene. It’s experimental, creative and very much a sound you can lose yourself in. There’s also significant involvement in the project from other contemporaries of Erni, including trumpeter Miles Bonny and Jakarta Records signed producer S. Fidelity. A variety of flavours simmer in this contemplative release.

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Dip into nu-jazz with Gianni Brezzo’s ‘The Awakening’

Gianni Brezzo - The Awakening, taken from the upcoming Jakarta Records debut EP "The Awakening" to be released on 12th of March; pre-order rh https://giannib...

An intimate coming together of organic sound laced with jazz synthesiser marks Gianni Brezzo’s newest collection

Marvin Horsch is the producer at the head of moody jazz project ‘Gianni Brezzo’. A multi-instrumentalist based in Cologne, Germay, Horsch has been long been invested in the nu-jazz scene. Light percussion, soft focus synth and a stir of soul have guided this artist’s exploration deeper into jazz tones, resulting in music which soothes the mind while moving the body.

The next milestone for Gianni Brezzo will be ‘Awakening’, the project’s first EP on German label Jakarta records. So far only a handful of tracks from the collection have been made public, but the environment starting to form promises gentle warmth, heated with passion.

Gianni Brezzo normally expresses emotion through entirely instrumental work, often returning to Horsch’s appreciation for acoustic guitar as a core feature. The Awakening welcomes a number of artists affiliated with Jakarta records however, infusing the vocals of singers such as J.Lamotta and Otis Junior into the soulful mix.

The personality at the heart of this upcoming release remains that of Horsch, and the organic quality melts away any distance between the creator and audience. The track for which the album is named is particularly representative of the artist’s moments of clarity in connection to his personal creative process.

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New-age reflection, Joseph Shabason’s ‘The Fellowship’

From the album The Fellowship, available April 30, 2021.Pre-order / listen here: http://smarturl.it/vo1tgmDirector: Maxwell McCabe-LokosDirector of Photograp...

Shabason reveals the first step into an ambient jazz return to his emotional roots

Albums are often created to become more than a collection of tracks showcasing the talent and recent works of an artist. While there’s certainly a place for LPs which flirt with unconnected themes and ideas, listening to a set of tracks painstakingly woven together to explore the same concept can give rise to something greater than the sum of its parts.

Such is the case in Joseph Shabason’s upcoming album ‘The Fellowship’, which brings to life the Toronto based artist’s upbringing in eight tracks of ambient new-age jazz. The full release is planned for late April, but promises to be a journey coloured by sparkling synth melody, warm drone vibes and carefully measured out amount of rich jazz percussion.

Expressing emotion and complex experience is a challenge for any creator, but Shabason approaches this project with ample experience. In addition to his work as a session musician, Shabason has lent his talents to the the Canadian rock band Destroyer, as well as synth-pop trio DIANA.

In the eponymous title track for ‘The Fellowship’, ambient jazz seeps into an open world; sometimes sharp edged and sometimes soft as a footstep. The artists Saxophone becomes the central character in a calm, curious space with broad horizons.

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Funk Icons Menahan Street Band return with Fresh Album

From the upcoming album, The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band, out February 26th. https://daptone.ffm.to/msb3.pbt

A melting pot of funk and soul from the Brooklyn collective’s all star lineup

Exponents of funk, jazz, and sounds that move the soul, the Menahan Street Band are a group based over in New York whose multitalented line-up works together to deliver music with style. Each band member has worked with an impressive range of artists, forming part of the team behind hugely recognisable projects and collections.

The band possesses a wealth of experience, and are innovative in how they combine it to develop new work. Trace back the discographies of the five musicians and you’ll come across names like The Black Keys, The Avalanches, The Expressions, The Dap-Kings and Holy-Hive.  A project which stands out for me was their work on Charles Bradley’s heart rending cover of ‘Changes’.

Funk and blues stirs at the heart of the band’s style, packaged with honey sweet brass and strings delicate enough to warm up sensitivity and emotion. At times their work spills into more cinematic environments, then into the worlds of rock and modern hip-hop, being sampled by the likes of Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.

This week they deliver another sneak peek from ‘The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band’, a 14 track collection which reignites the 60’s fire of rhythm and blues. Our featured track ‘The Duke’ comes from that album, and simmers with heat.

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Premiere: Stimulator Jones illuminates jazz rich beats, with fresh soul

Mutual Intentions · Stimulator Jones - Drama Time

Drawing closer to next year’s release, Jones grants us a new taste of what’s to come

The work of Stimulator Jones (aka Samuel Jones) might have found its way to you through his previous label, the esteemed Stones Throw Records. Look forward to the cutting edge of this constantly evolving artist’s discography however, and you’ll find a fresh connection with Nordic label Mutual Intentions, and the promise of an upcoming sophomore LP.

Jones’s style always arrives smooth and polished, but quite how it’s delivered and where it’s sourced from are aspects far less easy to predict. Tracks have been centered around energy from the hip hop scene, then at other times turned to genres such as blues, or R&B. What tends to remain in play within the artist’s process is a soulful, genuine funk groove.

It’s true to say that vibe is present in the tracks released as a precursor to Stimulator Jones’s next LP, titled ‘La Mano’ and set for release in January 2021. How that feeling is encouraged to grow by Jones calls for a more detailed assessment however. It’s best to listen for yourself but the determination to keep production organic, handmade and personal in ‘La Mano’ shines through.

Today we’re introducing the next track to feature on the LP: ‘Drama Time’. Dynamic percussion and rich basslines take hold.

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Intercontinental duo tourdefrance present new soulful sound

With an eye on dance rhythm and strong vocals, Fantom and Tworow get back to work

Tourdefrance is the shared project of Luke Fantom and Carson Tworow, a duo who originally made a connection back in 2018, when both producers were in Vancouver. The pair have been developing their artistic relationship ever since, keeping the energy behind their collaborative work flowing. Their success comes despite a significant physical distance between the two, with Fantom and Tworow now communicating between Canada and the UK.

The music styles in which they share an interest tend to lean towards dance based rhythms, inspiration which directs their process to the creation of electronica fed music with dancefloor soul. Within the discography of tourdefrance can be heard the influence of jazz, disco, afro-beat and indie, dealt with through the filter of old-school house.

The duo has recently dropped a new four track EP, titled ‘tourdefrance 2’. It’s a tightly produced collection which embraces manipulated percussive beats, deep bass rhythm carrying the natural beauty of synth and vocal sampling.

The new EP is opened by an edit of Fatoumata Diawara's single ‘Nterini’. A recent collaborator with the Gorillaz, Diawara’s gorgeous vocals find their way into a new electronic environment through the work of tourdefrance, and the result feels good in the soul and moves the body.

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Nikitch & Kuna Maze mix genres masterfully for their 'Mush EP'

You would be forgiven for thinking, upon first hearing Nikitch & Kuna Maze’s ‘JPS’, that the duo hailed from the PNW; indeed, the track begins with a taste of that easy rolling house sound that’s become a signature of the area. But no sooner than when you start to get comfortable with that opening, the French duo flips the script and break the track wide open with a bright, syncopated synth line that propels you in new energetic directions, ultimately culminating into a satisfying downtempo crescendo.

But give the rest of the EP a listen, titled ‘Mush’, and you’ll see that switching things up is less a surprise than a central theme for these artists. No two tracks have the same tempo, the genre influences are blurry and indistinct. There’s a seamless blend of syncopated instrumentation, beautiful synth programming, and crisp polyrhythmic beats; and yet, each track is also undeniably equal parts jazz, funk, and soul. It’s no wonder, then, that acid jazz pioneer Gilles Peterson has already been supporting this release. It catches the spirit of acid jazz, and places it squarely in a context that could only exist right now. Stream JPS above, and you’ll see why.

You can find the entirety of Nikitch & Kuna Maze’s Mush EP on Bandcamp, as well as on Tru Thoughts Records.

— review by autonomy

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Sebastian Kamae explores the dynamics of lo-fi in 'Nomad'.

Nomad, a song by Sebastian Kamae on Spotify

By taking one look at Sebastian Kamae’s instagram, you will get a pretty good idea of the Dutch-born producers day to day life. Snapshots of mixing consoles, art work and collaborators tell the tale of a producer who only does one thing and that is eat, sleep and breath music! And it seems like Kamae has been on this path since a young age when he first took up piano. From there, he went on to start producing beats in middle school and performing in various bands playing keys. Then in 2017, Sebastian decided to focus solely on engineering and producing after a move to Chicago where he began his internship at SoundScape Studios. Since then, Sebastian has entered a prolific creative period, steadily dropping quality music across a number of international channels and labels.

‘Nomad’ is a track that reflects that long and focused journey of musical knowledge and application. Kamae is a bonafide triple treat, he’s an engineer, live performer/musician and producer so our earbuds are treated to the accumulation of all this knowledge and skill. A lot of lo-fi producers have a traditional approach to making beats, gathering a selection of elect samples and often jamming them out with heavy compression to give that warm vibrant timbre that we all love. But having the kind of skillset that Sebastian has at his finger tips gives him the range to take lo-fi in a slightly different direction and allows him to explore and put his own mark on the sound. While the arrangement seems somewhat familiar, his production style is playful, creating a colourful calando which gives a richness to his work. His tracks seem that bit more polished because of his approach and careful attention to the most subtle of changes in dynamics. I can only imagine the samples of keys are his own as you can hear the emotion in how the keys are played and it gives the track some really uplifting moments. Kamae could saturate the track in a slick polished sound, but he doesn’t, there is still a stripped back, lo-fi feel with bursts of that dynamic range that offset each other beautifully. ‘Nomad’ is a solid release and a pleasure to listen to and I would urge you grab it on bandcamp and check out Sebastian’s other fine releases while you’re there!

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Rising star Catching Flies set to explode

Out now, listen here: http://radi.al/CFNewGods Follow Catching Flies: iTunes/Apple: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/0 Spotify: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/1 Amazon: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/2 Google: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/3 Deezer: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/4 Facebook: http://radi.al/CFFacebook Instagram: http://radi.al/CFInstagram Twitter: http://radi.al/CFTwitter Youtube: http://radi.al/CFYouTube  Soundcloud: http://radi.al/CFSoundCloud Bandcamp: http://radi.al/CFBandcamp New Gods’ marks the welcome return of the London artist whose music draws from a wide-ranging palette of influences including jazz, soul, hip-hop, house and electronica and has previously seen him handpicked by Bonobo to provide support on his World Tour. ‘New Gods’ perfectly encapsulates what Catching Flies is all about and sees him collaborating with two of London’s brightest stars: Jay Prince and Gilles Peterson favourite Oscar Jerome.

Multi instrumentalist, producer and DJ, Catching Flies, aka George King, has achieved a great deal in his musical career already. His tunes have received millions of hits and listens, he's got support from the UK's top DJs and taste makers and he's toured the world over supporting some of the biggest DJs and artists.

The one thing that has evaded him thus far is that illusive first full length album. However as 2018 inches to a close, Catching Flies is set to remedy that. With his album release on the horizon, Flies drops a tantalizing teaser in our above track, 'New Gods', featuring a pair of similarly rising stars, collaborating with singer Oscar Jerome and rapper Jay Prince.

Catching Flies, who usually operates alone, blending through the genres of jazz, soul, hip-hop, house, electronica and more delivers a tightly produced track in 'New Gods'. The trio each have ample time to shine as Jay Prince raps about life eternal, Oscar Jerome provides a soulful backdrop, all the while Flies sounds linger, guiding the listener from laid back electronica beats building to a crescendo of jazzy guitar/bass expressions.

The whole thing evolves over a mere 3 minutes time and leaves you longing for more. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a bit longer before his album drops, fortunately though, for those new to Catching Flies, like myself, our man George has more than an ample supply of music available online to satisfy that longing. Catching Flies has previously released an EP, another mini EP and loads of highly acclaimed DJ sets (such as the ‘On Deck’ Thump Mix) and mixes (such as his Solid Steel Radio Mix on Ninja Tune). He even has a monthly radio show on London based Radio station Radar Radio.

If you need any more help tracking Catching Flies as his star rises higher and higher, click onto platforms below:

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