Daniel Casimir
Boxed In

'More Energy Fields, Current' is a definitive new peak in the recorded continuum of prolific producer/percussionist Carlos Niño. Featuring heavy contributions from many of the most exciting instrumentalists in the creative music constellation of Los Angeles (of which Niño’s has been a central force for over 2 decades), the album collects 10 pristine gems of collaborative communication helmed by the Southern Californian sage, elegantly presented in his unique “Spiritual, Improvisational, Space Collage” style.Starting with the subtle invitation of “Pleasewakeupalittlefaster, please…” (accompanied by the liner note from Niño: “We’re all in this together. I look forward to living in a much higher, much more conscious, harmonious state, here, with You, on this Magical Planet Earth.”), a gorgeously-keyed canonic infinity by pianist Jamael Dean articulates an Earth-loving, universalist ethos that imbues the entire 44 minute program. While the sonics shift and evolve, gracefully placed in patient order across subsequent track highlights “Nightswimming” (featuring Dean and Dntel on modular synth), “Thanking the Earth” (featuring multi-instrumentalists Sam Gendel and Nate Mercereau, whom Niño has been working and bonding extensively with in recent years), “Salon Winds” (featuring Jamire Williams on drums and Aaron Shaw on flute), and “Togetherness” (featuring Dean and Devin Daniels on sax), the naturalist sentiments established in the exposition remain potently present.The album is ripe with “ambient” passages that function like open portals between moments of consonance and clarity. But even in the occasional absence of drums, there is a powerful pulse implicit in the program’s frequency of consciousness. It’s a testament to Niño’s foundations as a DJ. His distinct ability to craft kinetic, cinematic sonic experience from dozens of independent, often rhythmically-ambiguous improvisational archive memories is more fluently displayed on 'More Energy Fields, Current' than anything we’ve heard from him to date. It resonates, lucidly, with the way Niño’s mentor Iasos – who is known to the world as an original founder of New Age music – has described his work: "Real Time Interactive Imagination, Flow Texturization."On 'More Energy Fields, Current', Niño immerses us in the watery depths of his world, spiriting us like a submarine through exotic nether-leagues of untouched sound. And when we arrive at the final, book-ending piece “Please, Wake Up.” (an extended version of the opening theme with transcendental counterpoint by saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings), it’s like a return, safely to shore. crédits

The trio hail from Modena, the Northern Italian motor city. As with the Ferrari and Maserati cars that are designed and manufactured in Modena, Strata-Gemma produce a music of beautiful symmetry.Strata-Gemma create jazz for the head, the heart and the body. Their sound is shaped by the ambient adventures Miles Davis and Ron Carter engaged in alongside the electronic pulse Mo' Wax and Ninja Tune carved out of clubland. Add to this a touch of Nino Rota's Fellini film scores, employ a pinch of Balkan and klezmer brass arrangements, and you have an instrumental trio who create music so fresh it stimulates the senses.Strata-Gemma are a collaboration between Billy Bogus, Luca Cacciatore and Andrea Moretti. The trio first took shape as a club jam between DJs and musicians. Their ability to create atmospheric music, pulsing with rhythm but never solely reliant on beats, music that breaks free and explores sonic possibilities, quickly won notice and lead to the trio playing their freeform music in clubs, music venues and festivals across Italy.

L’ambiance cocktail et power-bossa s’entrechoque avec du clavinet-funk dans le nouveau single du producteur milanais Larry Manteca, créateur infatigable de bandes-son pour des films imaginaires de différents genres – de l’érotique au western spaghetti, et du crime à l’horreur zombie. Les débuts de Manteca sur 45 tours ne pouvaient se faire que sous l’égide de Four Flies Records, dont l’équipe a sélectionné deux des titres les plus groovy de sa production prolifique, tous deux enregistrés en 2015 pour l’album à thème Mutant Virgins From Pluto. « Ufo Bossa » est un délicieux numéro de bossa-jazz uptempo dans un style ultra-lounge et relevé de références à l’exotica de Les Baxter et Martin Denny, ainsi qu’à des bandes-son de science-fiction pop/érotiques comme Barbarella de Bob Crewe, avec en prime le chant scat sexy de Yasmine Zekri. Sur la face B, on trouve « Intergalactic Porno Scene », un thème typiquement poliziottesco où clavinet et flûte s’entremêlent dans un groove super funky, avant que les synthés n’entrent en scène et nous envoient sur une orbite spatiale chargée d’érotisme. Pressage sur 45 tours.

Kamasi Washington composed and produced the original score for Becoming, the four time Emmy-nominated film that provided an intimate glimpse into the life of Michelle Obama. Produced by Netflix Originals, Becoming documented a moment of profound change for the former First Lady, not only for her personally but for the country she and her husband served over eight impactful years in the White House. Washington, who joined the project in its embryonic stages, provides the powerful musical backdrop. Young Turks Recordings will be releasing Vinyl and CD of this Emmy nominated score on 11th December 2020.

Vāsuki Sound launches with its first release - the concept album 'Third Culture' by Michael Diamond.By virtue of his residency at one of the UK’s longest-running nights 'Simple', supporting the likes of Ben UFO, Batu, Ross From Friends, and Daniel Avery, Michael Diamond draws heavily from the sounds of the contemporary UK underground. At the same time, being the latest addition to Brownswood Music’s Future Bubblers family, Michael’s love for jazz and harmony is loud and clear. The consummation of these two influences is his debut concept album ‘Third Culture’ - an LP that coalesces the very best of the jazz and electronic worlds into one seamless composition spanning ethereal jazz-breaks, introspective two-step, sax-driven power ambient and world-building, story-telling electronica.