With so much good music coming through thick and fast, it’s easy for new music to drop online and go unnoticed. To help prevent this, we’ve picked five releases that you need to hear. Stream music from Youssoupha Sidibe, Khruangbin, We Out Here, Equiknoxx and Jonny Nash / Lindsay Todd. If you like what you hear, support the artists.
Youssoupha Sidibe – Sacred Sound
Hailing from Senegal, West Africa is Grammy Award-nominated Youssoupha Sidibe. Though he currently resides in Amherst, Massachusetts, he continues to share the story of his West African heritage through his music. Sacred Sound is a 12-track LP that explores the intricacies of African Devotional Music. Utterly relaxing and uplifting, please don’t sleep on this album.
★★★★★
Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo
Formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald “DJ” Johnson on drums; Texan trio Khruangbin present their second album ‘Con Todo El Mundo’. The new album maintains their style of funk and psychedelic grooves but where their debut album ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You’ was influenced by 60s and 70s Thai funk the trio takes inspiration from the sounds of the Middle-East, mainly from Iran. There’s something about Khruangbin’s blissfully spaced out music that always manages to put a smile on my face!
★★★★☆
We Out Here (Various Artist)
We Out Here is Brownswood Recordings brilliant snapshot of London’s burning young jazz scene. Recorded over three days under the musical direction of saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, the musicians who grace this beautiful collection have for the past couple of years worked tirelessly to reignite the flames of UK jazz. The array of talent within this close-knit community is dazzling, and this timely compilation perfectly encapsulates the London jazz scene in 2018. High quality, five star stuff.
★★★★★
Equiknoxx – Colón Man
Although we’re a few months late with this one, we had to share it with you! Jamaican dancehall crew, Equiknoxx’s debut album proper, follows their hugely acclaimed ‘Bird Sound Power’, featuring 13 brand new gems recorded between December 2016 and June 2017, the record features a darker, more psychedelic, starkly dubbed perspectives on up-to-the-second dancehall. There’s not much else to say, other than listen below and be taken on a musical journey that tears up the traditional dancehall rulebook.
★★★★★
Jonny Nash / Lindsay Todd – Fauna Mapping
Melody Is Truth boss Jonny Nash and Lindsay Todd team up for a collaborative album of beautifully manipulated field recordings. A solid record that’s worth exploring.
★★★★☆
