With so much good music coming through thick and fast, it’s easy for brand-new music to drop online and go overlooked. To help prevent this, we’ve picked five releases you need to hear. Stream music from Theon Cross, Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti, Nicola Cruz, Gaijin Blues and Ola Szmidt. If you like what you hear, support the artists.
Theon Cross – Fyah
London tuba player Theon Cross is well-known for his work with Moses Boyd’s Exodus, Sons Of Kemet, Makaya Mcraven, and SEED Ensemble to name a few. Having released his Aspirations EP back in 2015 it’s time once again for Cross to take centre stage and share Fyah his debut LP. From start finish, each track packs a punch full of energy and passion. Diverse, vibrant and refreshing, the 8-tracks mix early New Orléans bass line influences with afrobeat, grime and trap. Turn up the volume!
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Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti – Poison Fruit
It’s always great to see an artist explore new sounds it’s even greater when that artist is in their seventies. Brazilian drumming legend Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti recently shared his long-awaited solo record and across the eleven tracks he delves into rootsy electronic samba, tripped out jazz, beats and dance music. The result is truly beautiful.
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Nicola Cruz – Siku
Ecuadorian producer and percussionist Nicola Cruz strips back the electronic sounds of his earlier work, in favour of live instruments such as sitar, the siku, and the balafon on his new album. Still the explorer on Siku, he expands his vision from his homeland towards new stories and other cultures as sources of inspiration. The subtle electronics offer the perfect backdrop for the multi-layered percussive grooves that uplift you from beginning to end. Don’t sleep!
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Gaijin Blues – Gaijin Blues
Gaijin Blues is a new project from Naphta and PlayStation Yoga Music. Driven by exploration of Japanese music, Gaijin Blues pulls from traditional music, fusion, jazz, and disco to create unique textures using found sound and live instrumentation. The perfect mix of organic and electronic, this EP is a breath of fresh air!
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Ola Szmidt – EP2
Ola Szmidt deftly mixes otherworldly ambience and mellifluous jazz sounds into her newest offering. Haunting, delicate and deeply moving, there’s something about Szmidt’s music and in particular, her beautifully fragile vocals that just stop you dead in your tracks and makes you just listen, like really listen. A brave new talent – keep your eyes on Ola Szmidt she’s going places.
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