It’s always a pleasure to find a message from Marco Tiara in my Facebook inbox. The Hive Mind Records label owner never fails to get my mind racing with excitement and curiosity about what musical delight awaits. 

It is no secret that I’ve been a fan of the label since the 2017 release of Colours of the Night by the late Maalem Mahmoud Gania. With ten releases under their belts, including gems from Rodrigo Tavares, Nicolas Gaunin, and Los Siquicos Litoraleños to name a few the label has attracted quite a following in the last few years, due in part to their dedication in unearthing exquisite contemporary and vintage sounds from around the world.

Following their second Maalem Mahmoud Gania release the label return with an eight-track double album from University Challenged. 

The Netherlands based trio is made up of Ajay Saggar (“Bhajan Bhoy”), Oli Heffernan (“Ivan The Tolerable”) and Kohhei Matsuda (“Bo Ningen”). 

Their debut record is a dazzling encounter featuring various styles from kosmische, electronic experimentation, deep spiritual jazz, modern classical, pastoral guitar soli, and more. 

On this page, you can stream four tracks from the album and once you’ve absorbed the trio’s boundary hopping sound, head to their Bandcamp page to grab your copy.

Tracklisting:

1. Serenus 

2. On The Banks Of the River Swale 

3. Reverse Swing

4. Choppers Over Negril

5. How I Swam Across The Pond

6. Shibboleth

7. Black Smoke 

8. Inside Segovia’s Dream