I’ve been a longtime fan of Andrew Field-Pickering (AKA Max D)’s projects, whether it was the eclectic housy DJ duo Beautiful Swimmers with Ari Goldman, his own productions in the form of Maxmillion Dunbar’s slippery tracks or his experimental drum tracks as Dolo Percussion.
Lifted, his duo with Baltimore producer Matt Papich (AKA Co La) could be considered the jazz project in his discography. At once heady and familiar, while drawing on improvisation and collaboration, Lifted manages to create fluid, ever-shifting jazz forms distilled by DJing techniques into levitational yet addictive hybrids. Often featuring a revolving cast of guests from the more intellectual fringes of electronic music, each new Lifted album is a collective journey equally infused by ambient, early dub techno and melodic jazz into an ensemble whose sum is much greater than its parts.
Trellis, with contributions from Beatrice Dillon, Johnny Nash, Dustin Wong, Jordan GCZ (Juju & Jordash) and ex-Black Eyes/Mi Ami member Jacob Long to name a few, was the one that broke the internet, quietly appearing on every respectable nerd’s Best of 2024 list. A highly porous, psychedelic beast melding dreamy synths, hip hop beats and delicate electronic textures into an intoxicating trip. Movie, their newest, takes sampling to the cinema to create evocative collages.
3, an older release (the third in the duo’s catalogue), re-issued on vinyl by Peak Oil in 2025, is perhaps one of the best introductions to the project as it strikes the perfect balance between odd and accessible. Opener “Chefs” sets the tone right away with sparse percussion and echoing sax refrains, placing us well within the jazz universe, blending field recordings with cinematic passages in phrases that gently unfurl. Theirs is a subtle approach, using easy to decode signifiers in unexpected ways. The journey is peppered with eerie yet comforting ambiances (“Cymbeko”), vivid field recording meets classic jazz trio instruments tableaux (“Trip Tongue”) and funky dub detours like “Born In the Roof [Radio Mix]”, pairing an addictive, wonky beat with a hypnotic voiceover with outer space pads, in a self described ‘slacker techno’ track that would perfectly fit into a sunrise set. It is also my unofficial hit for this summer (blame it on the instrumental hook). Things get a humorously disjointed twist with “Macarena [Radio Edit]”, while arguably the album’s single “Mecha Perfume & Variety” brings both directions together in a fascinatingly diverse track that reads like an alien take on a ‘50s exotica compilation.
In less than 40 minutes, 3 manages to build a rich, multifaceted universe with opaline sparks that are impossible to fully observe all at once. Just like the gem in the sunshine, 3 reveals different sides upon each listen, in an invitation to submerge yourself and peek at its depths again and again.
