Category Archives: Blog

Mansur Brown’s second album, Heiwa, out today

03 September 2021

Today sees the release of Heiwa, the second album from producer and multi-instrumentalist Mansur Brown. His collaborative work in projects like TriForce, and his contribution to Yussef Kamaal’s acclaimed 2016 album Black Focus thrust him into the ranks of the most talented young musicians on the thriving London jazz scene. Released on his own record label, Amai Records, Heiwa follows his 2018 debut album Shiroi and the Tesuto EP released last year.

Heiwa, which translates from Japanese as ‘Peace’, is a record about “the journey of life and all the emotions that are faced throughout life in the quest to attain true peace of mind and happiness within”, as the accompanying blurb describes. It adds that “Mansur’s sound rolls out across Heiwa like an expansive film score backdrop to the conflict between city and nature and the cycle of life.”

‘Flight’ was the last single to emerge ahead of today’s release. Speaking about it, Brown comments:

“‘Flight’ is a song about the importance of celebration and gratitude as I believe its important to take time out to appreciate the journey of overcoming obstacles and being grateful for the beautiful things that we have in life and things are absent are to be improved upon and developed over time.”

Listen to ‘Flight’ below and head over to his bandcamp straight after to grab Heiwa.

Charbonneau / Amato tease upcoming album with first single ‘Light Memoir’

03 September 2021

Montreal accomplished musicians Mathieu Charbonneau and Pietro Amato have worked together on a plethora of bands and projects for many years, including The Luyas, Bell Orchestre, Amon Tobin and Plants and Animals amongst others. Synth Works Vol.1, released in 2018, marked their first album as a duo. Three years on, Charbonneau / Amato are gearing up to release its follow-up, Synth Works Vol. 2, later this year. Whilst we still have to wait for further details to emerge, we can already hear the album’s first single, ‘Light Memoir’, out now through Forward Music Group’s experimental sublabel Backward Music. ‘Light Memoir’ is beautiful, soothing and wholly absorbing. The track comes paired with an accompanying video and you can watch it below.

Le Guess Who? festival unveils details of second edition of Hidden Musics

02 September 2021

This November, Le Guess Who? festival will enrich further still the diversity already brought in from stellar guest curators and a line-up boasting an abundance of incredible artists with the return of Hidden Musics. First unveiled in 2019, Hidden Musics is an ambitious program that pays special attention to musical traditions and artists from secluded regions of the world, giving audiences a unique chance to experience rare performances. Perfectly tailored for the festival, the program sprouted from a collaboration between Le Guess Who?, Grammy-award winning music producer, activist and author Ian Brennan, and Ljubljana based American musician, record producer and Glitterbeat Records founder Chris Eckman.

Tuareg guitar band Etran de L’Aïr, an Agadez based family collective who represent the multi-ethnicities of Niger, is one of the bands performing as part of Hidden Musics. Tunisian-Belgian singer, dancer, poet and actress Ghalia Benali will also bring her golden voice and charismatic stage presence to a Le Guess Who? stage in Utrecht, presenting Hadret Ishq, an anthology of the repertoire of Sufi poets, both ancient and contemporary.
Also appearing on Hidden Musics is celebrated Hungarian singer Monika Lakatos of Olah Romani descent and Egyptian ensemble Mazaher who are inspired by the Zar music of Egypt, a healing ritual of music and dance led by women, that is on the verge of extinction.
Russian label Ored Recordings, an ethnographic record label that has been documenting and recording artists native to the North Caucasus, will partake in this year’s Hidden Musics edition, presenting performances from Jrpjej and Zaur Nagoy.

For a taster of what to expect, take a look at the trailer below.

Le Guess Who? will take place 11-14 November in idyllic venues scattered around Utrecht. Tickets and other info can be found on leguesswho.com.

Listen to Maurice Louca’s new single ‘Higamah (Hirudinea)’

01 September 2021

Photo: Alexander Mahmoud

Maurice Louca had previously shared the transcending lead single ‘Bidayat (Holocene)‘ from his upcoming album Saet El Hazz (The Luck Hour). Now the incredible composer and producer is enticing us again with a magical new track called ‘Higamah (Hirudinea)’. Wrap your ears around it.


Saet El Hazz (The Luck Hour) is out on September 24th through Sub Rosa and Northern Spy

New Patrick Shiroishi’s solo album, Hidemi, out in October

31 August 2021

Photo: Kristin Cofer

There’s an exciting new release from American Dreams just around the corner. Come October 29th, Japanese American saxophonist and composer Patrick Shiroishi will release a new solo album titled Hidemi. In his previous record, Shiroishi explored themes of everyday life in Japanese-American concentration camps. “The concentration camps that Japanese Americans had to go through has been a major part of my work for the last couple of years,” he remarks. Named after his grandfather, Hidemi Pat Shiroishi, Hidemi is dedicated to him and focus on his personal experience after getting out of Japanese-American concentration camps.

A multilayered woodwind effort, Hidemi was written and performed in its entirety by Shiroishi, who recorded it mostly recorded in one take. The album, describes the press release, “brings the listener through tension and release, showcasing something unfiltered, beautiful, and ultimately hopeful, a testament to perseverance and grace.”

The compelling ‘Tule Lake Like Yesterday’ is the first single to emerge from the upcoming record. Speaking about it, Shiroishi comments:

“When I hear the phrase ‘I remember it like yesterday,’ I think of some sort of positive celebration or great time with friends/family. However, in this instance, it is through an opposite angle; a life changing event filled with uncertainty, chaos and hope slipping away. After my grandparents were imprisoned at Tule Lake and released four years later, that time stuck with them for the rest of their lives…even when i asked my grandmother to tell me about the time spent there when i was 16, 57 years after she was released, her affect totally changed as she shook her head and left it at that.”

Listen to ‘Tule Lake Like Yesterday’ below.