KAU unleash new single, ‘Kaugummi’, from forthcoming double A-side 7-inch vinyl

19 June 2024

We’re excited to know KAU have new music on the way, following their debut full-length album, The Cycle Repeats, which was one of our Album Picks of 2023. The electrifying Brussels trio of Andre Breidlid (drums), Matteo Genovese (bass) and Jan Janzen (keys) are set to release a limited double A-side 7-inch vinyl in September. Drawing from elements of jazztronica and acts like Yussef Dayes, corto.alto or Flying Lotus, KAU blend British jazz with the vibrant ‘Brussels sound’ to create something diverse and deeply grooving, capturing the visceral energy of their live shows.

Set to drop on September 13th through Sdban Ultra, the double single features ‘Kaugummi’ and ‘Mad Kau’. ‘Kaugummi’, which means chewing gum, marries a dub-influenced bassline with brisk drum rhythms, creating a track that’s both hypnotic and invigorating. ‘Kaugummi’ is also KAU’s most recent original track and you can listen to it below.

Ali Dada announce new album, SUM, and share lead single ‘tone print’

18 June 2024

Photo: Hannah Gottschalk

Hailing from Switzerland, Orlando Ludens (guitar and ambient soundscapes), Rulla (beats and field recordings), and Max Licht (brass and trombone) make up Ali Dada. The three first met at Berlin’s Klunkerkranich cultural center in 2018 and reunited in Switzerland, quickly immersing themselves in a vortex of creativity. Sharing a passion for improvisation and experimentation, Ali Dada weaves surf rock, jazz, and ambient soundscapes into a tapestry of spoken word, wind instruments, and hip-hop beats.

Following a debut album in 2020 and various singles and EPs, Ali Dada are gearing to release a new album. Entitled SUM, the album saw the intergalactic trio embark on a Dadaist-inspired, late-night cosmic journey. As the press release describes, the upcoming record “is their invitation to ‘dadaversum’ – their eccentric universe of sound and emotion.”

We’ll have to wait until September 15th for the album to be out through DIY label YNFND but we can already hear the first taste from it in the shape of lead single ‘tone print’. The track combines sliding guitar, narration by Psychedelic Tim, early Super Mario sound effects, and irresistible grooves. Take a listen below.

Peenoise tease upcoming album, Straight Lines Strange People, with lead single ‘Unimaginable Falling’

15 June 2024

Formed by brothers Gilles Vandecaveye-Pinoy and Cesar De Sutter-Pinoy, Peenoise was unknown to us until only a few weeks ago when we were lucky to catch their incredible and exhilarating show in Porto, accompanied by Elias Devoldere on drums. We were instantly bowled over by them. Both Gilles and Cesar have been crucial threads in Belgium’s shape-shifting contemporary jazz tapestry, performing and collaborating with various other projects and also in theatre productions.

Following 2022’s Rooms to Dark Boats in the Night and Views in the Light, Peenoise announced yesterday the release of their new album, Straight Lines Strange People. Described as “the soundtrack for a futuristic-baroque film, which does not yet exist”, the upcoming album was in the works for three years “in dark forests, green fields, and on snowy mountain tops”. Over this period, “they began to build their own musical landscape in which they allow humor, darkness and surrealism to coexist”, as the press release explains.

Accompanying the album announcement is the release of lead single ‘Unimaginable Falling’, recorded during a blizzard in the mountains. Leaning into a wonderful wonkiness, ‘Unimaginable Falling’ is an exuberant and transportive track bristling with a surreal and mysterious flair. Listen to it below ahead of the album’s release in August.

Following their recent tour in Portugal, Peenoise are hitting the road later this year to bring the Straight Lines Strange People live experience to some venues in Belgium, with stops in Brussels, Antwerp and Brugge as well as a live show at Meakusma Festival on August 30th.

 

Nate Terepka unveils first single, ‘Silence’, from upcoming EP Not Yet

11 June 2024

Photo: Kait De Angelis

Nate Terepka, former co-frontman of Brooklyn psychedelic pop band Zula, has unveiled the first single from his forthcoming debut solo EP Not Yet. The track, titled ‘Silence’, features guitar contributions from his cousin Henry Terepka, also a former member of Zula, and drums by Booker Stardrum. Set for release on July 19th, Not Yet traces the emotional journey of a breakup with a longtime partner. Over the course of five tracks, Terepka explores themes of love, heartbreak, and closure. Drawing inspiration from artists like Robert Wyatt and Sparklehorse, Not Yet “build[s] from a palette of sophisticated and bright psychedelic baroque pop”, as the press release explains.

The creation of Not Yet marked Terepka’s return to music after the disbanding of Zula in 2019 and a period of focusing on teaching music in Portland, Oregon. “At that moment,” Terepka says, “I let go of my ambition to ‘make it’ professionally as an artist, which was really liberating. I told myself I wouldn’t work on any new music until I organically and genuinely felt like it.”

Despite the album’s exploration of emotional collapse, Not Yet remains hopeful. Terepka comments:

“Working on this new set of songs and recordings felt very pure. It was the first time since I was an adolescent that I was making music for my own self-expression, untainted by ambitions for any particular kind of success in a scene. I think that’s why I feel so good about this project.”

Now take a listen to ‘Silence’.

Neil Cowley Trio reunites after 7-year hiatus with new album Entity

05 June 2024

After a 7-year hiatus that has seen celebrated and incredibly talented pianist and composer Neil Cowley delve into a solo career and other musical projects, the mighty Neil Cowley Trio will return with a long awaited album titled Entity. The outfit of Cowley and long time band mates drummer Evan Jenkins and bass player Rex Horan have dazzled us for more than a decade and a follow-up to their outstanding, thrilling and cinematic sixth album, Spacebound Apes, is very exciting news. Convening in the studio after a long pause, the three picked up where they left off and immediately felt each other out. “It is three people conversing, and metaphorically dancing together”,  Cowley says about the new record. “It is a society of friends all looking out for each other. It is difficult music to execute and therefore without the support and commitment of all the people in the room, impossible to achieve; therefore everyone gives all of themselves and leaves parts of their individual self at the door.”

Entity is out on September 20th and ahead of it Neil Cowley Trio have shared the triumphant and sublime ‘Adam Alphabet’ as the first taste of what’s to come. Speaking about the track, Cowley comments:

“The working title for this track was ‘Lipschitz’; the first random word I wrote down by way of a working title. Unbeknownst to me and by total coincidence Rex and Evan had a friend back home called Adam Lipschitz, but spelt in an overly complicated and indecipherable way; with silent consonants and seemingly useless vowels. Due to the difficulty everyone had in spelling it, his nickname became ‘Adam Alphabet’… and so without hesitation I renamed this track in his honour. I have the added bonus of being able to invent Adams character, having never actually met him, and so when we play it as a band I can invent an ever more elaborate life story for him.”

Here’s ‘Adam Alphabet’,  you’ll find it hard to stop listening to again and again.

Forest Law drops new single, ‘Till The…’, from upcoming debut album, Zero

04 June 2024

Back in February, London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Forest Law, aka Alexander Burke, dropped his first new music in four years, ‘Ooo, I’, its catchy melodies and infectious grooves leaving us salivating. In less than two weeks, he will release his debut album, Zero, through Swiss based label Bongo Joe and London’s Total Refreshment Centre. With a colourful tapestry of Balearic beats, funk, Tropicalia and bossa nova grooves, Forest Law’s journey and influences shine through on Zero, and “showcas[es] his adept guitar playing, old-school sampling, and UK-styled beats alongside his mellow yet sombre vocals”, as the accompanying blurb describes. In the works for seven years, the upcoming album was recorded in various locations, from Icelandic fish net factories to the warm shores of Portugal, and even his garden shed in Romford, East London.

Ahead of the album’s release on June 14th, Forest Law has unleashed another delirious single, ‘Till The…’, blending broken breaks, groove basslines, Eastern bells, and Japanese vocals. Take a listen below.