O Paraíso

This year, we vowed to take our time, to be more mindful in an attempt to experience and appreciate every moment the universe bestows upon us. Just like this debut album of the Ghent-based musical collective Jiraan. Founded in 2016 and led by Syrian/Belgian violinist and composer Shalan Alhamwy, the Jiraan Ensemble includes "musicians from a broad spectrum of musical worlds. Together, they explore the common ground between musical traditions and create a novel [...]

Continuing our two-release exploration of essential jazz from Argentina by ways of Berlin imprint Altercat Records, today, we bring you this originally 1971-released and recently reissued "jazz poem" by late Argentine jazz legend and multi-instrumentalist Jorge López Ruiz (El Grito, Viejas Raíces). Last week, we had already featured the delicately crafted and beautifully arranged 1975 solo album by Chilean pianist Matías Pizarro (who played alongside López [...]

Starting where we left off, we dare say, there's nothing like a healthy introductory dose of visionary Latin American jazz to get back into the flow of things. Towards the end of last year, the always stellar Berlin-based imprint Altercat Records surprised us with an Argentinian jazz double-header and a welcome follow-up to the label's 2021-released reissue of Jorge López Ruiz's project Viejas Raíces. We mention that because said seminal figure of the [...]

The annual Xmas delirium has just about reached its peak and with the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah or Chanukah well underway, we decided to share this little holiday gem from San Francisco's Reboot imprint, presented by the multi-talented American musician, scholar, curator and author Jeremiah Lockwood. Stripped down to a one-man, one-guitar recital, Jeremiah Lockwood brings us eight solo guitar songs to accompany the Jewish festival of lights or any other [...]

While it strikes us as odd to release a new studio album amidst the usual holiday brouhaha, we must admit that we had this one on our radar for quite some time now and are happy to finally share it with you. The young, Munich-based kraut-jazz-space-prog four-piece Karaba first came to our attention as the backing band to Turkish Gastarbeiter offspring and saz wunderkind Ozan Ata Canani on his rocking anthem "Vom Bosporus bis zum Rhein", released on Fun in the [...]

Time to shine those dancing shoes, pull those disco slacks back out the closet and step out onto the dancefloor. One of Hungary's most established producers, songwriters and film score composers has been on a tear lately, unveiling a brand new series of "Words" releases. Void of an official press release, we'll need to go freestyle on this one and choose our words wisely. But one thing's for sure, this screwball double-header is positively unhinged.

Ambrus [...]

Argentina. Land of silver. A mythical country on the southern tip of South America, home to the capital city of Buenos Aires, which itself is the stomping ground of producer, DJ, remixer and composer Pedro Canale, better known as Chancha Via Circuito. Having made a name for himself on the legendary local ZZK digital cumbia circuit, his moniker quickly became synonymous with a unique and highly original blend of "cumbia-inspired electronic music that takes cues [...]

Alo? Anybody out there? London-based producer and sound artist Yiğit Bülbül, alias Y Bülbül, first caught our attention with his deliriously quirky 2020 debut full-length "Fever" on Hamburg's tried and trusted Pingipung imprint. The extravagantly styled six-tracker was quick to win us over with its "frivolous" and "contemporary avant-garde pop projections," utterly charming, psychedelic and out of this world. Now, Y Bülbül returns to Pingipung with a new [...]

It's great we have this term 'jazz' to categorise what we have trouble putting into words and yet, the NYC-based Slavo Rican Assembly evades said pigeonholing, taking its dazzling compositions to new dimensions on "Intercosmic". The group's rapturous debut full-length on Riverboat Records is an extraordinary blend of temporality, in that it successfully channels ancestral voices to create a tantalizing and no doubt contemporary melting pot of sound. Led by [...]

Ever since Russia unleashed its senseless imperialistic fury on neighbouring Ukraine some 268 days ago, our dear friend Yuriy Gurzhy (The Disorientalists) has become a voice of the local cultural resistance and extremely active on all artistic fronts. Originally from Kharkiv yet based in Berlin, the multitalented musician, former DJ of the legendary "Russendisko" party series and co-founder of multilingual Berlin band RotFront began writing a regular 'war [...]

In 2021, the group's genre-defying debut full-length "Yaral Sa Doom" ('Educate the Young') set the tone for a promising career and no doubt put them on the global map. Now, Senegal's cross-continental Wau Wau Collectif returns to Christopher Kirkley's Sahel Sounds to unveil their sophomore full-length, building on their initial themes and expanding on their stylistically diverse approach, quite literally wedding a plethora of musical hues. Some of the rhythms [...]

Having grown up in the immediate environment of a 'Kontrabass', this one was born out of a personal interest to see what sounds this particular double bassist would be able to produce. After spending more than a decade as the bassist of French band Lo'Jo, Kham Meslien decided to test the waters and embark on a solo project with an instrument still commonly considered to be more of an accompanying voice. His recently released debut solo album "Fantômes... [...]