Danish saxophonist Andreas Toftemark unveils his second full-length release for April Records by way of the stunning 'La Gare'. A deeply personal project that serves as something of an audio scrapbook of life, love and loss for Toftemark charting his adventures from around the world. Having spent time living and performing in New York, The Netherlands, Denmark and Paris, Toftemark eloquently transcribes his experiences from the captivating night life he's experienced to friendships made and even to the lament of Covid and dealing with the after effects of its impact still felt around the world. Backed by an incredible selection of musicians including Matthias Petri (bass), Calle Brickman (piano) and Andreas Svendsen (drums) - who make up three of the five musicians for fellow April Records stalwarts and neo-soul inspired OTOOTO - the UK trumpeter Gerard Presencer also makes his presence felt on six of the album's tracks. 'La Gare' delivers as a sensational outing and a thrilling project to demonstrate the vast scope of Toftemark's versatility - to have served as a founding member of the afrobeat-inspired collective A Plane to Catch and then to go on and helm a quartet that pays homage to 60s hard bop is representative of his unwavering talents. Highlights here are aplenty but we'll cite the album's title track and 'Dagmar' as the showstealers here.
We're a little late in heralding the wonderful music of this London-based collective but we're now fully enamoured with the incredible music of Monzanto Sound. With a stunning concoction of contemporary-jazz-meets-neo-soul, the band's musical melting pot is comprised of so many influences making EP releases to date - 'Time Lapse' (2020) and 'Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow' (2022) - absolute treasures. Released through the eclectic None More Records (home to Twospeak and Caravela), Monzanto Sound have been afforded the perfect platform to convey their musical message through some genuinely contemporary masterpieces and the release of their latest EP, 'TT&T Remixed', fully embraces musical concepts perhaps just teased up to this point. The man who can do no wrong at the moment, Dave Okumu, offers up a scintillating and immersive take on 'Eja' from this EP's predecessor while the Waz remix of 'The Letter' delves deeper into the electronic aesthetic. And then there's the two iterations of 'Monzanto Sound Meets Natty Wylah' which soar as excursions into dub once again cementing the band's ability to veer off into practically any direction they so choose. Huge thumbs up for Monzanto Sound - buy everything of theirs you can get your hands on!
It's hard not to marvel at the fantastic array of recent single releases from the prolific Frankfurt-based DJ and producer, V.B.Kühl. From 'Duck Rogers' to 'Flight Time', the indelible "V.B.Kühl" stamp can be found adorning the eclectic and dynamic compositions and 'Road Trip' may very well have found a way to raise the bar even higher. Brilliantly produced with layers of intricate detail weaving into each other, the track boasts elements of dance, house and even traces of gleeful disco in its breakout moments. A pounding bass and killer groove cement the track once again for the dance floor in V.B.Kühl's inimitable way. We have previously cited the producer's boundary-less and no rules approach to music that is continually a thrill to see unfold throughout his releases. The new single serves as an excellent release and a road trip absolutely worth taking.
What a year for the incredibly prolific Canadian DJ, producer and vocalist Emily "Socool" Sobool - following the release of her fantastic EP for Bathurst alongside David Hanke (under one of his many guises, Lehto), 'YVR to LBC' presented a sublime and fairly fantastic excursion into downtempo bliss. Her lush production, only matched by her luxurious vocal on EP track 'Riptide', delivered a brilliant combination for Bathurst which the two will hopefully revisit in time to come. We were also lucky to pick up the new 'Tropika EP' from DJ Soo - released courtesy of those fine and immeasurably talented folks over at Dragon Trax - and featuring the brilliant Socool remix of the EP's title track resulting in another gem in the Socool catalogue. The latest release pays homage to Socool's 'Ephemera' album released a year ago and offers up tracks for reinterpretation from an inspired guest list of friends and frequent collaborators including DJ Soo, Cloudland Blue Quartet, Lehto and Edward Spark each delivering some wonderful new dimensions to Socool's originals. The tracks here are beautifully presented, elegantly compiled and serve as loving extensions to Socool's 'Ephemera' project that absolutely warrants your attention.
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