Browsing Tag

Neo Jazz

Dry awakened a new era of jazz fusion with his electrifying symphony, Refresher

Posted on 3 July 2024

Dry’s debut EP, Kickback Selections, introduces jazz fusion fans to a bold new talent with the opening single, Refresher. The instrumental score is an unforgettable showcase of the composer’s modernised touch in the jazz scene. Symphonic keys scintillate alongside expressively enthused drum fills, defying the laid-back expectations set by the EP’s title as the loungey nuances invite listeners to lose themselves in a chiptune-esque euphonic universe of electrifying energy.

Despite only beginning his journey into the music industry as a college freshman, Dry’s already attracting a loyal following among virtuoso-seeking jazz fusion fans. His unique blend of traditional jazz roots with electronically augmented elements of neo-jazz marks him as a fresh, innovative force. Refresher is an attestation to how good music speaks to the rhythmic pulses while superlative melodies evoke an emotional response. Dry is firmly in the latter camp; transplanted by the exhilaration delivered by his honed, eccentrically adventurous,  production style.

Fans of Lo-Fi Riders will not want to miss this sonic escapade. Dry’s talents in masterfully melding funk, jazz, and contemporary styles into an authentically modern symphony are sharp enough to enable the independent artist to tear through the mundanity and monotony within the modern industry.

Kickback Selections was officially released on June 29; stream the EP on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Visit ‘Valencia’ Via the Neo-Jazz Pop Grooves in George Bone’s Evocative Masterpiece of a Solo Release

Posted on 24 November 2023

George Bone stripped everything back but the soul in his latest single, Valencia, which encompasses the 00s indie pop aesthetic while pushing it forward with the ardency in the wistful yearning, the colour in the neo-jazz pop grooves, and the instrumental sparsity which ensures every instrumental works with a singular agenda to amplify the disarming effect of the emotionally raw ballad.

Valencia is the first single released by the Essex-based evocateur after stepping off his tour with The Voice UK 2019 winner Molly Hocking. If Bruno Major and Conor Albert heavily feature on your playlists, you’ll easily find space for George Bone’s sonic signature, which scribes itself through emotionally provoking lyricism and easy-listening melodies.

George Bone Said:

“Eponymously named after the city it takes inspiration from, Valencia transports listeners on a Mediterranean journey of both loving and longing. It encapsulates the joys of travelling with ‘The One’ – summoning wonder, happiness, and the connections you feel rarely in a lifetime – and yet the wishful thinking of those who know that ‘drinking wine and [hearing] the breaking of the tide’ is only a feeling experienced in imagination. The song represents a bond in a relationship, where memories – both good and bad – are intertwined; where hopes and dreams are dashed and made; and where love is lost and found.”

Valencia will hit the airwaves on November 24; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pablo Ojeda’s latest single “Greasy” oozes contemporary Funk appeal

Posted on 5 August 2020

Funk Bassist Pablo Ojeda released their 6-track EP Gotta Move on July 17th. While each of the instrumental tracks is sure to be a hit with any fans of Jazz Funk, the perfect introduction to their almost impossibly smooth style is “Greasy”.

Greasy may seem like a strange choice for a bass-led Jazz Funk mix, but once you’re half-way through, you’ll notice that your consciousness has already been consumed by the mesmeric unpredictable progressions which in true Jazz style, throw time signatures out of the window.

There may be plenty of nostalgia to be found in Greasy, but there’s no disputing that it’s a modernistic soundscape which oozes contemporary Funk appeal. Get it in your ears.

You can check out Pablo Ojeda’s single Greasy for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mike Lenson Band – Gimmie Something Real: A Soulful Attack on Fake News in a Post-Truth World

Posted on 25 June 2020
https://mikelensonband.bandcamp.com/track/gimme-something-real

Mike Lenson Band orchestrated a fierce attack on fake news with their vibrantly absorbing latest single “Gimmie Something Real”.

The powerhouse UK-based quartet allowed the track to offer plenty of funk and groove through their unique genre-crumbling which puts Soul, Jazz and Blues in the same high-octane melting pot.

With organ wails and trombone solos adding plenty of fire to the eclectic instrumental arrangement, the progressions of Gimmie Something Real will leave you even more immersed with every unpredictable turn.

It may not be your usual serving of Soul, but the frustration directed towards the state of our post-truth world is sure to offer plenty of catharsis for anyone who feels the same.

You can stream and download Gimmie Something Real for yourselves via Bandcamp.

To keep up to date with the latest releases and tour dates (when they start happening again) you can connect with Mike Lenson Band via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Death Particle – Atoms: Classical For The Contemporaries

Posted on 1 January 2018

The Death Particle are a Classical music ensemble from Wales, UK, I was always stuck on the opinion that the Manic Street Preachers were the best band to come out of Wales, however now they may have to get behind this conceptually stunning collective of musicians who approach their music in an almost Lynchian fashion.

Their latest single Atoms is one of their more traditionally styled tracks, then there are tracks such as The Laughing Heart which flow with iridescent dramatism. The Laughing Heart is inspired by one of Charles Bukowski’s poems, it will be their last single before their much anticipated release of their debut album Atoms & Bone which is due to be released in early 2018, if that single is anything to go by, I can hardly wait.

Whichever track you go for, whether you’re a fan of Classical styling or not, you’re going to be blown away by their experimental sound in which they dabble in Jazz for a Neo-Jazz crossover to create one of the most stagnantly beautiful sounds I’ve ever had the pleasure of being introduced to.

Check out Atoms & other tracks by The Death Particle via Soundcloud using the link below:

https://soundcloud.com/thedeathparticle