You’ve probably heard about Dominic Stanton announcing his leave from the music business last week. Sure enough we wanted to pay tribute to the great Domu too, but rather than trying to give a comprehensive overview of the man’s music career (impossible to do even in two hours) we took another approach. We focus on the first few years of Domu, right when he crafted his own unique sound, a sound that still stands after 10 years. Pure gold!

We finish off with some ants-in-your-pants boogie/funk/house action.

This podcast is now hosted on Mixcloud

Finland’s central sax titan Timo Lassy is here with his second go solo, on the promptly titled ‘Round Two’ album. Interesting jazz albums from Finland have been in good supply over the recent years *duh, I hear you say*, and there is no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Personally, Lassy’s fist album, “The Soul & Jazz of” had an enormous impact on me, and I don’t exaggerate by saying it’s my favourite of the whole, hyped Ricky-Tick catalogue, and thus perhaps the whole of Finnish jazz output in the past decade. So, it’s obvious that reaching those heights would be anything but easy.

The very core of what made “The Soul & Jazz of” great, is still in place. “Round Two” is again produced by Teppo “Teddy Rok” Mäkynen, this time in co-operation with Lassy himself. Lassy also takes a step towards self-efficacy on the material, as all of the tunes are composed by him. The proven-well band has remained the same, with the addition of Ari Jokelainen to the reeds section.

Some evolution in sound can be heard. The most evident of course is the addition of José James flying in from NY to feature on two vocal tracks (the whole lot was recorded 100% direct in a studio in Helsinki, over three days). The collaboration between the two began on the Nicola Conte album “Rituals” and became incarnate on the Nicola Conte Jazz Combo live setup later.

José James is every bit as solid as his reputation on the opener “The More I Look at You”, which was also released as a 7″, and then he lets even more loose on “Ya Dig”, which some of you might notice to be the instrumental tune of the flipside of that very same single.

Secondly, Timo Lassy steps out of the hard bop idiom to knock on the doors of older and lighter styles on pieces “Fooling Rosetta” and “Buzz Beater Stomp”. This variation is welcome to the overall sound, further proving that he has a voice that is well outside that of TFCQ’s. Even though it’s “swingy”, it still cooks. “Stomp” ends the album with a bang, quite literally.

The rest of “Round Two”, clocking at 42 minutes, is more in the vein of the compositions of the first album. There is the latin-tinged “Shifting Winds” that’s a highlight – “Deeper Into” is on the spiritual side, and then the lone ballad, “Some Love”. The solo spotlight is much locked on Lassy throughout, while the other horns settle to fill.

After listening to this album many times and letting it grow on me, I’m not sure if I recognise the instant hit potential of, say, “Timber Yard”, “Early Move”, or “Skinny Dipping” from TFCQ‘s “Hot Corner”. Only the club dance floors around the world will tell, eventually.

Over the continuing span of success of Ricky-Tick Records and everyone around the phenomenon, much has been discussed about the right of modern jazz’s accessibility rooted on tradition to excel, without always trying to push the limits or be somewhat enigmatic. Even the liner notes address the question. I don’t think we need to be asking this anymore. It’s like what I kept saying to the doubters back in 2005, these guys will hit big. Rosetta may get fooled, but nobody else. Lassy & co. at Ricky-Tick have now, at the latest, proven to the toughest of public that one’s nod to the past isn’t showing one’s rear end to the future. Boy was I glad to be right!

Timo Lassy – Round Two from Ricky-Tick Records on Vimeo.

• Tracklist: The More I Look At You (ft. José James) / Shifting Winds / Ya Dig (ft. José James) / Some Love / Deeper Into / Fooling Rosetta / Backyard Puma / Buzz Beater Stomp
• CD / LP (includes download) / download available through Nov 27th worldwide
• More info: http://www.timolassy.com/new-lp-round-two/

by -Janski- for beyondjazz.net

Earlier this week the release of a new Build An Ark LP caught us by surprise. The LP, entitled “Love Part 1”, definitely made our day and we confirm: Build An Ark keeps on being as spiritual as ever. Producer Carlos Niño took their uplifiting jazz-soul sound to the next level making this an absolutely essential record to wrap up 2009.
We decided to put a – damn bright, two hour – spotlight on the musical output of Carlos. This edition of the Beyondjazz podcast is completely dedicated to the amazingly delicate, diverse and beautiful music of Ammoncontact, Gaby Y Carlos, Build An Ark and other projects he is involved in, including The Life Force Trio and Hu Vibrational, often featuring Dwight Trible and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Enjoy this special edition of Beyondjazz …

This podcast is now hosted on Mixcloud

The new LP is at the moment strictly available at a couple of shops, including the Rush Hour store and Kindred Spirits web shop.

This is also a great occasion to let you know about 2 concerts Build An Ark will be doing in Europe next week. On November the 18th, they’ll be performing in Paradiso, Amsterdam (tickets here). Expect us to come home inspired and with a bunch of photos, video and audio from the night.
The next day Build An Ark will be playing the London Jazz Festival, on the Broad Casting night by Karen P and the Red Bull Music Academy. This event takes place on November the 19th, at Cargo (London) (tickets here).
Build an Ark actually brings Tribe’s founder, trombonist Phil Ranelin centre-stage along with vocalist and composer Dwight Trible – who has performed with Harry Belafonte, Bobby Hutcherson and notably, Pharoah Sanders.

We’ve got to add none other than IG Culture will be paying special attention during this concert at Cargo, because after the BAA show, IG Culture will step up to the decks for a special and unique dj set. Having spent the afternoon sampling, looping and re-working Build an Ark’s rehearsal and sound-check, IG will create unique and exclusive tracks to perform for the Broad Casting audience.
IG Culture also opens the Broad Casting night with a live concert performing music including some tracks from his incredible Japan only LP Zen Badizm, released earlier this year on Freedom School records.
Sounds like something you definitely can’t miss if you’re in the greater London area.

If you have been following the dubstep scene somewhat, you’ll probably know Dave Huismans aka 2562 aka A Made Up Sound by now. And if you have been following Beyondjazz in the past, you may even know him from his tracks on the Beyondjazz compilations under his Kaapwerk and Dogdaze monikers – yes, it’s him! Our anticipations were high for his sophomore album as 2562 on the label that helped define the dubstep genre, Tectonic.

Well, it is without any sense of exaggeration that we can say that this album is genre-defining in itself – a true classic. In 11 tracks and an intro, Huismans paints a very personal portrait devoid of guest appearances or vocals. There are no obvious influences here, no quick-cash anthems that ride along on the current dubstep craze – only very deep, layered and dark dubstep. The title Unbalance fits just perfectly. It may not be for everyone, but it will without any doubt be in my album top 3 of the year. Terrific!

www.myspace.com/2562dub

After this years excellent Space album from Brittain’s Emanative, next year Futuristica will release the remix album Time. To get us heated up, there’s this Spacebeats EP with two originals and two remixes from one of the strongest cuts of the LP, When On Earth. Tony Wahchuku opens the EP, with his trademark rough slap-boom-bap beats, while the track builds up in the background. Mark Rapson takes a much more mellow approach in his laidback smokey jazz version. On the flipside there’s a cut from the album and Emanative’s unique cover version of Coltrane’s Naima. Very spacey and out there, but with a steady groove to keep your feet on the (dance)floor. Good stuff!

emanativespacebeats.blogspot.com

We start off with a few new/upcoming jazz albums, slide over to all sorts of alternative poppy hiphop funk things, pass by some house and tear it down with some raw dubstep. We also looked back on the excellent live shows we witnessed last week by Daedelus, Little Dragon and Nosaj Thing. And how dope does that Grand Unified remix sound after all these years!?

This podcast is now hosted on Mixcloud

Portico Quartet – Isla – Real World
Build An Ark – How Do We End All This Madness? – Kindred Spirits
Robert Mitchell 3io – Third Stream – Raw Canvas
Timo Lassy – Deeper Into – Ricky-Tick
The Life Force Trio – Alice! (Live) – Dublab
The Long Lost – The Siren Song – Ninja Tune
Little Dragon – Come Home – Peacefrog

Mount Kimbie – Fifty Mile View – Hot Flush
Some Freak, Andreya Triana & Ritornell – The Light (Dorian Concept Remix) – Wald Entertainment
Samyiam – Manmachine – Porn Slab
Hudson Mohawke – Zoooom – Warp
Nosaj Thing – Coat Of Arms – Alpha Pup
Paul White – So Far Away – One Handed Music
Sensational Saints – How Great Thou Art – Now Again
Amnesty – Everybody Wants To Be Free (Part 1) – Now Again
J.Rocc – Hot Feel – Stones Throw

James Pants – Thin Moon – Stones Throw
Linkwood – Who La La (Linkwood Edit) – Firecracker
San Soda – Jek Zonder Pad – We Play House
Joseph Malik – Futuristica (Grand Unified Remix) – Compost
Ogris Debris – G Thong – Compost Black Label
Yosaku – Valdez – Fresco

Alice Russell – Universe (Dusty Remix) – Tru Thoughts
Nicolay – Shibuya Station – Foreign Exchange
Nicolay – Crossing – Foreign Exchange
2562 – Unbalance – Tectonic
Joy Orbison – J. Doe – Doldrums
A Made Up Sound – Closer – A Made Up Sound

Autumn faves from Simbad, Dom Servini and Aybee. Plus their guestmixes.

read on …

All kinds of newness this week, with new albums by Zero 7, Air, 4hero (the excellent Extensions cover LP), Clark, Hudson Mohawke and more. New singles come from Bonobo, Shuanise, Emanative, José James and we close off with 40 minutes of raw dubstep!

This podcast is now hosted on Mixcloud

Clark – Outside Plume – Warp
Bei Bei & Shawn Lee – Make Me Stronger (Floating Points Ensemble Remix) – Ubiquity
Hudson Mohawke – FUSE – Warp
TOKiMONSTA – Lucid Waking – cdr
Darkstar – Aidy’s Girl’s A Computer – Hyperdub
Robot Koch – 101 – Planet Terror
Julien Dyne – Fallin’ Down feat. Parks – Wonderful Noise

JtotheC – NoNo (Nag Remix) – cdr
Waajeed – Tetris – Scion
Mayer Hawthorne – Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix) – Stones Throw
Bonobo – The Keeper ft. Andreya Triana – Ninja Tune
Shuanise – Baggage For Sale – UpMyAlley
Electric Wire Hustle – Tom Boy – Electric Wire Hustle
Bill Withers – Use Me – Columbia
Air – African Velvet – Virgin
Zero 7 – Mr McGee – Warner

Emanative – Naima – Futuristica
Nu Tropic – Why Don’t You Talk? – Raw Canvas
Fara – Waiting (Opolopo Refix) – Broadcite
José James – Black Magic (Untold Remix) – Brownswood
Mount Kimbie – Sketch On Glass – Hotflush

Hyetal – We Should Light A Fire – Planet Mu
A Made Up Sound – Rework – A Made Up Sound
Burial – Fostercare – Hyperdub
Portico Quartet – Line (SBTRKT Remix) – Real World
Chase & Status – Eastern Jam – Ram Records
Sage Emeralds – A Little Love – Sage Emeralds
Joy Orbison – Wet Look – Hotflush

After last week’s dive into nostalgia, let’s try something totally different this week: the ambient genre. Labels like Mule and Innervisions both released interesting ambient compilations recently and artists like Âme, Mark Pritchard and Shed have been producing tracks that could be labeled as ambient. Expect hypnotic drones, alien soundscapes and eerie classical music. Deliver yourself!

Wrapped around the ambient session is brand new work from Ursula Rucker (in a Dego production), Nicolay, I:Cube, The Clonious and more…

This podcast is now hosted on Mixcloud

Ursula Rucker – And You Know What? – Five Six Media
The Clonious – Bugs n’fools – Ubiquity
Cottam – Cottam 1B – Cottam
Mark E – Gunstone – Endless Flight
*** Ambient selection
Nosaj Thing – 2222 – Alpha Pup
The Future Sound Of London – Elaborate Burn – Virgin
Marsen Jules – Coeur Saignant – City Centre Offices

Strategy – After Momeraths – Mule
Biosphere – Kobresia – Touch
Loscil – Zephyr – Kranky
Cliff Martinez – We Don’t Have To Think Like That Anymore – Edel
The Cinematic Orchestra – Soda – EMI
Âme – Doldrums – Innervisions
Mark Pritchard – Question Mark – Warp

Shed – Ostrich-Mountain-Square – Ostgut Tonträger
LFO – Goodnight Vienna – Warp
Autechre – Nine – Warp
Slag Boom Van Loon – Sutedja – Planet Mu
To Rococo Rot + d – As Compasses Go – Soul Static Sound
Newworldaquarium – The Force (Âme Alternative Version) – Delsin
Ken Ishii – Loop – R & S
***
Nicolay – Rain In Ueno Park – Foreign Exchange

Nicolay – Satellite – Foreign Exchange
I Led 3 Lives – Juini’s Arrival (I:Cube Remix) – Nublu
Mr. Scruff – Sky Blue – Ninja Tune
Zed Bias feat Jenna G – Fly (Bopstar Remix) – cdr
ArtOfficial – Big City Bright Lights – Sony
Gagle – High Drama – Jazzy Sport

To celebrate episode #350 of the Beyondjazz radioshow, we take a trip down memory lane! The show first aired back in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2003 that we had the weekly two-hour slot and when the beyondjazz.net website launched.

So, what better way to commemorate this event by throwing a party like it’s 2003?! In this show we play nothing but classics from the golden era 2001-2003. Maybe we’re just in a nostalgic mood here, but boy those were the days… If you have as much fun listening to this show as we had while making it, you’re in for a blast.

This podcast is now hosted on Mixcloud

*** lensco’s selection
Recloose – Chiqwanga – Astralwerks
Shaun Escoffery – Let It Go (Jazzanova Remix) – Oyster
Plej – You – Exceptional
Clara Hill – Here – Sonar Kollektiv
Pepe Bradock – 4 – Atavisme

Acimo – Framework – Lab Records
Somatik – Interaktion – Twisted Funk
Tweak – Harvest – Straight Ahead
Maddslinky – Make Your Peace – Laws Of Motion
Swag – Higher Purchase (Atjazz Remix) – Version
Dwele – Trust – Virgin

*** oemebamo’s selection
Dudley Perkins – Flowers – Stones Throw
RH Factor – Poetry – Verve
The Detroit Experiment – Highest – Ropeadope
Red Astaire – Follow Me – GAMM
Ty – Oh U Want More? – Ninja Tune
Irfane – Just A Little Lovin’ – white
RSL – Wesley Music – Players
Inverse Cinematics – Shoot The Pianist – Fluid Ounce

Amp Fiddler – Love & War (Version) – Genuine
Rednose Distrikt – Gotta Make A Move (Space Cadets Remix) – Kindred Spirits
Alison David – Dreams Come True (Afronaught Remix) – Goya
DKD – Future Rage – Bitasweet

The long awaited second album from the Mercury Prize Winner jazz collective, Portico Quartet has arrived. Isla, released by Peter Gabriel‘s impressive label Real World Records, is truly a great follow up to their magical debut back in 2007.  Seventy per cent of the album was performed live at the famous Abbey Road studio and the result is nine beautifully arranged and pulsating jazz compositions. You can check all of them here. One of the new songs, Line is already remixed by the up & coming dubstep producer SBTRKT and aired by Gilles Peterson or Benji B lately, press play:

portico quartet – line (SBTRKT remix) by sbtrkt

The finest dubstep label in UK, Hyperdub is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year with a compilation offering classic and fresh songs from its musical family including artists like Kode9, Burial, Cooly G, Zomby or Flying Lotus. So this one is a must purchase and available in double CD & 5 vinyl EPs formats. For more sound, tracklists and event info, go to Hyperdub’s myspace site. Happy Birthday to the Hyperdub kru!

Ben Tidy and Adam Cook aka Souled are not only great producers but their own label Fresh Minute Music has put out only killer releases so far. This brand new single is also a winner containing 3 new dancefloor gems by 3 fresh worldwide house producers. Listen to the whole EP on soundcloud:

3 of a Kind EP by Souled