EP Review: 101 Reasons - J-Felix

101 Reasons is a love letter to 80s funk and groove - an impressively infectious slab of synths melodies and reverb soaked drums.

Marking his debut release for Tru Thoughts, Brighton based J-Felix wastes no time demonstrating his musical affection. This title track sounds like pure 80s joy - smooth vocals sets against synthetic drum pads and rough electro bass lines conjur up memories of some of the decade's best sounds. It's derivative, but effective.

Lady T is a little looser, more hip-hop influenced in its swinging beat, p-funk sounds and vocodered vocals. It is a limbered-up but laid back moment of smooth funk.

Finally the EP is closed out in the form of So Nice (It's Got To Be). Big crescendo orchestral synth kicks, rim shots and filtered vocals are played up to the max - equally retro, but sadly ever so slightly less joyous than those two other offerings. Where Lady T and 101 Reasons feel insistent and urgent, So Nice feels just that... Nice. Still, based on two of the three tracks here, J-Felix has delivered an impressive debut and looks like one to watch!

101 Reasons is released through Tru Thoughts on Monday, but you can grab it now from them directly here. Listen to the title track below.

Out 19th January 2015, “101 Reasons” is the debut release from new signing J-Felix on Tru Thoughts. The digital single lifts the lid on three addictive tracks with a heavy ‘80s funk lilt and a dubby rhythmic driving force, showcasing the sound of this Brighton based producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist as he works on his full LP. Originally from Bristol, Joe F Newman grew up on a diet of D&B, hip hop and dubwise music, and was inspired by the approach of those he saw taking the DIY route in the electrically exciting scene of his hometown. After discovering the sources of so many of the samples he heard, he then fell in love with all things funk, jazz and soul, developing a particular taste for the P-funk and boogie sounds which now come through heavily in his music. “The 80’s wasn’t good for much, so I often hear, but when it comes to funk it was a fantastic decade!” he enthuses. He has cut his teeth in an eclectic range of bands and musical projects, including touring internationally as Alice Russell’s guitarist, as well as having his work licensed to various compilations alongside the likes of DJ Vadim, Ta Ku and Opolopo (to name just a few) and picking up props from Mixmag and Hilly Dilly. He also absorbed a huge array of influences - from A Tribe Called Quest to The Clash to De La Soul; Jimi Hendrix to Snarky Puppy - before deciding the time had come to zoom in on his own sound. He was right to take the plunge; stepping out under his solo moniker, J-Felix, he found his woozy, heart-on-sleeve, P-funk laced songs quickly sparking interest. Eager to create his own sonic stamp, J-Felix steers away from samples in his music, instead layering up his own vocal and instrumental performances; self-taught on a range of instruments including drums, guitar, bass, keys and synths, he has an impressive range to choose from at his fingertips. While there is a clear identity running through the three tracks here, each brings a plethora of sonic flourishes to the party. The catchy and driving vocal of “101 Reasons” is a sincere ode to the value of excellent friends, woven through a happy-go-lucky, skip-along musical backdrop and a killer beat. “Lady T” celebrates the love of Newman’s life with a more abstract and upbeat, fluttering and romantic feel care of some artfully chopped up synth and vocal samples and a rhythm track that pays homage to “All night Long”, a classic with a groove that Newman can’t get enough of. “So Nice (It’s got to be)” continues his innate positivity: “I have always loved music that lifts you up somehow”, says Newman. He keeps the feeling alive and fresh, and steers well clear of cloying, with forward-looking twists and unique atmospheric touches like layering chunks of recorded street noise among the percussion track. As well as tinkering away in his funk factory, Newman also teaches music production and holds youth workshops, which ensures he is always on his toes and pushing himself towards new skills and tricks. His wide-ranging appreciation of music makes him a killer DJ, too; J-Felix plays at Tru Thoughts’ London party at The Forum in February, with more shows – both DJ and live act – to be announced. As a fan of Tru Thoughts from way back, Newman feels the stars are aligning: “It is amazing to sign to Tru Thoughts and to be acknowledged as an artist; to have my music supported by such a reputable (and friendly) label. Considering my influences and favourite music, both on TT and elsewhere, and especially after touring with Alice Russell, it feels like a natural home. And”, he tantalisingly suggests, “I look forward to collaborating with other artists on the label, a ball which has already started rolling...”

EP Review: Bad Guys Won / Hummingbirds - Titeknots

There's a lush Classic vibe to this latest double A-side single from London house producer Titeknots, the third in quick succession coming out in Tru Thoughts. It also reminds me of the kind of sound Swag were pushing back in the early noughties, but it still sounds just as fresh today.

Expect heads-down house music with plenty of jazzy flourishes, in other words. Up first, Bad Guys Won is a swirling flurry of keys and looped live bass, together with sharp drums and cut-up vocals.

Hummingbirds is even fresher in my opinion. Taughtly wound bass creates a looping sensation throughout the track, set against shuffling rhythms that give the track a real basement jazz vibe. Quality.

Bad Guys Won / Hummingbirds is out now through Tru Thoughts. Stream all of the Tru Thoughts Titeknots singles on Soundcloud below. You can purchase the single on MP3 through Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].

Titeknots is currently in the midst of a run of quick fire single releases on @tru-thoughts Here they are all collected, with the latest release at the top. All singles can be bought here: http://titeknots.bandcamp.com or here: http://shop.etchshop.co.uk/artists/titeknots

Single Review: Ain't Nobody - Youngblood Brass Band

Youngblood Brass Band are a ten-piece acoustic jazz punk funk band who are set to launch their fourth album, Pax Volumi, in September. Originally formed in the 1990s by school friends in Wisconsin the band now encompasses members from all over the US, including Madison, New Orleans, New York, Nashville, Minneapolis and Chicago.

The second single lifted from the forthcoming album, Ain't Nobody opens with the title track of the EP, an instrumental cover of the Chaka Khan original which is launched into with much aplomb and no small amount of passion. The band lay down the track with intensity but in a relatively traditional approach compared to the rest of this release. There's a huge amount of energy though and the track really demonstrates the group's musical ability.

The second track on side-a, 'Ê la ê', is more influenced by hip-hop, a summer-celebrating Latin-jazz party track. It's another instrumental that displays the band's strong percussive skills and also lays in some electronic components that give the track a fresh, modern feel despite the fairly timeless nature of its main hook.

The final track, 'The Plank Will Nod And You Will Go' is featured in both instrumental and original flavours. It is here that the Youngblood Brass Band show off their real contemporary edge, with Henzie-Skogen delivering some ferocious vocals that sound a little like Rage Against The Machine's Zack de la Rocha. His delivery alternates between somewhat subdued in the verses to an upbeat and aggressive scatter-gun delivery in the choruses that forces the music to break into a run just to keep up. Overall it's an interesting and varied release and a promising taster of that forthcoming album.

Ain't Nobody is released on Tru Thoughts on 12 August, available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

Album Review: Neon Hurts My Eyes - Natural Self

It appears that Nathaniel Pearn has had an interesting few years since I checked out his last album, My Heart Beats Like A Drum. This is Pearn's first album with him in the front seat as singer-songwriter, a move that holds promise given the over-reliance on occasionally formulaic instrumentals on previous releases.

Having said which, Neon Hurts My Eyes still starts with an instrumental in the form of Metropolis. That opening still sign-posts how much Natural Self has changed this time around though. Whilst this album retains elements of Pearn's hip-hop and funk production influences the opening highlights there is a lot more going on. The press-release may be a little over-eager in name-checking Radiohead and the Beta Band but this is clearly a more experimental album.

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​Neon Hurts My Eyes - Natural Self

So Neon Hurts My Eyes opens with glitchy electronic-bleeps and wild, soaring vocal choruses before early preview track Red Wire Blue Wire picks up the baton. Here Pearn's vocals are applied to a head-nodding electronic track, complete with arpeggiated synths and bass-heavy keys. Its a marked departure, and a refreshing one.

There are moments when Neon Hurts... seems to drift much more towards the traditional Natural Self sound, on the soulful choral female vocals of The Valleys, for example. On the whole however this is an album that sounds like the creator grew tired of his pigeonhole, and Pearn's adventures are generally a more worthwhile listen as a result. Yet there are a few missteps - a general overwhelming sense of earnestness and a cover of Laurie Andreson's O Superman that I struggle to wholly get behind.

The album is strongest when it forges its own path. Mirror To The Sky is an entrancing post-apocalyptic ballad of our demise, complete with haunting cello and mechanical drums whilst Take It Back is fuzzy, jiving and chaotic - a whirl of electronic noise and grimy bass. The album closes on a haunted, spectral instrumental in Paper Skyline that conjures a sense of conflicted optimism.

Pearn is no longer wrestling with his inspiration as he was on previous albums. Neon Hurts My Eyes is Natural Self creating his own identity, and so far it's sounding pretty good.

Neon Hurts My Eyes is out on 11 March through Tru Thought, available for pre-order on CD from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].

Album Review: Take The Space Trane - Mark de Clive-Lowe & The Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra

The concept for this album takes a little explaining. Mark de Clive-Lowe is a Japanese-New Zealand producer, musician and DJ. Having embraced the piano as young as four he went on to become an accomplished Jazz musician. Having spent a decade in London working alongside the likes of Bugz In The Attic and Jody Watley, Clive-Lowe relocated to Los Angeles last year and released his 14th solo album Renegades through Tru Thoughts.

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Take The Space Trane - Mark de Clive-Lowe & The Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra

New album Take The Space Trane is an appropriately titled trip into both jazz's future and past. In collaboration with The Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, Clive-Lowe came up with the concept of applying a distinctly modern take on the vintage Big Band sound. The resulting album is a combination of tracks from Clive-Lowe's career together with two new compositions and a cover the jazz standard 'Caravan'.

The result is an arresting combination. We're used to hearing elements of jazz plundered but until now the Big Band sound has generally been left to age more gracefully. Notably not everyone is pleased with the result - when performing their first show a Amsterdam's Melkweg venue Clive-Lowe recalls an audience visibly divided, with older Big Band-purists fleeing for cover whilst many younger listeners lapped up the opportunity to consume something new.

The music has an experimental, near Acid-Jazz sound at times - the brassy melodies are affronting and here, in all their polished glory, the album is quite the thing to consume. The cover of 'Caravan' is a fractured piece that layers funk rhythms with left-field experimental jazz.

The album title itself comes from the classic Jazz-player Duke Ellington's 'Take The A Train', combined with the experimental modal techniques of John Coltrane. Add in the electronic influence and you get Take The Space Trane (obviously!).

Clive-Lowe has created a very full album, with a sound and an idea that simultaneously tries to appeal to a number of styles at once but risks alienating fans of all of those styles completely. Where it slots together and hits its stride Take The Space Trane is a thrilling ride - you just need to be ready to hang on tight for the occasional sharp corner and be prepared for the fact it almost certainly goes on a little longer than necessary.

Take The Space Trane is released on 4 February through Tru Thoughts, available to pre-order on CD from Amazon.co.uk for just £7 [at the time of publishing, affiliate link]. Preview the title track below from Soundcloud: