Singles & EPs Round Up - 27th November, 2020

Mercury Tracer (A Red Thread)

Mercury Tracer is Midwife in disguise and sounding mighty fine hidden behind all that makeup and wig. Ditching the distortion she strips things right back  to basics in this masterclass on the  joy of simplicity.

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Marisa Anderson and Sophie Trudeau - Children In Cages (Bandcamp Fund Raiser)

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A stunning slice of cosmic Americana, that resonates with the dusty and dangerous US/Mexican border area of it's subject matter. Full of guitar drones, finely balanced feedback, less is more playing and packing an instrumental emotional punch. If that wasn't enough it's raising money for No More Deaths.

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Rosie Frater-Taylor - Better Days (i2i)

Musical ability far beyond her 21 years coupled with a youthful exuberance really marks Frater-Taylor out as one to watch on the UK jazz scene. This, her latest single, is a lovely breezy, summery slice of soul jazz which will dispel the winter chills in no time.

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Barnaby Bruce - Yellow Monsoon (Jansen Jardin)

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The best release on Jansen Jardin for time as Barnaby Bruce drops a cod digi-dub riddim with some easy listening jazz keys over the top to lovely effect, before label boss Essa gives it his regular modern Balearic house makeover, but keeps that all important bass line.

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Andrew Ashong & Kaidi Tatham - Sankofa Season (Kitto)

Ashong and Tatham have really brought the best out of each other on this EP, and should really contemplate teaming up more often. Every track is a cultured, soulful, broken beat jazz fusion gem. Pure London fusion magic.

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Swordman Kitala - Kimbalagala EP (Blip Discs)

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Afro dancehall meets the UK bassline continuum in this rough, rugged and raucous dancefloor filler, which will be hibernating until the post vaccine club reopenings, ready to jump out of the speakers like a hungry lion when you least expect it. I can hear the screams now.

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Eddie Chacon - Outside, Laraaji Remix (Day End Records)

This is a match made in heaven. A track from one of my Lps of the year mixed by Laraaji - yes please. Here Chacon's blue eyed astral soul meets Laraaji's cosmic synths for a beautiful drifting otherworldly slice of New Age soul.

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M. Takara - Chuvas (Bandcamp Self Release)

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I'm always intrigued by LPs made by percussionists. Going solo forces them to the softer and weirder end of their instrument collection, which often gets ignored playing with a group. Here Takara dusts them off and produces a lovely hypnotic percussive suite, full of New Age, laid back listening joy.

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NAP - Íntima (Experiences Ltd.)

Now here's a Balearic gem if ever I heard one. NAP takes a poem from Julia de Burgos and in his softest Spanish voice, and giving his rrrrr's an extra rrrrrrroll to almost ASMR effect, narrates it over some lovely laid back sunset beats.

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