KOFFEE | LAFAWNDAH | MDOU MOCTAR | LAURENCE PIKE | JUST A GLANCE

Hello again friends, freaks and fans of nu-jazz music of the kind that makes kids stick their little fingers in their grubby little ears… the sods.

In the week that the Summer shot us its first flirtatious glances, the 45rpm playlist has unashamedly let the sunshine go to its head. The result is the sort of playlist that warrants an ocean-side drive in a drop-top Mini with the wind in your hair… and if circumstances dictate that that’s not a possibility for you, a sizable fart in a Vauxhall Corsa outside your local leisure centre will probably just about do it.

First up is rising reggae star, Koffee who’s come to “kick it, kick it like Mario Ballotelli” apparently… she clearly hasn’t seen him smash it in his own net from the halfway line. And there’s more Caribbean flavours in the final track of the mix where Tom Misch’s steel drums take Just A Glance’s raps to the next level.

Our second continental stop-off sees us take in two nomadic African souls in Niger’s Mdou Moctar and Egypt’s (by way of Iran) Lafawndah; the blissed out psychedelic desert blues of the former in stark contrast to the swirling sandstorms of the latter.

And finally, we touch base with Aussie drummer, Laurence Pike (pictured), who recorded his last album in a single day (it must be easier when you don’t have to worry about little things like melodies, eh?) His track Drum Chant is as energetic and entrancing as the name suggests.

And so, if that’s got you suitably warmed up, then by all means go ahead and dig in…

KOFFEE | “RAGAMUFFIN”
LAFAWNDAH | “STORM CHASER”
MDOU MOCTAR | “TUMASTIN”
LAURENCE PIKE | “DRUM CHANT”
JUST A GLANCE | “MEMORIES II REMEMBER”

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –