SAULT | EARTHGANG | KEATON HENSON | DANIEL CASIMIR & TESS HIRST | PENGUIN CAFÉ

Hello again friends, freaks and fans of future-jazz.

In the week which saw the return of the BBC’s Apprentice, I have five impressive applicants for the position of your new favourite future jazz track.

Kicking us off this week is a new collective headed up by Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover. Having been overlooked at the Mercury Awards recently, the Producer rubs Sault in the wound with an early 90’s hip-hop homage ‘Smile and Go’ which provides your Charm Offensive. To paraphrase Lord Sugar’s Season 14 contestant Frank Brooks, there’s no need to watch your back when Inflo’s already two steps in front.

Like Season 9’s Luisa Zissman, mixing “the energy of a Duracell bunny, sex appeal of Jessica Rabbit and a brain like Einstein” (sorta) is your Military Coup. That comes courtesy of Atlanta rap duo EARTHGANG and their track ‘Blue Moon’.

Your Peaceful Protest this week comes courtesy of Keaton Henson. The singer-songwriter-turned-classical-composer unveils new piece ‘Initium’ which – though superficially quiet and calm, contains an undercurrent of ill-ease. Like Season 14’s David Alden, it might look like a cuddly bear but if you cross ‘Initium’, it’ll knock your stuffing out.

Your Guerrilla Warfare selection is like Season 6’s Alex Epstein; it thinks outside the box. If it was an apple pie, the apples inside it would be oranges. Daniel Casimir & Tess Hirst’s ‘Security’ expertly balances neo-soul playfulness with 21^st Century surveillance-society concerns.

And finally, your Quiet Riot this week comes from Penguin Café. The jazz/folk/pop/chamber music collective return with ‘Chapter’ – a track that sees them break free from previous restrictions with an all-new adventurous direction. Per Season 7’s Melody Hossaini, don’t tell Arthur Jeffes the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.

So, if any of those sound like they might deserve a big “You’re Hired’ from you, by all means, hear more here…

SAULT: SMILE AND GO
EARTHGANG: BLUE MOON
KEATON HENSON: INITIUM
DANIEL CASIMIR & TESS HIRST: SECURITY
PENGUIN CAFÉ: CHAPTER

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 –