– GUERRILLA WARFARE –

Blue Lab Beats have kicked it up a notch on this one. The London jazztronica duo have long been marked as being ready to ‘make the leap’ in my mind but here, on Stand Up, they’ve finally, fantastically, emphatically done just that.

A collaboration with saxophonists Kaidi Akinnibi and Richie Garrison as well as trumpeter and London’s nu-jazz scene superstar Sheila Maurice-Grey (KOKOROKO, NÉRIJA) this is a track that is fizzing with ideas and ingenuity.

From the impish opening and closing stabs, to the funky shuffle of the verses, to the cheeky improvisation of the three reedsmen (and women) of the afunkalypse the tune is knitted together masterfully by band stalwarts NK-OK (Namali Kwaten) and Mr. DM (David Mrakpor).

And the best thing about it? Stand Up beckons in the arrival of a new album, Voyage which is due out on 18 October through Blue Adventure / All Points.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

AFRICA EXPRESS: MORALS
SHARDS: UNREST
DEF SOUND: HIDE N SEEK
MARO: WHY

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 –