– THE PEACEFUL PROTEST –

Thankfully, not the bloke from N-Dubz that no-one remembers, German five-piece Fazer return with yet more music to tantalise and irritate even the most talented toe-tapper.

I say “yet more” because the band have released both of their first two LPs since March last year and this isn’t on either of them.

And yet Khanda proves the band aren’t running out of ideas any time soon.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out where Fazer’s ‘USP’ is and the band make no attempt to disguise it either.

Khanda – as with so much of their best material (previously released track WASI shown in the video above) – sets its stall out early, bringing in the west-African inspired polyrhythms of dual drum-threat Simon Popp (photographed) and Sebastian Wolfgruber right off the bat.

Bassist and producer Martin Brugger and guitarist Paul Brändle then serve to create the ‘bed’ of ambient groove that underpins their sound before trumpeter Matthias Lindermayr’s lines soar weightlessly over the top.

Around the three-minute mark, some gorgeous chords come in to bolster the sound (headphone listening is highly recommended), lifting the whole piece up an extra notch or two.

And, if you like this, it’s also well-worth noting that drummer Popp’s solo record Laya was released in July and is a rhythmical, ambient masterclass. Pick that up now through Squama.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND: KEEP YOUR HEAD UP
GIRLS IN AIRPORTS: OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
ANNA MEREDITH: PARAMOUR
JACOB COLLIER: MAKE ME CRY

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 –