– THE QUIET RIOT –

Gondwana Records has knocked it out of the park again. Just when you think you’ve got the record label run by jazz/electronic/world music visionary Matthew Halsall pinned, they go and serve you up a new flavour of nu-jazz that seems completely left-field compared to what they’ve done before… yet weaves beautifully into the overall tapestry of their roster.

In Hania Rani, Halsall has discovered a transcendent talent, a classically-trained pianist able to evoke the sparseness of her native Polish Bieszczady mountain landscape while teasing enough latent energy to keep you on the edge of your seat. Imagine if GoGo Penguin stripped the drums and bass from their mix, leaving only the piano lines.

Eden is the second track to be made available on Spotify from debut record Esja (out later in the year), though you can also stream Hawaii Oslo on Gondwana’s own site.

More From This Week’s Mix:
NUBIYAN TWIST | “SUGAR CANE”
MAHALIA | “DO NOT DISTURB” (SIR SPYRO REMIX)
RICHARD HOUGHTEN | “AMIGOS”
KASSA OVERALL | “LA CASA AZUL”

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 –