Reassemble ft James Chatburn

Album of the Week - Louder Than War
Meat of the Week - Huey Morgan Show, BBC Radio 6 Music

“Filled with energy, spontaneity, and freedom” Twisted Soul
"Deep rhythm and melodic immediacy" Amazing Radio
"A beautiful dance of butterflies and notes in the air" Rodie Music

New London based quartet Qwalia, led by drummer Yusuf Ahmed, offer a plethora of influences whilst remaining resolutely itself. Assembled from musicians who play with David Byrne, Joy Crookes, Nubiyan Twist, Frank Ocean, Jordan Rakei, Sampha, Cat Stevens and more; Yusuf is joined by Tal Janes on guitars and vocals, Ben Reed on bass and keyboardist Joseph Costi.

The name Qwalia stems from the same sounding word Qualia, a philosophy of mind with the property of being an ineffable experience. Qwalia’s music is an instinctive aural expression of how things seemed in the moment of creation.

In April ‘21, Qwalia spent two days recording completely improvised music at the Fish Factory in North West London. There was no plan or preconceived idea of what the music should sound like or what was going to happen.

“We set up altogether in one room, dimmed the lights, pressed record and just played,” says Yusuf. “We came away with over 13 hours of music, which was consolidated into three albums worth of material. The final record is mainly a result of pulling faders up or down to create space and structure out of what was already there from the live recording. The production process felt akin to a sculptor chipping away excess stone to reveal a statue that was already there, and occasionally putting some makeup on it!”

The band members are Pakistani, Italian, Venezuelan, Jewish and English. A reflection of the fact that cultural categories are infinite; Qwalia’s music unconsciously explores identity, exposing what this can mean. Or perhaps that it doesn’t mean anything at all.

Qwalia - Sound And Reason

FLOWERS  Me&MyMPC

@modified-man is Dave Koor, a prolific keyboard player who is part of The Expansions, Hector Plimmer and Andrew Ashong’s live bands too, as well as having played improvisations with Yussef Kamaal. And Adam Scrimshire who cut his teeth with his own solo project 'Scrimshire' and runs the Wah Wah 45s record label, which is home to Dele Sosimi, The Milk, Resonators and Paper Tiger.

We've got the premiere of "Croydon Rooftop Cafe Culture" A broken chip tune jazz-funk oddessy. Brimming with influences of Dam-Funk, Herbie Hancock or Bugz In The Attic, this jittery, vibrant & playful track is a showcase for the sound of South London, as is the whole EP.

SB PREMIERE: Modified Man - Croydon Rooftop Cafe Culture [Albert’s Favourites]

Rinse FM Podcast

Download

Red Rack'em - 28th May 2018

Get You (STōND_LōK Mix)

South London producer Aeshim returns with another four-pack of beats and sounds created on his treasured Juno 6 synthesiser.

Premiere: Aeshim - Try Love Feat. Alice Higgins

South London producer Aeshim readies another four pack of beats and melodies created on his treasured Juno 6 synthesizer! As with his debut "One Week Peak", Aeshim challenged himself to produce each of the tracks on "Two Times Four" in a limited amount of hours. 

'Hot Scissors' has an all-around playful sound and feels that although made in a time-crunch was still a blast to create. It gives a nod to the mentality of today's style of Bruk - uplifting keys and chords overtop of in-the-gut low end bass and rhythms, and would probably fit within a Broken set. 

The new EP "Two Times Four" is out in October, but for now enjoy 'Hot Scissors'!

Preorder EP: https://aeshim.bandcamp.com/album/two-times-four

Hot Scissors

Preorder EP

Exclusive Premiere: Aeshim "Hot Scissors" (Albert's Favourites)

Modified Man brings another diverse bunch of tracks together for Set 3 with bubbling basslines, sizzling, expansive synth sounds and heavy, broken and percussive beats.  'Blame’s On You Bruv', combines their signature synth bounce with broken beats via some classic UK two-step vibes, and is the first time we’ve heard a (human) voice on their records.

Artist: @modified-man
Label: http://albertsfavourites.com/

SB PREMIERE: Modified Man - Blames On You Bruv [Alberts Favourites]

'Set 3 from Modified Man brings another diverse bunch of tracks together with bubbling basslines, sizzling, expansive synth sounds and heavy, broken and percussive beats. 

Blame’s On You Bruv, combines their signature synth bounce with broken beats via some classic UK two-step vibes, and is the first time we’ve heard a (human) voice on their records. 

Glass Army is way more direct, bringing grouchy beats and bass up to a euphoric disco/house jam before delivering an emotional final punch. 

Hear Me Calling is 808 gospel music, still nodding at the duo’s broken beat influences. Big, bass heavy, uplifting dance music. 

The rest of the EP continues to deliver the bizarre twists and turns, and sense of humour we’ve come to expect from the South London pair. Bumpy, atmospheric, spacious and jazz influenced in equal measures.

Artwork once again comes from a unique piece of plasticine art created by Tim Easley. This piece itself has been gaining love and attention with massive design authorities and tech sites from Creative Review to Engadget! '

Follow : @modified-man