Having carved out a place in the contemporary club scene with releases on Glitterbox/Defected, Boogie Angst & Lovemonk Records amongst others, Madrid’s Casbah 73 recently shed his skin and is now ready to introduce The Jade, a live ensemble that prioritises emotion, excitement and the art of the song. Led by Oli Stewart (Casbah 73), the project brings together a remarkable group of players. At its core, this is about people: musicians in dialogue, shaping rhythms and melody, singing songs from the heart, that shared pulse based on a timeless musical vocabulary.

Opening with the exuberant ‘Let The Light In’, this is sizzling hi-jazz and sunny soul, shot through with a dose of funky afro-latin rhythms for good measure. Josh Hoyer leads the charge, delivering a powerhouse vocal performance, while Nia Martin and Deborah Ayo bring that gospel glow. As, indeed, they continue to do so throughout, especially on the deep, soulful standout ‘When Love Left’ or the shimmering, street soul meets brit-funk feel of ‘Change!’ Experience the spontaneity and playful nature of tracks like ‘Si No Me Quieres Esperar’ (with Cuban maestro Ale Gutiérrez on vocals) infused with funky latin and Brazilian rhythms, as well as sparkling, alien disco dub in the form of ‘Space Lines’. There’s no-holds, hands-in-the-air, fluid disco club grooves on ‘What It Takes’ and driving, riotous, soul-jazz grooves on ‘Being Seen’. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, the band change it up and stretch out with beautiful jazz-funk instrumentals like ‘At The Queensboro’ or lush sonic gem ‘On That Strange’, a track that feels like a long, blissful afternoon fading into evening, with things left unspoken in the air and mystery in its kinky grooves.

The Jade’s sound is post-pout, studs up, raw soul, free from modern dancefloor tyranny. It’s intimate disco, dead-selfie freedom, afro-latin jazz-dance and Iberican funk all rolled into one, rooted in emotion and shot through with a healthy dose of funky bad ass groovism. Genres that blend and bleed into each other following one simple idea: songs and the expressive power of live instrumentation.

Comin’ atcha from behind the Iberican Curtain (Madrid!) and spearheading the resistance, you’ll find Chavi Ontoria on keys and David Salvador on bass, forming the rhythmic foundation. They’re joined by the rousing horns of Josué García and Dani Herrera, and the vibrant voices of Deborah Ayo and Nia Martin. All the way from Montevideo, guitarist Nico Ibarburu weaves his spell-binding grooves, while top-notch artists such as Josh Hoyer, Angela Gooding, Ale Gutiérrez, jazz trumpet player Malcolm Strachan and others broaden and enrich the project’s emotional and musical range. 
credits
released June 20, 2025

Composer, arranger, lyricist, all music: Oliver Stewart
Horns: Josué García Duque, Dani Herrera
Backing vocals: Deborah Ayo, Nia Martin
Electric & acoustic guitar: Nico Ibarburu
Bass: David Salvador
Rhodes, piano, Moog: Chavi Ontoria

with

Josh Hoyer: vocals on 1, 8
Juan Guillermo Aguilar Bayer: percussion on 1
Angela Gooden: vocals on 2, 11
Profeus: guitar on 2
Eugenio Nardelli: drums on 2
Grell Hidalgo: bass on 2
Andrii Popov: guitar on 3
Tien: vocals on 4
Malcolm Strachan: flugelhorn on 6
Francesco Coppola Bove: drums on 6, 9
Ale Batanga: vocals on 10
Leo Oliveira : drums on 10
Iván Ruiz López : congas on 11
José “Jas” Álvarez: string arrangement on 11
Mad4Strings : strings on 11

Mixing & mastering engineer: Damián Schwartz 

Grab LP here!

Need To Get Back

DJ/Producer/Vinyl Freek. Mixing disco, house and more with wild abandon. And a whole lot of soul.
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New release: Casbah 73 // In The Dark // 12" forthcoming June on Lovemonk Records 
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New release: Casbah 73 // Love Saves The Day // 12" single out now on Glitterbox Records 
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New release: Casbah 73 // Sweet Maybe // 7" single out now on Lovemonk Records 
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 I appreciate all your support!

Need To Get Back

Casbah 73/The Jade