AMPLITUDES - Dimanche Café N°016

Art Longo - Echowah Island

When Paul Murphy released his critically acclaimed debut solo album, Claremont 56, in 2006, many thought it would be the first of many. In a way, it was, as in the years since he’s released a string of collaborative sets alongside Benjamin J Smith (as Smith & Mudd), and as part of underground ‘supergroups’ Paqua, Bison and Hillside. But that second solo album? Well, it just had to wait.

In early 2023, Murphy finally decided to scratch that itch, roping in some of his most trusted collaborators (keyboardist and bassist Michele Chiavarini, percussionist Patrick Dawes, guitarist Dave Noble and HF International’s Kashif included) to lay down a sumptuous set of tracks that not only showcases his now familiar (bit hard to pigeonhole) neo-Balearic sound, but also proves how much he has matured as a writer and producer since 2006.

In The Garden of Mindfulness is richly musically detailed, expertly arranged and full to bursting with fluid instrumental solos, with Murphy and his collaborators serving up tracks that brilliantly blur the boundaries between languid jazz-funk, downtempo, vintage synth-laden krautrock, dubby grooves and sun-splashed soundscapes.

It simply sparkles from the moment that opener ‘Eighty Three’ slowly rises like the morning sun, with gentle, undulating synth sounds ushering in a slow-motion jazz-funk excursion rich in twinkling electronics, spacey pads and warming bass. Recent single ‘Katanaboy’, a lusciously layered dub disco-infused dancefloor excursion in Murphy’s familiar style, raises the temperature a touch, before ‘Bonne Anse’ and the sublime ‘Unka Paw’ (whose combination of evocative fretless bass, extended electric piano solos, Clavinet licks and acoustic guitars is genuinely spellbinding) invite a combination of wavy shuffling and flat-on-the-back, eyes-closed appreciation.

And so it continues, with gorgeous title track ‘In The Garden of Mindfulness’ making way for the boogie-influenced, Japanese-British brilliance of ‘Hangsang’ (check the jaunty pianos, yearning breakdown and exotic melodies). Murphy’s long held love of warm, weighty bass, hypnotic disco grooves, colourful analogue synth sounds and jazzy guitars once again comes to the fore on ‘Afternoon Bob’ before the album reaches a fittingly triumphant conclusion with ‘Late In March’. 

A neat sonic summary of all that makes the set such a rewarding and entertaining experience, repeat listens reveals a wealth of musical details, from off-kilter triple-time drums and surprise bass guitar solos, to impeccable piano solos (provided by the immensely talented Chiavarini), fizzing jazz-funk synth doodles and stirring synth-strings. It’s a breathlessly brilliant way to end an album that was genuinely worth waiting for.

Late In March

Great music is often about chance meetings and impromptu creative sessions and so it is that Hell Yeah proudly serves up Sensory Blending, a new collaborative album from Italian collective Aura Safari and Finnish musician Jimi Tenor. The nine-track record arrives on 26th April 2024 and is a lush and luxurious fusion of jazz-funk styles.

This glorious record came about after Tenor was playing a Hell Yeah party at Tangram in Perugia. Aura Safari were local and, in some free time the day before the gig, everyone jumped in the studio together. They had never met before but soon found plenty of free-flowing common ground and the result of that one-off session is now served up on this vibrant new album that brims with musicality, indelible melodies and subtly uplifting vibrations.

Tenor has toured the world and previously collaborated with the likes of Japanese master Calm. He is a psychedelic space-jazz-funk king, skilled musician, composer and producer who, since the mid-nineties, has released more than 25 albums and 45 EPs. Aura Safari is made up of bass, synth, guitar and keys players Lorenzo Francioli, Ruggero Bonucci, Nicola Pitassio Andrea Moretti, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni and Nicholas Iammatteo, and they are label regulars who served up their sublime Island Dreams album here last year.

Says Jimi, who enjoyed his time in Perugia and adds that "the studio session was 100% efficient. I showed up and we started to play. Almost all that was made was material that we could use for the album. I love to work fast. Quick brushstrokes. Finish! I was amazed at how intuitively the Aura Safari guys could come up with new parts for songs. I mentioned some feeling or approach and they seemed to find it just like that.”

'Bodily Synesthesia' is the seductive opener with steamy sax notes and gentle grooves that are topped by aloof vocal whispers. 'Lunar Wind' is another slow and steamy mix of jazzy keys and soulful vocal hooks, 'Bewitched By The Sea' is a more tropical and percussive number with majestic melodies and 'My Bluebell' picks up the pace with jazz-funk grooves and hustling chords. 'Last Waltz In Perugia' has freeform sax lines soaring over meticulous drums that ebb and flow and 'Gimlet' brings a playful, samba-tinged rhythm and sunny flute leads straight from South America. There's a laidback, carefree mood to 'It's Too Easy To Love You' while 'Your Magic Touch' is a dancey number that exudes melodic joy, and 'Indigo' closes in dramatic fashion with a conversational sax that sticks long in the memory.  

Sensory Blending is a seamless fusion of collaborative minds from Aura Safari and Jimi Tenor and it could well be performed live at some special select shows later in the year.

Sensory Blending

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Aura Safari & Jimi Tenor - Bewitched By The Sea

Carboot Jazz

Easejimi (Carboot Jazz Version)


http://thruyouremix.com
Kutiman - Give It Up remixed by Red Axes
https://soundcloud.com/redaxes
Original Version:
https://youtu.be/WoHxoz_0ykI
More Here:
http://thru-you-too.com

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קטגוריה
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Thru You Too - Give It Up (Red Axes Remix)

Instrumental guitar-act Santino Surfers shares ‘Goodnight Mr Racoon', a fresh dispatch of warm, nocturnal blues.
 
‘Goodnight Mr Racoon'→https://linktr.ee/musicfordreams

Jonas Krag is a renowned Danish guitarist with a career’s worth of melodic craft in his locker. Santino Surfers is his first solo project. The song comes off his forthcoming second album for Music For Dreams.

Supported by Koda’s Cultural Funds and Musik Forlæggerne.

Connect with Santino Surfers
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/0rhvpJA9qFkdTot8R8AdaQ
IG : https://www.instagram.com/santinosurfers/

Connect with Music For Dreams
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/musicfordreams
FB : https://www.facebook.com/musicfordreams
SC : https://soundcloud.com/music-for-dreams
YT :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo8HNI0C0QGdOoHWrTqhVWA​
IG : https://www.instagram.com/musicfordreams/
TW : https://twitter.com/musicfordreams
BC : https://musicfordreams.bandcamp.com/
Home : https://musicfordreams.dk/

Santino Surfers - Goodnight Mr. Racoon - s0830

New Danish group Candidates of Ebba share two new tracks of silken r’n’b-tinged house pop.
 
'Elsker Ik Dig' →https://linktr.ee/musicfordreams

With their four singles released so far, the young bedroom pop trio have impressively combined softly textured electronic productions (Mads and William) with gentle, crystalline vocals (Ebba).
 
The two new tracks ‘Elsker Ik’ Dig’ and ‘Ændrer Mig’ continue in the same formula of minimalistic yet captivating pop tracks with lyrics that unfurl youthful reflections in their own subtle, ethereal space.
 
Candidates of Ebba’s debut album will be released on Copenhagen based Music For Dreams.

Supported by Koda’s Cultural Funds and Musik Forlæggerne.

Connect with Candidates of Ebba
IG : https://www.instagram.com/candidates.of.ebba/

Connect with Music For Dreams
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/musicfordreams
FB : https://www.facebook.com/musicfordreams
SC : https://soundcloud.com/music-for-dreams
YT : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo8HNI0C0QGdOoHWrTqhVWA 
IG : https://www.instagram.com/musicfordreams/
X : https://twitter.com/musicfordreams
BC : https://musicfordreams.bandcamp.com/
Home : https://musicfordreams.dk/

Candidates of Ebba - Elsker Ik Dig - s0840

Good friends and Record Mission co-captains, Dan Tyler (one half of the Idjut Boys) and Nick The Record, take the reins for the third volume of the Mr Bongo Edits 12" series. With previous editions coming courtesy of Danny Krivit and Luke Una, Dan and Nick set their sights on a hand-picked selection of iconic ‘70s Cuban recordings for this three-track cosmic whirlwind. Across the A side, Dan picks out two Juan Pablo Torres tracks, with Nick taking on Grupo Los Yoyi on the B. Tweaking, extending and reworking the recordings with a dose of extra magic they remould the tracks to fit the sounds and structure of today’s dancefloors. 

Having formed the Idjut Boys in the early ‘90s, Dan and Conrad McDonnell have crafted a dubbed-out, disco-tinged style that permeates their countless productions, remixes and DJ sets. Speaking of the two tracks Dan has chosen to rework for this EP he mentions, “Having been caught under an avalanche of good music from Mr Bongo, I took it upon myself to extend and add effects to a couple of the fantastic tracks from the Juan Pablo Torres LPs they recently re-issued. Just for disco jockey and barn dance use.”

First, Dan looks to Cuban maestro Juan Pablo Torres’ 1978 album 'Algo Nuevo', taking one of the standout tracks ‘Cacao’ and giving it more space to breathe. Teasing out the scatting vocal line and percussive climax that nods to George Kranz's ’83 electronic disco anthem 'Din Daa Daa', whilst adding more cosmic tripped-out synths and space echoed dubs, Dan builds the tension to fine effect. This track sounds immense on a big club system and the swirling synths felt like they were lifting the ceiling off when we played it at the amazing La Paloma ballroom in Barcelona. 

Dan then turns his attention to Torres’ 1977 'Super Son' album, giving the psych-Latin-funk track 'Pastel En Descarga' a dub makeover. Rich in delay and drama, whilst maintaining and extending the breakers funk intro, he juices it up into a punchy, no-nonsense, cosmic-funk delight. 

On the B side, Tangent co-founder, long-standing Life Force resident and seasoned rework master, Nick The Record, revisits an edit that he originally constructed in 2009. Clocking in at over double the length of the original cut, Nick’s edit of Grupo Los Yoyi’s 1977 cut 'Paco La Calle', is made with dancers firmly in mind. This secret weapon builds and simmers, with the drums and percussion pushing and pulling before the psychedelic synth lines return in a sweltering fashion. In this new 2025 version, Dan is drafted in to work some brilliant new synth lines into the mix.


Juan Pablo Torres - Cacao (Dan Tyler NAD Bulto Versión)

Breezy palm tree disco from Mike Salta on new single 

'Bonamea' →https://linktr.ee/musicfordreams

The new track comes off Salta's forthcoming album for Music For Dreams, which follows his celebrated 2024 debut Moloko Island.

The new track serves up a perfectly tempered chill-out groove adorned with sunny melodies and vocal samples.

Connect with Mike Salta
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/7EDOL43Wxctxlwy4aYjL3N
FB : https://www.facebook.com/realmikesalta
IG : https://www.instagram.com/realmikesalta/
SC : https://soundcloud.com/mikesalta
Home : http://www.mikesalta.com/

Connect with Music For Dreams
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/musicfordreams
FB : https://www.facebook.com/musicfordreams
SC : https://soundcloud.com/music-for-dreams
YT : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo8HNI0C0QGdOoHWrTqhVWA 
IG : https://www.instagram.com/musicfordreams/
X : https://twitter.com/musicfordreams
BC : https://musicfordreams.bandcamp.com/
Home : https://musicfordreams.dk/

Mike Salta - Bonameama - s0870

Early in 2018, the world was introduced to Mildlife through their debut album Phase. Few first releases amass praise from Mojo, The Guardian, BBC 6 Music, The Express, and Shindig, then go on to be celebrated by DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, Worldwide FM, Dummy and Indie Shuffle. But it’s precisely this eclectic mix of genres, tastes, and influences that brought Mildlife together, and what they committed to reflecting in their sound. After a surreal start to 2018, the four-piece completed a sold-out national tour of Australia, and recently announced plans to cross the oceans for their debut Europe and UK tours.

With the release of their debut imminent, Mildlife took retreat at Research Records HQ in Melbourne, staying overnight after recording each morning and afternoon. It resulted in the evolution of the title track, newly imagined and re-contextualised at increased tempo with swathes of improvisation throughout. The studio recording was the culmination of the song’s growth in a live setting, evolving on club stages and at festivals throughout 2017.

Mildlife’s knack for locked-in grooves and celestial tones features heavily across ‘Phase II’, a more than 11-minute sonic journey. Kevin McDowell's synth soars while Adam Halliwell’s growing prowess as a flautist is peppered over James Donald’s shimmering percussion. Shortly after, Tom Shanahan's phased bass appears, and the four lock into a groove that gives a subtle nod to 1960s Krautrock band, Can. It’s not long before ‘Phase II’ erupts into a cosmic jazz-funk that urges you to move. It sucks you in, free of worry and consequence; utterly otherworldly. It’s no surprise that the band has been described as “kaleidoscopic”, “irresistible” and “enchanting”. With Mildlife, you’ll always leave wanting more.

Phase II

Mildlife - Phase II (RREP02)

'Open' Album: https://kutiman.lnk.to/Open

For all inquiries:
boaz.murad@gmail.com