A household name in the UK jazz world, Canadian-born, UK-based trumpeter, DJ and composer JAY PHELPS teams up with Birmingham MC Simon Jnr ‘Through The Clouds’. It’s the second single from his forthcoming album ‘The Now’, releasing via Platoon in partnership with Black Lives In Music.
With a career spanning 20 years, Phelps has performed as a sideman with some of the world’s top names, including Amy Winehouse, George Benson and Wiz Kid. His work as founding member of award-winning contemporary jazz group Empirical in the late 2000s garnered international acclaim, an early precursor to the explosion of UK jazz that has since followed. As a bandleader, he’s explored multiple styles, threading together the jazz language and tradition with contemporary influences, always with one eye on the future.
His status as an innovator and enabler on the UK jazz scene has seen him host regular shows on Jazz FM and Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, and draw praise from The Guardian, Jazzwise and London Jazz News.
The forthcoming LP ‘The Now’ brings together a cross-generational collective of musicians. It’s a journey from the underground, club-centric UK jazz scene, through to the house-filled streets of Detroit and progressive sonics of LA. Phelps continues on his mission as a connector of dots, bringing together multiple generations of musicians at the forefront of the UK’s jazz scene, including David Mrakpor (Blue Lab Beats), Tom Ford (Chris Dave, Reuben James) and Nicola Guida (Secret Night Gang). The record draws inspiration from hiphop, G-funk and broken beat, with Phelps and co weaving between styles through
conversational improvisation, thoughtfully crafted melodies and a combination of vocal and horn-led arrangements. Continuing with the west coast vibe explored on lead single ‘Finding Centaurii’,
‘Through The Clouds’ invokes shades of Anderson Paak’s jazz-fuelled soul-funk. Phelps’ playful muted
trumpet is paired with Ruta Sipola’s flute in conversation with Mrakpor’s vibraphone, with the instrumental finely balanced against Simon Jnr’s lyrical flow, setting an inspirational tone of breaking through and looking past adversity.
“I wanted the catchy melody to be traded around the band, as it’s the largest ensemble featured on the entire album. Simon Jnr came through and provided the lyrical masterpiece, which tied in perfectly to the themes I wanted to convey on the instrumental.” -Jay Phelps. Have a listen to
‘Through The Clouds’ below…
Tag: London
Song of the Day: Scream999 – Sola
London-based multi-instrumentalist/producer/vocalist SOLA‘s single ‘Scream999’, portrays a hauntingly beautiful sound, led by Sola’s captivating silky vocal, combined with an intense instrumentation and heavy drum tracks, perfectly capturing the song’s dystopian themes of information overload and desensitization.
Of the song, Sola shares: “’Scream999’ is a critique of the internet age. We’re constantly bombarded with information competing for our attention, which makes it easy to lose focus of what’s important. It’s about becoming desensitised to suffering, screaming into a void where everyone around is too distracted to notice or help. The video, directed by Rosino, tried to reflect the songs themes through filming in a dystopian setting, with the broken tv screens and distorted visuals representing the information overload technology has caused.”
‘Scream999’ follows on from Sola’s recent, romantic single ‘Abide In U’, featuring drums from acclaimed musician Moses Boyd which garnered support from the likes of CLASH, COLORS, Wonderland, BBC Radio London, Noctis Magazine, ENFNTS, Trench Mag, Dazed, BBC 1Xtra, BBC 6Music and BBC Radio 1 amongst others.
‘Scream999’ was released via Jamz Supernova’s label Future Bounce. Check out the video for single below…
705’s new EP, ‘7:05’ is a pleasurable fusion of Afrobeats, R&B and hip-hop
‘7:05’ is a six-track project that gives a deeper insight to the person (Surulere Bankholemoh) who most have come to know as Nigerian artist and producer, 705.
Released last Friday (26th of May), the E.P starts off with a surreal but yet motivating track entitled ‘Daily Prayer’ which gives a real introduction to the artist, sharing insights on his beliefs, hometown and upbringing. With party tracks like Arabian nights & Spender ‘7:05’ paints a full picture of 705 as he grab life firmly by the horns and live it to the fullest and party! The dark, sombre contribution from tracks, ‘Pain’ and ‘Over’ paint a vivid picture of returning to the everyday reality he lives once the good times are over.
705 is a . Born in Lagos, 705 was raised by his grandmother before moving to London in 2001. Influenced by so many great artists such as King sunny Ade, Fela kuti, Michael Jackson, Tupac and 50 Cent, 705’s sound is a fusion of Afrobeats, R&B and Hip-Hop Music and 7:05 EP encompasses all the genres into a pleasurable listening experience. Check out the project below…
Must Listens: Daily Prayer, Good Feeling, Spender
916 deliver their sultry new cut ‘Nuisance Interlude’.
Formerly known as Nikz & Booda, 916 deliver their sultry new cut ‘Nuisance Interlude’.
With velvet-smooth production and harmonious vocals from Nikz, combined seamlessly with Booda’s relaxed yet quick-witted bars, the 916 collective execute another flawless blend of R&B, Soul, and Hip Hop in this new song, showcasing their unique signature sonics.
The luxurious track clocks in at just over 2 minutes captivating the listeners with a stylish seductive sound, which no doubt leaves fans craving for more from the Oxford based collective.
Bursting onto the music scene representing their Punjabi heritage, British born collective 916 have garnered their own unique sound, blending elements of R&B, Hip-Hop and Soul. With records such as ‘Get To It’ and ‘Motion’, 916 have since built further anticipation for a full length project with their most recent releases ‘Mimosa’ and ‘Nuisance Interlude’.
Throughout their career, 916 have consistently showcased an impactful style and sound, demonstrating their uniqueness and conceptual artistry, both visually and sonically. Since their foray into the music industry, 916 has amassed an impressive array of accolades. From performing at the Titan Festival in 2022 alongside Lloyd, Ludacris, and Jon B, to gaining notable support from BBC 1Xtra’s Sian Anderson, who featured their track ‘Pull Up’ as her ‘Online Find’ upon its release. Additionally, their music has received airplay on prominent platforms such as BBC Asian Network, Reprezent, and Radio2Funky.
With a multitude of releases slated for this year, 916 are poised to continue captivating audiences and solidifying their presence in the industry…Check out their lush single below…
Top Boy star shares new single, ‘Can’t Box Me’ + Video
Known for his role in Top Boy as Aaron, HOPE shares his single ‘Can’t Box Me’ and accompanied video, both released last Friday (19th May).
Hope says of his new single: “Can’t Box me explores the frustration of being ‘boxed’ into one medium and not taken seriously when branching out. Artistry can be expressed in multiple ways. For me I’m an actor who branched into music who can still be successful in both.”
Hope is a Rap/ R&B artist as well as an actor who is well known for his role in Top Boy as Aaron. His musical influences stem from the likes of Dave, Drake as well as 90’s/ 2000’s Hip Hop and R&B. Hope’s first single ‘Stop the Rain’, amassed an amazing 2,404,069 streams.
Can’t Box Me is the first single from his forthcoming, unannounced self-released EP, Mirror Man, out 8th September. Check out the video for the smooth single below…
New Lease Music 