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We are back this month with another premiere, this time featuring a remix from one of our own - EVM128 and his version of JV1080 taken from the new XL Regular EP dropping on ANMA Records Apr 8th! Listen to the full EP preview on Soundcloud (hit that Buy button above).
Following up from last year’s Outlines compilation, where Rome-based DJ and producer opened the album with a track jointly produced alongside Future Jazz Ensemble, the new offering shares further insight into XL’s expressive ideas, influences, and openness to fusing the old with the new.
A clear influence of the BRUK scene holds a common thread throughout the release, where the undeniably iconic rhythms of Broken Beat are reshaped; simultaneously tipping the hat to the sound makers who’ve paved the way and reworking the drums, bass and percussion to accommodate the harmonies, overlapping counterpoint elements and tones of keys, synths and horns that add a different overall texture that is new, individual and reflective of todays’ emotive depth and complexity in the sonic movements of Italy, London and Europe’s electronic dance scenes.
The influence extends further into the use of adlib and the way it’s puncturing the rhythm of the tracks by means of its placement within the groove. However, the newness of the record shines through via XL Regular’s moulding of synthesis and merging of faster tempos (hear ‘’XL3000’’). As one listens to the record, the way each element is arranged leaves each track sounding as if an extremely tight live band was working those -drums, bass, synths, horns and vocals- live (hear ‘’Sometimes’’).
The bubbling and high-octave synth textures perfectly compliment the bass’ synthetic infusion while not overpowering the melodies, keys, vocals and horns that are sitting in the middle of the frequency range, where the magic of current new Jazz shines through by means of XL Regular’s creative expression via use of multi-layer harmony and shaping of tone that is becoming undeniably familiar to the sounds of the current London Jazz scene bonding with electronic dance productions.
The record explores time by providing high up tempos and by adjusting such tempos through each track to reflect the right mood of the moment. Whereas one track could be for the beginning of your night, the other could be for the closing of such night, all varyingly different and individually explorative, yet all a set of a common creative expression by one soul (hear ‘’Jv1080’’ for the slower jam).
However, the icing on the cake is EVM128’s remix of ‘’Jv1080’’, a more stripped, low-end heavier and dub-focused version of the track that iconically puts a familiar sound of 128’s, a tried and tested BRUK forefather, into the context of new things to come by means of further bridging the international separations of today’s turmoil in the world and melding the sounds and ideas of old and new into something personal, free and special by means of XL Regular’s first solo debut EP, which is just a glimpse of more rhythms soon come.
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