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Crucial Material – March 29th, 2021

Another bumper edition of Crucial Material with some killer releases across the board including a potential album of the year from Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra.

But there’s a lot more music demanding our attention too. Here are our favorite EP’s, Albums and Reissues of the past couple of weeks. As always we encourage you to buy digital or physical releases if you discover a release you love. Support artists and labels!

JAZZ

Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra — Promises

This genre defying epic collaborative opus delivers above and beyond expectations. The soothing and meditative movements represent the best of what music has to offer.
— Selected by ASMA

STR4TA — Aspects

Legendary DJ, producer, and all-around taste-maker Gilles Peterson teams up with Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick of Incognito, on a brilliant new project that captures the spirit of the DIY Brit-funk sound of the early 80s.
—Selected by TJ Gorton

JAB — Currents EP

Junior Alli-Balogun led ensemble drops a potential EP of the year. Deep seductive grooves, steady percussive rhythms, ample vibraphone soloing and beautifully arranged strings. 
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

The Taxil Hoax — Burning Bridges For Progress

A magnificent, expansive, yet very personal, relaxing yet alarming amalgam of jazz, 80s art-rock, English folk, post-rock and ambient. 
— Selected by dileta

New Life Trio — Visions Of The Third Eye

Beautiful remaster & reissue of rare LP by free & spiritual jazz trio, drummer Steve Reid (championed by Four Tet), guitarist Brandon Ross & bassist David Wertman. 
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

HIP HOP / R&B

Armand Hammer & The Alchemist — Haram

Progressive rap duo ELUCID and billy woods collaborate exclusively with The Alchemist. The producer’s most subversive beats are a perfect foil for the outsider MCs.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

Joyce Wrice — Overgrown

Joyce is a bright new independent star in the making. She fuses R&B and rap on her debut; featuring Freddie Gibbs, Kaytranada & Westside Gunn, Mndsgn & Masego.
— Selected by ASMA

High Klassified — Law of Automata: Valid

The talented producer offers us a glimpse into where his sound is heading. With forward thinking collaborations and sounds this EP is as unique as the artist.
— Selected by ASMA

SOUL / FUNK / DISCO

El Michels Affair — Yeti Season

Cinematic soul stirrers par excellence, Michels & co. are reinvigorated by psych & Turkish influences, and the vocal magic of Piya Malik, singing in Hindi, and Shannon Wise.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

GLOBAL GROOVES

Electric Jalaba — El Hal / The Feeling 

Gripping new album from the London-based live sensation, fusing electronic & live grooves with the Gnawa roots of the Moroccan-born lead singer and guimbri player Simo Lagnawi. 
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

ELECTRONIC

Guedra Guedra كدرة كدرة — Vexillology

Borderless underground bass from Morocco exploring rhythm & sound, past, present & future, that ought to be blasted from every corner of the globe.  
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

Big Hands — Lakamha

Extra slippery and detailed slowfast™ melters and meanderers and an enigmatic jazzy post-aquastep dream.
— Selected by dileta

Teleself —  Temporary Transit EP

Two thunderous, masterfully clear-cut, but darkly entrancing breakbeat bass bangers.
— Selected by dileta

Daykoda —  PHYSIS

Laid back beats, drawing heavily on jazz and underground electronic sounds. Wouldn’t sound out of place at Low End Theory.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

Rhyw — Slithering

Buzzy and dusty power plant angular techno. You can almost hear the transformers hum and the wires crackle.
— Selected by dileta

Sunareht —  Amorama

A perfected trip through all the best that post-french-touch-cyber-staccato-club music has to offer: pure joy, submerging bliss, tear-jerking nostalgia and all the skippiness you ever asked for!
— Selected by dileta


We also invite you to check out our main five playlists where you’ll find our current favorites across Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

[infobox title=’MIMS Official Playlists’] Jazz
Hip-Hop & Beats
Soul & Funk
Club-isms
Leftfield & Experimental
[/infobox]