Running Circle are a young Nottingham label (and good friends of ours) showcasing their own particular brand of soulful jazz sounds, and in a relatively short time have released some absolute peaches, from Pete Beardsworth’s debut EP to Yazmin Lacey’s first two breakthrough records. With this full length album from London based band Kinkajous, they have entered a new space.,
‘Hidden Lines’ has space at it’s central core. Space as outer and inner, a cosmic exploration of rhythm, tone and harmonies sounding at times muscular and intense and at other moments dreamlike, poetic, orchestral. Kinkajous’ blending of electronics and live instrumentation is what really makes them stand out. There is a real confidence about how they merge keys, synth, drums, bass and wind instruments, real work has been done here. Head music for those with a heart.
Steve Reich is mentioned as an influence and we can hear it, repetitive synth and wind lines intensifying and interlacing into braids of polyrhythms. Non-jazz heads and fans of artists such as Floating Points, and even Bonobo will find much to love here, there is so much warmth and dare I say, compassion in the music. Songs like ‘Jupiter’ are haunting, hypnotic, rich in emotion and beautifully put together. The band have been getting glowing feedback for this release and rightly so, it gives more with repeated listens, revealing another layer on each turn.
The production of the record is full-blooded and contains a sonic palette not unlike much post-4hero urban jazz (the legendary creative team of Dego and Marc Mac don’t get enough credit for their influence on the UK jazz scene, especially regarding production in my opinion). This is a very solid album indeed, the musicians involved are stretching and reaching, for what I can’t say, but I’m happy to tag along.
Kinkajous…
Adrien Cau – Tenor Saxophone/Bass Clarinet
Benoît Parmentier – Drums/ Production
Andres Castellanos – Bass
Jack Doherty – Synths
Maria Chiara Argirò – Keys
BUY HERE - https://knkjs.bandcamp.com/
Forthcoming live dates -
Rough Trade (Nottingham) - 21st June
Bluedot Festival (Cheshire) - 18th July