Accessible, sunny vocals stacked with beats and pieces and plenty of crowd reaction from the reliably infectious Blue Lab Beats on this sized up likeable EP with the natural that is David Mrakpor at the centre of the sound, Blue Lab Beats have certainly found their niche harnessing soul jazz, Herbie style 70s jazz funk and so much more and you can easily make a leap from the unpretentious dance floor friendly flavours of acid jazz to what's on the EP. Personnel includes the ever listenable-to trumpeter Jackson Mathod, Namali Kwaten in an 80s throwback mood on drum machine and the silky strings of The Multi Storey Orchestra. Highlights from this April 2022 show include the easy abandon of the serious riffery displayed on 'Gotta Go Live' moving to the fast lane with chunky sax from one Xvngo in tow. Party vibes spill out all over the EP so nothing to see here for the chin strokers perhaps but plenty for the soul crowd. Vula Malinga steals the show vocally on 'I’ll Be Here For You' and 'Labels'. Mrakpor's guitar lines on 'Reflection' open the door to another world entirely. A breath of fresh air and far more jazz relevant than you might first think but in no way orthodox or stale.
More reading:
David Mrakpor live at Tottenham's Post Bar (2021)
Lonely (2022) reviewed
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