Jakarta Records
Jakarta Records
Release Date: 5th November 2021
Multi-disciplinary producer and singer J.Lamotta teams up with Japanese beat-scene-monger BudaMunk to present collaborative album "Searching Skies" via Jakarta Records.
After the success of her recent releases J.Lamotta (165K monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 10M cumulative streams) is clearly becoming an international name. She keeps this prolific momentum alive with "Searching Skies", the collaborative album with Tokyo-based producer-mastermind BudaMunk, marking Lamotta's fourth, and BudaMunk's first, album to be released with Jakarta Records.
The Longplayer perfectly merges J.Lamotta's iconic R&B, jazzy-Neo-Soul aesthetics with BudaMunks laid-back, impeccably-imperfect lo-fi hip-hop productions. It's a well-timed collaboration, as J.Lamotta sees her loyal fanbase growing in Japan, and will be a worthy follow up to her previous Jakarta releases while Tokyo-based heavyweight BudaMunk (40K monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 1.7M cumulative streams) has received cosigns from a number of artists within the hip-hop arena, including Mndsgn, Eloquent, Pink Siifu, Suff Daddy, Kiefer, Swarvy and Lefto, among a host of others. His output is prolific and consistent, including releases on Jazzy Sport and Dogear Records, as well as LA-juggernaut Fat Beats' "Baker's Dozen" series; and his notoriety within the Japanese beat-scene is only growing. As Bandcamp's Max Bell writes of BudaMunk, "it takes years to perfect being this relaxed and this precise".
The album's 1st single, "Eyes To The Skies" is set to be released on September 24th alongside stunning visual accompaniments by Tokyo-based film, design and screen-print studio Damn Good Productions and multimedia artist 8mL. The laid-back production, full of warbly keys, pads and the angelic warmth of Lamotta's voice lets the listener float along as if they're in the skies themselves. It's a perfect vibe for the onset of the chillier Autumn weather.
The album's 2nd single, "Put It Aside" is set to be released on October 15th and will be accompanied by visuals once again provided by Damn Good Productions and 8mL. This second single takes blisteringly swinging percussive elements and melodies that warp into peculiar sounds that defy auditory recognition, yet tingle with familiarity. J.Lamotta's voice is as sweet as dates, and is the perfect accompaniment to BudaMunk's lo-fi headiness. The album's focus track, "Stay", will be released in conjunction with the album November 5th.
The album's single-releases and videos will be promoted via the artist's and the label's social media channels and will also be featured by music-blog Stereofox entirely, while Tokyo-based label Jazzy Sport will distribute and promote the release throughout Japan.
a1: Eyes To The Skies
a2: Put It Aside
a3: Stay
a4: Running Slow
a5: Light Overcast (Interlude)
b1: Carry On
b2: When We Get There
b3: Searching Skies (Interlude)
b4: The Very Thought Of You
b5: Open Your Mind
![J.Lamotta & BudaMunk - Searching Skies [LP]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0488/8057/products/jakarta172_{width}x.jpg?v=1634638144)
J.Lamotta & BudaMunk - Searching Skies [LP]
Jakarta Records
£16.39
(£19.67 Inc VAT)
1 – Intro: Ok the album title might leave little bit to be desired but lets give it a chance. The opening track simply entitled Intro is a soft and warm embrace of niceness. Gentle delayed Rhodes esc sounds take the lead and are supported by an ambience of tropical birds in the background. The vocals in the track are for want of a better word are superb, well placed and smooth. The beats are a downtempo feeling with solid kicks and wood block hits. A rumbling bass holds the rest of the track up on its foundations and completes are very good tune.
2 – Know Me Better (Ft. Bonzai): Uplifting is the keyword with Know Me Better. The track has a kind of jazzy r&b vibe with organ stabs and a nice swing to the beats. The vocals provided by Bonzai add the chilled laid back summer party atmosphere. The vox samples have messed with in places with pitch adjustments to add some variety in the vocal area of the tune. The beats have a bounce like quality to them with crisp kicks, clicks and clap sounds.
3 - ¥ (Money): Money is a proper chilled affair with dripping synth sounds that roll and fall over themselves with wonderful style. The vocal samples work really well in their chipmunk style, normally the realm of cheeseville they seem to have credibility in this piece. The beats and bass snap nicely into place and have a real head-nodding feel to them.
4 – Suicide Babies: This track has a touch of the bonobo’s about it, with oriental shimmers of sound. The beats are snappy and have hip hop styling’s, proper neck snapping in their conception and roll in full effect with the rumbles that the sub bass provides. The vocal samples are once again placed to perfection and the varieties of snippets used really add overall depth to the track.
5 - ......Girl: Jaunty leg angles with this piece as we go into a crazy world of stutter based pianoism and synthesis. Original is what ...Girl is all about; with really in your face sounds that don’t have an offensive feel to them. In other words they are quite crazy, but in a structured way and not harsh on the ear. As with the previous ventures on the LP the beats as you would expect by now are clean and standout really well.
6 – Miss You: Summer Summer Summer ok I think that we get that this track has a summer feel and maybe not so suited to the winter months. Miss You has a proper kind of barbeque shades on feel, with noodled out synth rolls and retro 80’s keyboard styling’s that would be befitting of Paul Hardcastle or someone like that. The Miss You vocals are dotted through the track and utilize various samples to keep fresh. Solid beat work keeps the tune chugging along and your toes tapping away merrily.
7 – An Interlude: This piece is super laid back and has a nice depth to it. With piano rolls and reverses the details on the track are simply brilliant. The percussive elements are tight and have great spacing between each hit of drum sound, also the fills used are really well placed and feel complete in there design.
8 – Shibuya: Noodles from space in the beautiful Shibuya. The sounds used here are very ethereal but have a kind of sci-fi feeling as well. The synthesis used is brilliant and builds and drops to great effect. Its kind of like a liquid wonderland in its styling, and when the beats kick in the whole atmosphere is lifted up a notch. Attention to detail in how things are introduced in the track is again of real importance and real gives the track a stamp of quality.
9 – Lotus Eater: This track has a very eastern feel to it, which of course is slightly given away in the naming of the tune. Hypnotic flutes take the centre stage and clunky leads add a click snap vibe to the soundscape. The beat work is a more stripped back affair, with simple kick, snare and hat combinations that groove along at a sensible pace. The bass is a subsonic nedved rumbler that holds the tune in high regard above its wobbly squelchy layers.
10 – Hell: Hell sounds like a LA gang-banger street thing. You could definitely imagine a west coast rapper spitting lyrics to this backing track for sure. It has got a certain attitude about it; every element is more driven feel and stands out more, especially when compared with what has gone before. The beats have a more dirty quality to them and the bass shakes the pillars of hell with its substrata murmurings.
11 – Cloud Claps: This is a bit of light relief after literally going to hell on the previous track. This is a happier tune and has got a smile on its face. This is a more upbeat track tempo wise, with break beat samples mixed in with the drum machine sounds really adds a lift overall. The bass is a proper analogue parping buzzy noise that is very strong sounding and pronounced in the mix.
12 – Bae: Rolling chimes and radiator rattles are bolted together with piano and Hawaiian guitar vibes. The little squeaking sound that is in the background gives texture. The drums used drop with break samples that are simply cut but work well over the rest of the percussive elements on the tune. The sub bass again shuffles about in the background but rarely pops its head out to have a look at what else is happening around it.
13 – U: A very cool down chilled number that oozes quality. The lead sounds are smooth and the melody used is very heart warming in its execution. The mix of the track is superb with every tone and element having its own space to live and breathe. Little chime sounds and hits give a real special feeling and give a relaxation to the main part of the tune. The rhythm in the beats is so mellow, with reverbed finger clicks and wooden taps; proper AM business with this track.
14 – I’ve Never Felt So Good: The closing track on the LP really combines all of what has gone before. This has great percussive building blocks that host the main sounds and vocal performances. With piano leads and shuffling beats the track has a positive feeling throughout. If you like your slow and low vocal tracks then this is probably the one for you.
1. Mura Masa - Intro
2. Mura Masa - Know Me Better (ft. Bonzai)
3. Mura Masa - ¥ (Money)
4. Mura Masa - Suicide Blades
5. Mura Masa - ....Girl
6. Mura Masa - Miss You
7. Mura Masa - An Interlude
8. Mura Masa - Shibuya
9. Mura Masa - Lotus Eater
10. Mura Masa - Hell
11. Mura Masa - Cloud Claps
12. Mura Masa - Bae
13. Mura Masa - U
14. Mura Masa - I've Never Felt So Good
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Mura Masa - Soundtrack to a Death
Jakarta Records
£13.74
(£16.49 Inc VAT)
Release Date: 3rd September 2021
The success of S. Fidelity's sophomore LP "Fidelity Radio Club" (April, 2021) is still culminating. Widely recognized as a highlight for instrumental beat music this year, with recent track placements on Spotify's Editorial Jazz Vibes and Butter Playlists, each with over 1.9M Followers. Now, S. Fidelity teams up with the unmistakable sound of Berlin's Toy Tonics to rework four of FRC's track to perfectly fit dance floors worldwide as they slowly reopen.
Toy Tonics label head Kapote as well as TT label artists Cody Currie, Rhode & Brown and Sam Ruffillo deliver four high quality club renditions from FRC. The EP, only 500 copies pressed, is to be released via Jakarta Records on September 3rd. Musically, the EP combines the feel-good, beat factor of "Fidelity Radio Club" with the dancefloor ready house, disco and funk grooves that Toy Tonics are known for. The EP will be a perfect follow-up to S. Fidelity's previous Jakarta releases, which have gained more than 3.3M cumulative streams on Spotify alone.
The 1st single, "Me At The Zoo feat. Àbáse (Cody Currie Remix) is to be released on August 13th along with announcement of the pre-order for the Limited 12" EP. The upbeat collaboration with Cody Currie – who has more than 2M cumulative streams on Spotify – takes the swinging groove of the original and gives it a Balearic, percussive, dance-ready vibe. Currie, a London-born DJ and producer has been on the rise since moving to Berlin and teaming up with talent from the city's jazz and house scenes. He's released two EP's with Grammy nominated pianist Joel Holmes on Toy Tonics as well as the mini album "Atlantic Exchanges, Vol. 1" with Felipe Gordon on DJ Haus' Shall Not Fade in 2021. This year Currie also shared his first solo 12" on Toy Tonics, "Moves EP", which showcases his sublime ability as a producer to blend elements of feel-good house, disco, jazz and UK garage into each other.
The three other tracks are set to be released as digital singles on the physical release day, September 3rd, in order to maximize playlist reach and hit each of the artists release radars. Toy Tonics head honcho Kapote, a.k.a. Mathias Modica, takes S. Fidelity's boogie tune "Something Good" and spices it with a catchy piano lead line, infectious drum programming and several synth solos. Kapote, with more than 3.5M cumulative Spotify streams and over 97K Monthly Listeners, ran Gomma Records for more than 15 years, where he produced and released the likes of WhoMadeWho and Rammellzee.
Rhode & Brown remix "Presumably Broccoli", a straightforward hip-hop instrumental, which they flipped and "reverso-ed" into a just as straightforward high energy dancefloor gem. The duo from Munich have been delighting house music fans with rock solid productions on such labels as Toy Tonics, Permanent Vacation, Public Possession, Shall Not Fade and their own Slam City Jams imprint, establishing themselves as one of the most consistent house producers groups. Most recently they released their debut album "Everything Is In Motion" on Permanent Vacation. Bologna-based Sam Ruffillo rounds out the EP with a deep and meditative house rendition of S. Fidelity's "Higher" featuring Àbáse on keys and a prolific vocal recording of Steve Arrington. The Italian DJ and producer debuted on Toy Tonics just a year ago with the pandemic inspired EP "Sport House", offering jazzy-house alternatives to dancing while clubs remained closed.
a1: Me at the Zoo (Cody Currie Remix) [feat. Abase]
a2: Something Good (Kapote Remix)
b1: Presumably Broccoli (Rhode & Brown Reverso Mix) [feat. Suff Daddy]
b2: Higher (Sam Ruffillo Remix) [feat. Àbáse & Saint Ezekiel]
S. Fidelity - Fidelity Radio Club - Toy Tonics Remixes EP
Jakarta Records
£11.15
(£13.38 Inc VAT)