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LP
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DEEP 015LP
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Having gathered up praise from Mary Anne Hobbs, Cerys Matthews, Jamie Cullum, Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan and more, for his lauded Crisis & Opportunity, drummer and composer Myele Manzanza returns with the fourth instalment of his series, titled Meditations. On Meditations, we see Myele revert to a purely acoustic line-up, channeling a focused and razor-sharp return to his jazz roots. Showcasing an incredible level of musicianship between three musicians at the top of their game -- including Matthew Sheens (Ross McHenry, John Patitucci) on piano and Matt Penman (Joshua Redman, SFJAZZ Collective) on double bass -- the trio exchange motifs over the length of seven tracks. Opening proceedings with frenetic rhythmic improvisation, complimented by melancholic and cinematic layers of sound, "Crayford's Room" is a tribute to Myele's musical mentor back in New Zealand. Remembering his time as a student in Wellington, Myele shows his deep connection to his origins, manifesting itself as lament on "Winter" and "Homesick." Introducing hypnotic, contemplative melodies take center stage on "Something Old Something New" (the first single to be released from the project). It maintains a sense of tension and intrigue throughout, and intensity rises to a crescendo sending sonic particles sprawling into space. Intuitive, darker and deeply contemplative, Myele shares his innermost thoughts on Crisis and Opportunities Vol.4 - Meditations.
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LP
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DEEP 013LP
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Having established himself as one of the most energetic and exciting jazz musicians within the already thriving worldwide scene, New Zealand born, London based drummer and producer Myele Manzanza has made a major impact upon the global music landscape. A founding member of Electric Wire Hustle, Myele has released five solo albums, and racked up tours and collaborations with Jordan Rakei, Theo Parrish, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Recloose, and Amp Fiddler, amongst others. Myele has developed a strong live presence in his new London base; his quartet has shared stages with the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, The Bad Plus, and Alfa Mist. In 2021, the first two instalments of his Crisis & Opportunity record series saw him garner high praise. Following the release of his last offering, a chance conversation between Myele and a young barista at a local coffee shop occurred -- their topic (centered around the trials and tribulations of following your musical passions) sent Myele down a spiraling path of internal reflection, spawning a new lease of creative energy and examination of new ways to approach his craft. The third addition to the heralded series, Crisis & Opportunity Vol.3 - Unfold sees Myele change his approach from drummer/improviser, altering his sonic output to a more electronic dance music output, opting for a more producer/beatmaker focused role. Sharing production duties with Lewis Moody (Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange) and taking a more producer/beatmaker focused role. His initial instinct was to create music that could be played in a club, but also incorporate elements music of the jazz and technical musicianship he's renown for. First single "Silencing The Sun" features the vocal talents of fast-rising fellow Kiwi artist Wallace, whose spectral tones glide gracefully over the pulsating rhythm section and twinkling keys. On second single "Therapy" UK soul royalty Omar weaves his trademark magic over a solid 4/4 beat, soulful key stabs and lush synths, bottling lightning into dancefloor alchemy. Final single "Unfold" sees Rachel Fraser deliver a delicate and introspective vocal performance over stripped back instrumentation as cold, angular electronics juxtapose the warmth of piano keys and sweeping strings. With a wealth of additional incredible talent (such as China Moses and Rosie Frater Taylor) enlisted to further complement the record's grainy synth textures, emotive chord changes, driving low end sonics, and expressive percussion, the scene is set for a beautiful, shifting and engaging listening experience.
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LP
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DEEP 010LP
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Hot on the heels of the first instalment of his much-lauded Crisis & Opportunity series (DEEP 007LP, 2021), world-renowned drummer/composer and producer/beatmaker Myele Manzanza delivers Vol.2. A founding member of Electric Wire Hustle, Myele has released four solo albums, and racked up tours and collaborations with Jordan Rakei, Theo Parrish, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Recloose, and Amp Fiddler, amongst others. Myele has developed a strong live presence in his new London base; his quartet has shared stages with the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, The Bad Plus, Alfa Mist, and drawing packed houses to top venues such as The Jazz Café and Ronnie Scott's. Hailing originally from New Zealand, Myele made the move to London in 2019. Having tapped into the vibrant scene of his adopted home with a top tier cast of young London based talent (including Ashley Henry and additional contributions from the legendary Mark de Clive-Lowe) the resulting record Crisis & Opportunity Vol.1 - London gained high praise. Crisis & Opportunity Vol. 2 - Peaks now sees Myele join forces with Andre Marmot, Jay Phelps, and Lewis Moody, as well as fellow Kiwi musicians Aron Ottignon, Matt Dal Din, Ashton Sellars taking inspiration from the mixtape format and delivering thirteen doses of exhilarating, jazz-infused bottled lightning. Frustrated by the confines of a planned approach to writing music, Myele was set on embodying a spirit of collaboration and improvisation in the project. He explains "Often the most creative moments came when we had worked our way through the tight trees and moguls of the composition and settled into the wide-open powder trails of the vamp at the end of the piece. This process was also something that I used to do all the time back in my home city of Wellington, New Zealand in clubs like Havana, The Matterhorn or The Rogue and Vagabond in a style affectionately known as the 'Welli Jam'. Just get a groove going with a few basic chords and let the music go wherever it goes?" With this new pathway opening up infinite possibilities to the outfit, the record quickly began to take shape. Myele says: "Funnily enough, over half of the finished album was recorded from excerpts of a single jam session that was a little over an hour long . . . it's funny how we can draw out some peak performances when under pressure." 180 gram vinyl.
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12"
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SS 072EP
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12" from Myele Manzanza. "The son of a Congolese master percussionist, born and raised in NZ listening to hip hop, jazz and dance music. Myele brings an eclectic style and diverse skill to his craft, creating a genre bending experience rooted in jazz and African rhythm. This has earned him a reputation as a powerful drummer, a composer with vision and a producer and musician who is not afraid to experiment."
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