SDBAN ULTRA - Forced Exposure

$14.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 2/21/2020

Bram De Looze is a Belgian pianist and composer whose distinct musical vision has found its way through both solo projects and collaborations. His unique technical skill and musical maturity have earned him considerable critical acclaim back home -- from traditional classical piano music, to solo improvisations that have often been compared to Keith Jarrett and Jason Moran. Sdban Ultra release his highly anticipated new solo album, Colour Talk. De Looze made his entrance onto the national jazz scene with LABtrio, formed in 2007 with Anneleen Boehme and Lander Gyselinck, and he immediately impressed, flirting with urban jazz, electronics, and hip hop. After a period of studying abroad at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, where he studied with Uri Caine and Marc Copland, in 2014, De Looze launched the international septet, Septych, that once again stressed his affinity for jazz, classical music, and improvisation. Over the past few years, De Looze could frequently be heard with kindred spirits like Stéphane Galland, Dre Hocevar, and Antoine Pierre but it was a visit to the historical collection of pianofortes of Chris Maene that inspired De Looze to release his first solo album, Piano é Forte (2017). He would garner further acclaim working alongside fellow Belgian Robin Verheyen and American rhythm painter Joey Baron with whom he recorded MixMonk (2019), a tribute to the legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. The switch to the Chris Maene Straight Strung Grand Piano for Switch The Stream (2018) indicated a renewed search for movement, evolution, and introspection. His latest solo project Colour Talk, continues this trajectory with another revolutionary piano model, designed by lauded architect Rafael Viñoly, and a continued attempt to renew from within. On Colour Talk, what you hear is a musician who has freed himself from stylistic constraints and limitations. While still rooted in jazz, classical music, and free improvisation he has found a new balance, a coexistence that enables the pianist to express himself with a new vigor. Colour Talk is an ode to (re)invention in the grey zone were the classical idiom and improvisatory urges meet, with the 13-minute tour-de-force of "Hypnosis" as one of several undisputed highlights.

$23.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 2/21/2020

LP version. Bram De Looze is a Belgian pianist and composer whose distinct musical vision has found its way through both solo projects and collaborations. His unique technical skill and musical maturity have earned him considerable critical acclaim back home -- from traditional classical piano music, to solo improvisations that have often been compared to Keith Jarrett and Jason Moran. Sdban Ultra release his highly anticipated new solo album, Colour Talk. De Looze made his entrance onto the national jazz scene with LABtrio, formed in 2007 with Anneleen Boehme and Lander Gyselinck, and he immediately impressed, flirting with urban jazz, electronics, and hip hop. After a period of studying abroad at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, where he studied with Uri Caine and Marc Copland, in 2014, De Looze launched the international septet, Septych, that once again stressed his affinity for jazz, classical music, and improvisation. Over the past few years, De Looze could frequently be heard with kindred spirits like Stéphane Galland, Dre Hocevar, and Antoine Pierre but it was a visit to the historical collection of pianofortes of Chris Maene that inspired De Looze to release his first solo album, Piano é Forte (2017). He would garner further acclaim working alongside fellow Belgian Robin Verheyen and American rhythm painter Joey Baron with whom he recorded MixMonk (2019), a tribute to the legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. The switch to the Chris Maene Straight Strung Grand Piano for Switch The Stream (2018) indicated a renewed search for movement, evolution, and introspection. His latest solo project Colour Talk, continues this trajectory with another revolutionary piano model, designed by lauded architect Rafael Viñoly, and a continued attempt to renew from within. On Colour Talk, what you hear is a musician who has freed himself from stylistic constraints and limitations. While still rooted in jazz, classical music, and free improvisation he has found a new balance, a coexistence that enables the pianist to express himself with a new vigor. Colour Talk is an ode to (re)invention in the grey zone were the classical idiom and improvisatory urges meet, with the 13-minute tour-de-force of "Hypnosis" as one of several undisputed highlights.

$17.50 NOT IN STOCK

Echt! -- an instrumental, futuristic four-piece inspired by the concepts absorbed in electronic music and musical production. Having crystallized their innovative style and sound on the Brussels scene, this group of visionary music makers are pleased to announce the release of their debut EP Douf, released via groove-heavy record label Sdban Ultra. Recorded in an empty space in Colfontaine, Hainaut in just three days, Echt! draw on influences including electro, hip-hop, psychedelic groove, footwork, trap, funk, and futuristic jazz. Artists that excite them include Jonwayne, DJ Rashad, Deantoni Parks, J Dilla, Dorian Concept, and Aphex Twin. Across eight tracks consumed as one continuous 16-minute mix of swirling beats and edgy offbeat rhythms, Echt! weave together a musical collage of sound -- equal parts acoustic and electric. Tracks like the sonic sound explosion of "Bonjour", the scatter rhythms and busy hi-hats of "Tsht" and the abstract beats and subby bass of "Mad Merckx" are symptomatic of the Echt! sound that is heavy in groove and deep in intrigue. Echt! look to emulate the producer's off-beats, the compressor's swell, the repeating samples or the DJ's transitions. Echt means "vrai de vrai" -- "true" or "real" in Brusseleir (Brabantian dialect of Brussels). It is a direct reference to the fact that their sound transmission is "real", performed with conventional musical instruments as oppose to computer music which the production might suggest. It also relates to the fact that none of the members of the band are originally from Brussels -- bassist Federico Pecoraro is from Italy, keyboardist Dorian Dumont is from France and drummer Martin Mereau and guitarist Florent Jeunieaux are both from Mons. Elsewhere, debut single "R2D2" is a raw, gritty musical adventure while the skittish future funk of "Chicago Stuk" and subtle vibrations of "So Zat" offer further explorations into the world of Echt! "Douf is our tribute to Teklife DJs such as DJ Rashad, DJ Earl, Taso and DJ Spinn", says keyboardist Dorian Dumont.

$23.50 IN STOCK

LP version. Gatefold sleeve. Compro Oro; a psychedelic underground road trip to Africa, the Middle East and the Americas via Belgium. On the band's Suburban Exotica, the spirit of Cal Tjader, Mulatu Astatke, or Marc Ribot is never far away. One of the leading bands in the ever-expanding new wave of Belgian jazz, Compro Oro's wayward and psychedelic approach to a broad range of sounds has gained them a devoted fan base since the band's formation in 2014. Produced by Ghent-based multi-instrumentalist Dijf Sanders, Suburban Exotica digs deep into several ethnic music traditions, leaving the listener enthralled in dark grooves and rabid psychedelica. From the danceable beats and colorful sounds of "Miami New Wave", the exotic rhythms and textures of "10 Dollar Jeans Jacket", and the curious vibraphone infusions and wild guitar riffs of "Rastapopoulos", to the heady, bass-laden mover and shaker "Lalibela", and traditional Latin and Cuban rhythms of "Dark Crystal", Compro Oro offer wild, profound, and uncanny flavors that explore the best of Afro-Cuban music and jazz-tinged psychedelia. Suburban Exotica features drummer, keyboardist, and percussionist Joachim Cooder, son of guitar legend Ry Cooder who played on both the landmark Buena Vista Social Club albums and the Manuel Galban spin-off, Mambo Sinuendo. He adds percussion and his effects-laden electric mbira to three tracks on the album: "Miami New Wave", "Rastapopoulos", and "Dark Crystal". "I had a great time playing on this record. Compro Oro blends together so many interesting rhythms and styles that I never knew what was coming next. I like to work that way." On Suburban Exotica, Compro Oro's Wim Segers adds, "Thanks to Bart (Vervaeck) and saxophonist Nathan Daems (Black Flower), I've discovered Arab and Turkish music. I've learned to embrace my own neighborhood. When you live in this part of Ghent, Eastern rhythms are the beat of the street." Vervaeck chips in, "We aren't Cuban; we aren't Morocccan --we know that. We just sail from one coast to another. Finding our own place."

$14.50 IN STOCK

Compro Oro; a psychedelic underground road trip to Africa, the Middle East and the Americas via Belgium. On the band's Suburban Exotica, the spirit of Cal Tjader, Mulatu Astatke, or Marc Ribot is never far away. One of the leading bands in the ever-expanding new wave of Belgian jazz, Compro Oro's wayward and psychedelic approach to a broad range of sounds has gained them a devoted fan base since the band's formation in 2014. Produced by Ghent-based multi-instrumentalist Dijf Sanders, Suburban Exotica digs deep into several ethnic music traditions, leaving the listener enthralled in dark grooves and rabid psychedelica. From the danceable beats and colorful sounds of "Miami New Wave", the exotic rhythms and textures of "10 Dollar Jeans Jacket", and the curious vibraphone infusions and wild guitar riffs of "Rastapopoulos", to the heady, bass-laden mover and shaker "Lalibela", and traditional Latin and Cuban rhythms of "Dark Crystal", Compro Oro offer wild, profound, and uncanny flavors that explore the best of Afro-Cuban music and jazz-tinged psychedelia. Suburban Exotica features drummer, keyboardist, and percussionist Joachim Cooder, son of guitar legend Ry Cooder who played on both the landmark Buena Vista Social Club albums and the Manuel Galban spin-off, Mambo Sinuendo. He adds percussion and his effects-laden electric mbira to three tracks on the album: "Miami New Wave", "Rastapopoulos", and "Dark Crystal". "I had a great time playing on this record. Compro Oro blends together so many interesting rhythms and styles that I never knew what was coming next. I like to work that way." On Suburban Exotica, Compro Oro's Wim Segers adds, "Thanks to Bart (Vervaeck) and saxophonist Nathan Daems (Black Flower), I've discovered Arab and Turkish music. I've learned to embrace my own neighborhood. When you live in this part of Ghent, Eastern rhythms are the beat of the street." Vervaeck chips in, "We aren't Cuban; we aren't Morocccan --we know that. We just sail from one coast to another. Finding our own place." CD version comes in a digipack.

$14.50 NOT IN STOCK

Dutch-Belgian acoustic-electronic piano trio De Beren Gieren provide robust evidence that gold can still be mined from the union of piano, bass, and drums. Based on the compositions of pianist Fulco Ottervanger, the trio use the power of improvisation on the quest for a new form and create a multi-layered, kaleidoscopic work of art. The "Broensgebuzzes" are common themes in the work of De Beren Gieren. It is a small nostalgic piece of music, an invitation to long-gone memories. Each of these sound prints have appeared on previous albums.

$14.50 NOT IN STOCK

John Ghost is ingenious and exploratory, often described as a symbiosis between the sounds of Steve Reich, John Hollenbeck, Nils Frahm, and Jaga Jazzist. Created around the Ghent guitarist and composer Jo De Geest, the Belgian sextet draw on influences from jazz, rock and post-classical music, where minimalism, electronics, and a cinematic atmosphere characterize their instrumental music. Airships Are Organisms, released via Sdban Ultra, was produced by Jørgen Træen (Jaga Jazzist, Kaizers Orchestra, Hubro, Sondre Lerche). When it came to recording the album, John Ghost searched for a balance between the venturous, accessible and playful character of jazz music, in which John Ghost has its origins, and a carefully thought out selection process with the production, with a sharp eye and ear for detail. Seemingly simple earwigs are underpinned by driving undertones that inspire harmonic twists and a rhythmic and melodic stratification, that often results in a very danceable soundtrack. Tracks like 13-minute album opener "Deconstructing Hymns", keep a fine balance between moments of abstraction and repetition while recent single "Disfunctional Rabbits: The Disfunction" is an intoxicating, dreamy soundscape that alternates between balanced jazz fluctuations and space-like grooves. Elsewhere, the idiosyncratic "The Fallen Colony", spirals into a progressive narrative of experimentation and improvisation, a common thread throughout large parts of John Ghost's music, before the haunting "Drones For a Sunken Mothership", combines soaring bowed melodies and broken beats that is not only mesmeric but filled with breathtaking majesty.

Formed in 2010, John Ghost were nominated for the "Young Jazz Talent" Award at the prestigious Gent Jazz Festival the same year, and a series of shows followed including the International Jazz Festival Middelburg, in the Netherlands. After a brief hiatus, they released their 2016 album For A Year They Slept, to critical acclaim across Belgium, and they have been busy in the studio once again, developing and honing their sound.

$23.50 IN STOCK

LP version. Gatefold sleeve. John Ghost is ingenious and exploratory, often described as a symbiosis between the sounds of Steve Reich, John Hollenbeck, Nils Frahm, and Jaga Jazzist. Created around the Ghent guitarist and composer Jo De Geest, the Belgian sextet draw on influences from jazz, rock and post-classical music, where minimalism, electronics, and a cinematic atmosphere characterize their instrumental music. Airships Are Organisms, released via Sdban Ultra, was produced by Jørgen Træen (Jaga Jazzist, Kaizers Orchestra, Hubro, Sondre Lerche). When it came to recording the album, John Ghost searched for a balance between the venturous, accessible and playful character of jazz music, in which John Ghost has its origins, and a carefully thought out selection process with the production, with a sharp eye and ear for detail. Seemingly simple earwigs are underpinned by driving undertones that inspire harmonic twists and a rhythmic and melodic stratification, that often results in a very danceable soundtrack. Tracks like 13-minute album opener "Deconstructing Hymns", keep a fine balance between moments of abstraction and repetition while recent single "Disfunctional Rabbits: The Disfunction" is an intoxicating, dreamy soundscape that alternates between balanced jazz fluctuations and space-like grooves. Elsewhere, the idiosyncratic "The Fallen Colony", spirals into a progressive narrative of experimentation and improvisation, a common thread throughout large parts of John Ghost's music, before the haunting "Drones For a Sunken Mothership", combines soaring bowed melodies and broken beats that is not only mesmeric but filled with breathtaking majesty.

Formed in 2010, John Ghost were nominated for the "Young Jazz Talent" Award at the prestigious Gent Jazz Festival the same year, and a series of shows followed including the International Jazz Festival Middelburg, in the Netherlands. After a brief hiatus, they released their 2016 album For A Year They Slept, to critical acclaim across Belgium, and they have been busy in the studio once again, developing and honing their sound.

$14.50 IN STOCK

TaxiWars is back after a three-year hiatus with new album Artificial Horizon, released via Sdban Ultra. An intensive collaboration between dEUS frontman Tom Barman, saxophonist Robin Verheyen, bassist Nicolas Thys, and drummer Antoine Pierre, TaxiWars are a mix of lyricism, poetry, and jazz with a rock sensibility. Three years in the making, Artificial Horizon, is a metaphorical step forward from 2016's critically-acclaimed album Fever. Reinventing themselves, Barman and Verheyen came up with something very fresh and personal, tastefully evolving from a cubistic jazz sound to a more melodious direction. The band took their music to the next level adding depth to their compositions, clarity to the beats and efficiency to their overall sound. Artificial Horizon is high on experimentation and creativity and demonstrates a kaleidoscope of styles and sounds. Tracks, like album opener "Drop Shot", are sharp and on point, with a heavy sense of groove, while recent single "Sharp Practice", is an impulsive, energetic vibration that steams jazz with late eighties hip-hop beats. Title track "Artificial Horizon", is both beguiling and insistent with an ingrained punkiness that sets the band apart from the plush jazz scene, all thanks to Verheyen's punchy, melodic lines and Barman's haunting lyrics. "I wanted TaxiWars to be sharp, to the point, punky and trashy -- much like the band Morphine. Long solos were no-go," says Barman. The exquisite piano ballad "Irritated Love" complete with smoky sax is an example of the ease in which TaxiWars merge certain traditional elements of jazz with an indie approach to songwriting while tracks like "The Glare" and "Infinity Cove" display TaxiWars' love for jazz musicians such as Pharaoh Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Charles Mingus -- full of swing, pulse, and the urge to break out of the genre's confinements. CD version comes in digipack; includes booklet.

$23.50 IN STOCK

LP version. TaxiWars is back after a three-year hiatus with new album Artificial Horizon, released via Sdban Ultra. An intensive collaboration between dEUS frontman Tom Barman, saxophonist Robin Verheyen, bassist Nicolas Thys, and drummer Antoine Pierre, TaxiWars are a mix of lyricism, poetry, and jazz with a rock sensibility. Three years in the making, Artificial Horizon, is a metaphorical step forward from 2016's critically-acclaimed album Fever. Reinventing themselves, Barman and Verheyen came up with something very fresh and personal, tastefully evolving from a cubistic jazz sound to a more melodious direction. The band took their music to the next level adding depth to their compositions, clarity to the beats and efficiency to their overall sound. Artificial Horizon is high on experimentation and creativity and demonstrates a kaleidoscope of styles and sounds. Tracks, like album opener "Drop Shot", are sharp and on point, with a heavy sense of groove, while recent single "Sharp Practice", is an impulsive, energetic vibration that steams jazz with late eighties hip-hop beats. Title track "Artificial Horizon", is both beguiling and insistent with an ingrained punkiness that sets the band apart from the plush jazz scene, all thanks to Verheyen's punchy, melodic lines and Barman's haunting lyrics. "I wanted TaxiWars to be sharp, to the point, punky and trashy -- much like the band Morphine. Long solos were no-go," says Barman. The exquisite piano ballad "Irritated Love" complete with smoky sax is an example of the ease in which TaxiWars merge certain traditional elements of jazz with an indie approach to songwriting while tracks like "The Glare" and "Infinity Cove" display TaxiWars' love for jazz musicians such as Pharaoh Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Charles Mingus -- full of swing, pulse, and the urge to break out of the genre's confinements.

$21.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL

Created in Brussels in 2015, Azmari is a twisting musical journey that fuses psych-funk, Afrobeat, Ethio-jazz, and dub. Recorded in a rented room in Brussels in just three days, Ekera, meaning "the other world", is a deep hypnotic sound that blends asymmetrical rhythms with winding improvisations. From the Middle Eastern sounds and devilish rhythms of "Dolmus", a magnetic, free-jazz re-working of the Mulatu Astatke composition "Emnete", to the energetic and spellbinding flood of roaring saxes on "Mammouth", Azmari draw on influences including Herbie Hancock, Cymande, The Heliocentrics, Fela Kuti, and much more. Includes Metta Frequencies remix.

$14.50 LOW STOCK LEVEL

With a hybrid jazz based on African grooves, Ethio-oriental melodies and psychedelic dub this Belgian five-piece creates an atmosphere where ancient and modern sounds fuse into a powerful, hypnotic, and groovy sensation. Receiving critical acclaim for their second album Artifacts (SDBANU 002CD/LP, 2017), the Belgian quintet are pleased to announce the release of their much-anticipated third album entitled Future Flora. Piloted by saxophonist/flutist/composer Nathan Daems (Ragini Trio, Dijf Sanders, Echoes of Zoo), the input of notorious musicians, drummer Simon Segers (MDC III, De Beren Gieren, Stadt), cornet player Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico), keyboardist Wouter Haest (Voodoo Boogie), and bassist Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas) leads to the specific universe that only Black Flower is able to create. Where debut album Abyssinia Afterlife (2014) and Artifacts bathed in an atmosphere of psychedelics, mythical figures, ancient sounds, and modern cultures, Future Flora refers to the power of plants and their importance for the future. Future Flora is a metaphor for the importance of feeding and watering powerful and revolutionary ideas and initiatives that can save our world. Black Flower's musical cross-pollination of sounds and rhythms remain on Future Flora, but there is still room for a more Western touch with Romanian and Maloya (Réunion) influences. Daems developed his own arrangements where Western, Oriental, and Ethiopian scales and chords are fused together to create a real mix of traditional instrumentation and modern electrical vibrations. The strong underlying groove is omnipresent, but the room for psychedelics, folklore, and experimentation grows. Songs like "Hora de Aksum" combine modern western rhythms with doses of Balkan eccentricities while "Future Flora" takes you on a psych-delicious, 21th century, Ethio-dub-jazz trip with echoes of Mulatu Astatke and Fela Kuti.

$22.00 NOT IN STOCK

LP version. With a hybrid jazz based on African grooves, Ethio-oriental melodies and psychedelic dub this Belgian five-piece creates an atmosphere where ancient and modern sounds fuse into a powerful, hypnotic, and groovy sensation. Receiving critical acclaim for their second album Artifacts (SDBANU 002CD/LP, 2017), the Belgian quintet are pleased to announce the release of their much-anticipated third album entitled Future Flora. Piloted by saxophonist/flutist/composer Nathan Daems (Ragini Trio, Dijf Sanders, Echoes of Zoo), the input of notorious musicians, drummer Simon Segers (MDC III, De Beren Gieren, Stadt), cornet player Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico), keyboardist Wouter Haest (Voodoo Boogie), and bassist Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas) leads to the specific universe that only Black Flower is able to create. Where debut album Abyssinia Afterlife (2014) and Artifacts bathed in an atmosphere of psychedelics, mythical figures, ancient sounds, and modern cultures, Future Flora refers to the power of plants and their importance for the future. Future Flora is a metaphor for the importance of feeding and watering powerful and revolutionary ideas and initiatives that can save our world. Black Flower's musical cross-pollination of sounds and rhythms remain on Future Flora, but there is still room for a more Western touch with Romanian and Maloya (Réunion) influences. Daems developed his own arrangements where Western, Oriental, and Ethiopian scales and chords are fused together to create a real mix of traditional instrumentation and modern electrical vibrations. The strong underlying groove is omnipresent, but the room for psychedelics, folklore, and experimentation grows. Songs like "Hora de Aksum" combine modern western rhythms with doses of Balkan eccentricities while "Future Flora" takes you on a psych-delicious, 21th century, Ethio-dub-jazz trip with echoes of Mulatu Astatke and Fela Kuti.

$25.00 NOT IN STOCK

Double LP version. 180 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve with liners. Belgian-based record label Sdban Ultra present their latest groove-heavy compilation, Lefto Presents Jazz Cats. Compiled by Belgian DJ and eclectic connoisseur Lefto, Jazz Cats showcases the next generation of Belgian jazz artists including the psychedelic jazz-fusion collective BRZZVLL, the outrageous BeraadGeslagen, radical experimentalists Steiger, electro-acoustic piano trio De Beren Gieren, and futuristic funksters, STUFF. With jazz seeing a resurgence over the last decade, an explosion of young musicians are exploring and experimenting with the sound and there is a renewal of energies, with Belgium at the forefront. From the youthful jazz iconoclasts of SCHNTZL and the Ethiopique-inspired quintet Black Flower, to the jazz-rock hybrid of Commander Spoon, and one of the most distinguished Belgian jazz groups of the past ten years, LABtrio, Lefto Presents Jazz Cats is the perfect introduction to the current Belgian jazz scene and the artists currently making waves across Europe. Also features: 2 Times Nothing, LABtrio, Glass Museum, Compro Oro, Mazzle, Madame Blavatsky, Collective Conscience, and Pudding oO.

The word "tastemaker" often gets mentioned when Lefto's name pops up in discussions, and rightly so. Famed for his gloriously eclectic DJ sets, he switches effortlessly between hip hop, funk, breaks, neck-snapping beats, future bass, South-American influences, bruk riddims, and some wild African rhythms. As one the most important DJs Europe has to offer, and affiliated with labels Brownswood, Blue Note, !K7 Records, Stones Throw, and Jazzy Sport, Lefto is consistently a couple steps ahead. He doesn't wait for the next thing to land on his lap, actively seeking it out -- just take a peek at his playlists on Belgium's foremost national radio station Studio Brussel which received compliments from Rough Trade Shops and Gilles Peterson. Growing up around jazz as a child, his father would wake him up with the sounds of jazz flowing from the speakers and would often take him to dark and smoky bars around his home town of Brussels to hear the latest Belgian jazz ensembles. Falling in love with jazz, he would later refine has knack for record digging while working at a record store in Brussels, immersing himself in hip hop and jazz. Today, Lefto regularly blesses sound systems from Tokyo to Seoul and Singapore to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He's not only a deejay and producer but also curates his own stage at the Dour Festival and his own nights in Gent in collaboration with Democrazy.

$15.50 IN STOCK

Belgian-based record label Sdban Ultra present their latest groove-heavy compilation, Lefto Presents Jazz Cats. Compiled by Belgian DJ and eclectic connoisseur Lefto, Jazz Cats showcases the next generation of Belgian jazz artists including the psychedelic jazz-fusion collective BRZZVLL, the outrageous BeraadGeslagen, radical experimentalists Steiger, electro-acoustic piano trio De Beren Gieren, and futuristic funksters, STUFF. With jazz seeing a resurgence over the last decade, an explosion of young musicians are exploring and experimenting with the sound and there is a renewal of energies, with Belgium at the forefront. From the youthful jazz iconoclasts of SCHNTZL and the Ethiopique-inspired quintet Black Flower, to the jazz-rock hybrid of Commander Spoon, and one of the most distinguished Belgian jazz groups of the past ten years, LABtrio, Lefto Presents Jazz Cats is the perfect introduction to the current Belgian jazz scene and the artists currently making waves across Europe. Also features: 2 Times Nothing, LABtrio, Glass Museum, Compro Oro, Mazzle, Madame Blavatsky, Collective Conscience, and Pudding oO.

The word "tastemaker" often gets mentioned when Lefto's name pops up in discussions, and rightly so. Famed for his gloriously eclectic DJ sets, he switches effortlessly between hip hop, funk, breaks, neck-snapping beats, future bass, South-American influences, bruk riddims, and some wild African rhythms. As one the most important DJs Europe has to offer, and affiliated with labels Brownswood, Blue Note, !K7 Records, Stones Throw, and Jazzy Sport, Lefto is consistently a couple steps ahead. He doesn't wait for the next thing to land on his lap, actively seeking it out -- just take a peek at his playlists on Belgium's foremost national radio station Studio Brussel which received compliments from Rough Trade Shops and Gilles Peterson. Growing up around jazz as a child, his father would wake him up with the sounds of jazz flowing from the speakers and would often take him to dark and smoky bars around his home town of Brussels to hear the latest Belgian jazz ensembles. Falling in love with jazz, he would later refine has knack for record digging while working at a record store in Brussels, immersing himself in hip hop and jazz. Today, Lefto regularly blesses sound systems from Tokyo to Seoul and Singapore to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He's not only a deejay and producer but also curates his own stage at the Dour Festival and his own nights in Gent in collaboration with Democrazy.

$28.50 IN STOCK

LP version with download code. Ghent's Steiger are a piano trio, but not in the classical sense. With their versatile style, influenced by different musical genres such as jazz, rock, pop, classical, and electronic music, they try to find a balance between composition and improvisation through the use of experimentation and electronics. Considered pioneers of the Belgian jazz crossover scene, Steiger have been active for six years and have recently found themselves performing at major jazz venues in Flanders, picking up numerous accolades along the way. The trio's highly anticipated sophomore album Give Space was recorded at seven different locations, with the music composed to fit and fight these locations within a dialogue of acoustics, atmospheres and appetition. Field recordings, reverbs, and ambient sounds are all collected within the search for the unpredictable, given space within this dialogue as an essential part of the encounter. As a result, the locations emerge somewhat as a fourth member of the trio. The music, sometimes fixed, sometimes completely free, thus becomes an ever-changing journey into their multi-faceted world.

$18.00 IN STOCK

On her debut EP, Brussels-based multi-instrumentalist Esinam gives us an entrancing insight into her eclectic world of jazztronica. Esinam carries influences from different worlds geographically, culturally and musically. Blending traditional and modern instruments with her soulful voice, the acoustic sounds of the instruments are allowed to evolve and take on new dimensions, opening up a kaleidoscopic spectrum of sound and color. Through merging different genres of music, we are warmly welcomed into Esinam's musical universe. Includes collaboration with Senegalese DJ and producer Ibaaku.

$14.50 IN STOCK

Ghent's Steiger are a piano trio, but not in the classical sense. With their versatile style, influenced by different musical genres such as jazz, rock, pop, classical, and electronic music, they try to find a balance between composition and improvisation through the use of experimentation and electronics. Considered pioneers of the Belgian jazz crossover scene, Steiger have been active for six years and have recently found themselves performing at major jazz venues in Flanders, picking up numerous accolades along the way. The trio's highly anticipated sophomore album Give Space was recorded at seven different locations, with the music composed to fit and fight these locations within a dialogue of acoustics, atmospheres and appetition. Field recordings, reverbs, and ambient sounds are all collected within the search for the unpredictable, given space within this dialogue as an essential part of the encounter. As a result, the locations emerge somewhat as a fourth member of the trio. The music, sometimes fixed, sometimes completely free, thus becomes an ever-changing journey into their multi-faceted world.

$19.50 IN STOCK

Ghent-based piano trio Steiger have earned their place in the ever-growing peloton of young Belgian jazz innovators. As a result, they won the Young Jazz talent price at the 2017 Gent Jazz Festival. With their luscious and rigid grooves in minimalistic framing, they cast themselves between SCHNTZL and De Beren Gieren, likewise minded young Bel-jazz bands that don't take it so closely with traditions. They play jazz with a rock n' roll attitude. Sdban Ultra present a sampler of their debut album And Above All on a limited 10" vinyl. This release marks their introduction on Sdban Ultra, with a forthcoming sophomore album. And Above All houses both jazz and modern compositions, avant-garde and experimental electronics. Steiger takes inspiration from jazz and refers to the traditions but equally pulls those apart, for example in the chaotic miniature "Bachfag" and in the intimate "Inverse/Reverse". With "Berlin Revisited" the band clearly chooses electronic instrumentation. It is reminiscent of the electronic jazz of the noughties: bands like Triosk, Sofa Surfers, and Flanger did not so much work towards jazz but used the genre as a stepping stone to dive into the cosmos. Steiger are launching themselves into infinity on this track with a pounding beat, shrill cymbals, overdriven keys, and an unwieldy bass.

$18.00 NOT IN STOCK

Musicians make albums. But in this case it's different. The four tracks on this ten-inch release were created in between. It's an intermediate piece that sits between two albums, reflecting on a series of special moments and special evolutions of Black Flower. The inspiration came from Salvador Dali's creative dreaming ritual. With a pair of scissors in his hand, he sat back, closed his eyes and slid into sleep. The moment his body and mind enter deep sleep, the scissors dropped and waked him up. Dali then started painting using the inspiration he gathered from his dreams. These paintings can be considered the result of an intermediate state between consciousness and subconsciousness, a zone between being awake and sleeping. Black Flower has derived four dream-tracks from their individual intermediate state, materialized into microscopic grooves on a black vinyl disc. "Almaz" occurred as the first dream. It became Black Flower's very first cover song. An Ethiopian traditional, famous thanks to legendary singer Mahmoud Ahmed. Immediately, this dreamy track pulls you deeply into the intermediate state. "Maqam Tizita Saba" was a vision about an unexpected connection between the Arabian and the Ethiopian world. Black Flower utilized an extended musical scale, beginning with the peaceful, consonant Ethiopian Titzia, and fused it with the upper structure of the dissonant Arabic Saba scale. In the "Good Side Of Bad", Black Flower commemorated its recent collaboration with Dijf Sanders's latest album, Java (WERF 150LP, 2018), which is a groovy patchwork between electronics and his field recordings in Indonesia. Samples from this part of the world pass by just like that. No distance is too big in the intermediate state. "Fly High Oh My" happened just before the scissors fell back on the ground. Strong energy propelling high into the ecstatic sky. Full color tip-on sleeve.

$14.50 IN STOCK

Belgian fusion band BRZZVLL (pronounced "Brazzaville") present their seventh studio album, Waiho. Founded by Vincent Brijs in Antwerp in 2006, the seven piece interfuse improvised dance music with jazz-fusion, Afro funk, and rare groove. It is freaky, it is trippy and it follows no rules. Belgium has quite a tradition for jazz and funk infused left-field grooves from Marc Moulin's ingenious Placebo, to library funksters Les Chakakas or El Chicles, to the much sampled JJ Band. BRZZVLL follows in a similar tradition. Initially re-working arrangements from jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Eddie Harris, Freddie Hubbard, and Archie Shepp, BRZZVLL eventually began to construct their own forms of free jazz in an attempt to return jazz to its primitive roots based around collective improvisation. Waiho is BRZZVLL at its best: excellent psychedelic jazz-funk in which the band's solid, characteristic sound comes forward. After two inspirational collaborations with poets and 'Nuff Said brothers Anthony Joseph ("Engines") and Amir Sulaiman ("First Let's Dance"), BRZZVLL play the instrumental card. With Waiho, the band express their current cry for solidarity within music as well as their daily lives. Nowadays, music is too often used as an individual consumption product. The band centralize the group experience, both in the creation process and in the interaction with the audience when performing live, by being "in the moment" and lifting the music to a higher level, as one. This way, BRZZVLL go back to the roots of jazz and funk. The non-native electronics and dub effects on the album encourage this heightened mood. The addition of a second drummer provokes an extra percussive layering and virtuosity. The compositions, inspired by surrealism, absurdism, and mysticism, still leave room for improvisation and the collective creation of sound. Get carried away by contagious rhythms and immerse yourself in this delirious trip to a world beyond ours. Picking up numerous plaudits for their contribution to jazz back in Belgium, the band have performed extensively in their home country and have shared the stage with the likes of The Neville Brothers, Young Blood Brass Band, Marcus Miller, and Alice Russell. Comes in four-panel digipak.

$14.50 IN STOCK

In the space between expectation and surprise, you will find Dutch-Belgian acoustic-electronic piano trio De Beren Gieren ("The Bear Vultures"), providing robust evidence that gold can still be mined from the union of piano, bass, and drums. Based on the compositions of pianist Fulco Ottervanger, the trio use the power of improvisation on the quest for a new form and create a multi-layered, kaleidoscopic work of art. De Beren Gieren has been hailed as one of the hottest acts on the Belgian jazz scene and Dug Out Skyscrapers marks the band's fourth studio album. Raw energy, impressionist melodies, and complex structures are generated via piano, bass, and drums provoking polyrhythmic soundscapes with unexpected twists and sudden turns. With Dug Out Skyscrapers, the trio trace back the essence of what characterizes their sound. An electro-acoustic approach weaves a spherical world of sound with added dynamism, humor, and more than a touch of melancholy, projecting its listeners forward into the future. De Beren Gieren hold the unique ability to change mood suddenly in a way that constantly holds the listener's attention. This is a sound full of joy and vitality and confirms their reputation as one of the most adventurous jazz trios of the Benelux. Formed in 2009, De Beren Gieren were in-house residents at the prestigious Vooruit Arts' Centre in Ghent for four years and have received three awards at the distinguished International Jazz Hoeilaart competition which promotes young jazz musicians across Europe and the rest of the world. A Raveling (2013), the band's second album, was widely praised and resulted in De Beren Gieren's international breakthrough. The follow-up a year later, The Detour Fish, captured the band's live sound at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival in Slovenia and featured burgeoning Portuguese trumpeter and improviser, Susana Santos Silva. 2015's One Mirrors Many (SDBANU 001LP) received widespread recognition with influential jazz magazine Jazzism describing the release as the "most influential album of 2015-16". De Beren Gieren have performed across numerous jazz stages throughout Europe and have collaborated with numerous musicians including Marc Ribot, Louis Sclavis, Joachim Badenhorst, Jan Klare, and trumpeter Susana Santos Silva. Comes in a four-panel digipak.

$29.00 IN STOCK

Belgian fusion band BRZZVLL (pronounced "Brazzaville") present their seventh studio album, Waiho. Founded by Vincent Brijs in Antwerp in 2006, the seven piece interfuse improvised dance music with jazz-fusion, Afro funk, and rare groove. It is freaky, it is trippy and it follows no rules. Belgium has quite a tradition for jazz and funk infused left-field grooves from Marc Moulin's ingenious Placebo, to library funksters Les Chakakas or El Chicles, to the much sampled JJ Band. BRZZVLL follows in a similar tradition. Initially re-working arrangements from jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Eddie Harris, Freddie Hubbard, and Archie Shepp, BRZZVLL eventually began to construct their own forms of free jazz in an attempt to return jazz to its primitive roots based around collective improvisation. Waiho is BRZZVLL at its best: excellent psychedelic jazz-funk in which the band's solid, characteristic sound comes forward. After two inspirational collaborations with poets and 'Nuff Said brothers Anthony Joseph ("Engines") and Amir Sulaiman ("First Let's Dance"), BRZZVLL play the instrumental card. With Waiho, the band express their current cry for solidarity within music as well as their daily lives. Nowadays, music is too often used as an individual consumption product. The band centralize the group experience, both in the creation process and in the interaction with the audience when performing live, by being "in the moment" and lifting the music to a higher level, as one. This way, BRZZVLL go back to the roots of jazz and funk. The non-native electronics and dub effects on the album encourage this heightened mood. The addition of a second drummer provokes an extra percussive layering and virtuosity. The compositions, inspired by surrealism, absurdism, and mysticism, still leave room for improvisation and the collective creation of sound. Get carried away by contagious rhythms and immerse yourself in this delirious trip to a world beyond ours. Picking up numerous plaudits for their contribution to jazz back in Belgium, the band have performed extensively in their home country and have shared the stage with the likes of The Neville Brothers, Young Blood Brass Band, Marcus Miller, and Alice Russell. Includes download card.

$29.00 IN STOCK

In the space between expectation and surprise, you will find Dutch-Belgian acoustic-electronic piano trio De Beren Gieren ("The Bear Vultures"), providing robust evidence that gold can still be mined from the union of piano, bass, and drums. Based on the compositions of pianist Fulco Ottervanger, the trio use the power of improvisation on the quest for a new form and create a multi-layered, kaleidoscopic work of art. De Beren Gieren has been hailed as one of the hottest acts on the Belgian jazz scene and Dug Out Skyscrapers marks the band's fourth studio album. Raw energy, impressionist melodies, and complex structures are generated via piano, bass, and drums provoking polyrhythmic soundscapes with unexpected twists and sudden turns. With Dug Out Skyscrapers, the trio trace back the essence of what characterizes their sound. An electro-acoustic approach weaves a spherical world of sound with added dynamism, humor, and more than a touch of melancholy, projecting its listeners forward into the future. De Beren Gieren hold the unique ability to change mood suddenly in a way that constantly holds the listener's attention. This is a sound full of joy and vitality and confirms their reputation as one of the most adventurous jazz trios of the Benelux. Includes printed inner sleeve and download card.

$14.00 NOT IN STOCK

Stirred up from deep within, from an abstract spiral of sound and movement, from a sensation of time and space absolving and converging at once, the Black Flower musicians have molded a tangible matter: the album Artifacts. Their second full album sounds international and ageless; Eastern influences, Ethio-dub, and jazz effortlessly merge producing psyche-delicious and accessible 21st century Ethio-dub-jazz. As if John Zorn put on Fela Kuti's shoes and imbibed Mulatu Astatke's whirls. Piloted by saxophonist/flutist/composer Nathan Daems (Ragini Trio, Dijf Sanders, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra), this instrumental band aims for originality. Fellow musicians and "brothers down the road" are Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico) on cornet, Simon Segers (Absynthe Minded, De Beren Gieren, Stadt) at the drums, Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra) on the bass, and Wouter Haest (Los Callejeros, Voodoo Boogie) playing keys. For many, the Ethiopian aspect once made known to the world by Mulatu Astatke will stand out. Still, Black Flower further adds oriental scales, Afrobeat à la Fela Kuti, jazz in a John Zorn way and varied western music traditions such as rock and dub. The resulting melting pot is undoubtedly inspired by Nathan's distant travels and the multifariously colorful city of Brussels. After their well-received debut album Abyssinia Afterlife (2014) which created an atmosphere of mythical figures and psychedelia, Black Flower now reflect on ancient and modern cultures. The album title Artifacts refers to centuries-old fragile objects or tools that empowered the development of human culture. The musicians' personal musical backgrounds and the result is an album with an ageless mystique. Artifacts is the synthesis of different cultures, of the past and present, and personal and collective memories. It is the soundtrack to modern reality, based on the elements that connect everybody. Uncomplicated originality, plenty of space for fantasy and an organic tone: those are the ingredients for Black Flower to lay claim to an age-old human ritual: dancing! Also features: Tcha Limberger plays violin on "Lunar Eclipse"; Gernas Shekhmous plays daf on "Realm And Era". CD version comes in an uncoated digisleeve.