Damon Locks - Black Monument Ensemble - "The Colors That You Bring"

I'll be playing another selection on my show tomorrow night, but right now "The Colors That You Bring" is the only track from Where Future Unfolds available for streaming.

BUT OH WHAT A SONG.

It's a great entry-point to the expansive music that Damon Locks - Black Monument Ensemble craft. And I do mean 'craft' - there's an attention to detail, but also a hand-hewn quality to this spiritual-jazz record that is infused with the spirit of its creators. Sometimes - as on "The Future?" - it can feel a little sloppy, but at other points it simply hums with the collective energy and talent that sound & visual artist Damon Locks and collaborators including Angel Bat Dawid (who is a force on her own record) among others.

 The full-length drops May 31st on the always reliable International Anthem.

Makaya McCraven - "Mantra"

IT'S UNIVERSAL BEINGS RELEASE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally. Thanks to the fine folks at International Anthem, I've been absorbing the second release from Chicago's Makaya McCraven for a little while now and waiting for the opportunity to feature it on my radio show. Tonight I'll finally get to spin the track below but more importantly, the record is now available to listen to in its entirety on Bandcamp and to purchase. The entire record is a stunner and has a solid spot on my 2018 Longlist, but "Mantra" continues to stand out on multiple listens because that interpolation of harp and bowed bass dancing atop the snapping percussion. It creates a mood and a groove that I just want to luxuriate in.