Name: Magma
Brand: Black Flower

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

SDBANUCD22

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-01-28

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5414165126164

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Black Flower

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

Sdban Ultra

Sdban Ultra is a sublabel of the reissue label Sdban, specializing in releasing new music by contemporary Belgian jazz and funk artists. With a focus on showcasing the vibrant and diverse talent within Belgium's jazz and funk scene, Sdban Ultra brings fresh sounds to music lovers worldwide.

Founded as an extension of Sdban Records, Sdban Ultra aims to provide a platform for emerging artists who are pushing boundaries and exploring new sonic territories. The label prides itself on its commitment to quality and authenticity, seeking out musicians who bring innovation and creativity to their craft.

From soulful grooves to experimental compositions, *Sdban Ultra* offers a rich tapestry of sounds that captivate listeners with their unique blend of tradition and modernity. Whether you're a seasoned jazz enthusiast or simply curious about discovering new musical horizons, *Sdban Ultra* invites you to embark on an exciting journey through the dynamic world of Belgian jazz and funk.

Five-piece hybrid jazz outfit Black Flower release new album Magma via the groove-obsessed Belgian label, Sdban Ultra.

Piloted by Brussels-based saxophonist / flutist / composer Nathan Daems (Echoes of Zoo, Dijf Sanders), the quintet is a vibrant, hypnotic mix of Ethio jazz, afrobeat, psychedelia and oriental influences, inspired by Mulatu Astatke, Fela Kuti and varied western musical traditions.

Magma sees Black Flower embrace new synth and organ sounds from the band’s most recent recruit, Karel Cuelenaere. His influence can be heard from the outset – his keys adding a swirling, mischievousness to album opener and title track ‘Magma’. Elsewhere, the shuffling drum patterns and flighty, flute-propelled ‘O Fogo’ are rich in texture and flow.

Driving rhythms and Eastern influenced melodies serve as a rich source of pleasure that, like magma, become real and solid when finding its way to the surface. It’s the perfect metaphor for this album’s creational process. The pulsating, trance-inducing ‘Deep Dive Down’ continues the joyous process while singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees (winner of The Montreux Jazz Talent Award 2021) adds, her clear-as-spring-water vocals to the celestial ‘Morning in the Jungle’.

With the much-trusted Frederik Segers on production and London-based visual virtuoso Raimund Wong (Total Refreshment Centre) on artwork duties, it all adds up to the psychedelic and exploratory identity of the band and are key elements that helped ‘Magma’ in its ascension from deep down up to the surface. A creative process solidified into vinyl, just as magma into rock.

Fellow musicians and spiritual henchmen are Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico) on cornet, Simon Segers (Absynthe Minded, De Beren Gieren, MDCIII) at the drums, Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas) at the bass and Karel Cuelenaere (John Ghost) on keys.