Despite earning a Grammy nomination for their work on Angelique Kidjo’s 2021 album Mother Nature and a MOBO (Music of Black Origin) nod for “Best Jazz Act,” Blue Lab Beats’ website bio makes no mention of these accolades. Clearly, the British jazz-tronica duo cares more about the wildly eclectic and spirited tunes and beats they’re
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We learn only their somewhat cryptic professional monikers (NK-OK, Mr. DM), their ages (23 and 28) and the dazzling array of influences that drive the fascinating and expansive global fusion vibe of their Blue Note full-length debut album Motherland Journey. These include jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, R&B “and others,” which means dance music, evidenced by their deep, thumping beats throughout; old-school, George Duke-inspired synth fusion via all-instrumental tracks like the spaced out “A-Vibe” and the moody “Inhale & Exhale (Interlude)”; and lighthearted, intoxicating reggaeton on “Blow You Away (Delilah)” and “Sensual Loving,” a feisty, horn-fired Caribbean sing- and dance-along jam.
Elsewhere, on tracks like “I’ll Be Here for You” (featuring vocalist Teni Tinks) and “Gotta Go Fast” (with a whimsical trumpet solo by Poppy Daniels), the duo delves into a silky-cool urban flow with tracks that would fit snugly on the smooth jazz charts, albeit with slightly more adventure. Beyond artfully fusing the worlds of jazz and R&B-oriented genres, Blue Lab Beats showcases the way the genres parallel each other in terms of the importance of featured guests. Most prominent of these showcases is the title track, a dreamy, jangling African jazz excursion co-written in Accra, Ghana, with Ghanian producer KillBeatz and featuring lead vocals that the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti recorded on his song “Everything Scatter.” With luck, this track — representing the first time Blue Lab Beats has incorporated jazz with African music — is a harbinger of exotic explorations to come. — Jonathan Widran https://open.spotify.com/album/1Ot6KlRfnV6vGwcQPpr6eg?si=YPkhMz5NQJSKw9zHmR8quw
Featured photo: Iliana Kanellopoulou