All of the broken beat pioneers are underrated in the scene today, their records just lying there like bricks of gold dropped in passing and far too many DJs are walking by, whistling, with their eyes closed. Quality soulful tracks are never in great supply; dance tracks with the kind of musicality you’ll hear from IG Culture, Bugz in the Attic, Dego, Daz-I-Kue, Mark de Clive-Lowe & the rest are rarer than honest priests or law-abiding lawyers in the wild. I’m continually falling over “new” discoveries from the period that are older than some of the people reading this.

But there’s a special category all by itself or records by Kaidi Tatham, multi-instrumental genius and the heart of the scene. The first record I had of his was Neon Phusion’s The Future Ain’t The Same (As It Used 2 B) and I had no idea he was on it — just a massively blissed out record that was like nothing else in my record collection at the time. His music in the following two decades is both a product and a catalyst, his back catalog a fertile field (Discogs is currently locked on 666 credits) and a fusion of sounds spawning new genres in its majestic sweep.

Kaidi Tatham has also been given the honor of inaugurating 7 Inch Nails, the cheeky title of a new series of 7″ records “aimed at expanding boundaries and opening up musical horizons” from Sounds Familiar. Tatham has a telescope to show you horizons you never thought existed, and the two track “Sooner Or Later”/”Feeling Happy” presents some stunning vistas from his room with a view. “Sooner Or Later” starts with a chunky strum like a guitar god in soundcheck. By the time they’re warmed up, the rest of the band kicks in with the soundtrack for a technicolor dream. I don’t often recommend taking drugs to heighten the sensation of music. This is maybe the first time I’ve heard music that’s actually a substantive substitute for them.

“Feeling Happy” builds like the opening song in an electronic jazz fusion band’s Live At Red Rocks double LP. Tatham obviously wasn’t at a loss when searching for a title for this upbeat, sunny jazz song.

As we said above: music like this is always in short supply. This 7″ will be too if you sleep on it.

Kaidi Tatham: 7 Inch Nails (Sounds Familiar / May 14 2021 / 7″ Vinyl / Digital)
1. Kaidi Tatham: Feeling Happy (04:08)
2. Kaidi Tatham: Sooner or Later (04:34)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo on behalf of the label.

 

 

This was originally published in 5 Mag issue 190: #Rejuvenate with Franck Roger, Ed Nine, Berlin under lockdown & more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.