You may be aware of Wu-Lu’s production for his part in the honeyed-soul of ‘How Far’ by London soulstress Ego Ella May, or perhaps from his recent collaboration ‘Afro Let Down‘ with the mighty Andrew Ashong? Or maybe you were lucky enough to catch the man himself at Sounds of the Universe for his in-store tape launch? If not then pay close attention.
Wu-Lu’s ear for a groove is a matured one, mixing a palette of sounds from J Dilla to DJ Day, the South London producer’s sound sits happily between the two. Affording just the right amount of coarseness through soul steeped beats in his dreamy new cassette tape offering, Ginga will drift you away into a smoky plume. We’re delighted to air one of our favourites ‘Open Rising’ featuring LA beatsmith MNDSGN. The pair combine to produce a sweet sun-drizzled number that will charm any winter blues away. The central melody comes from a velvety bass guitar riff backed by floating bell Rhodes and an unfaltering drum pattern, wrapped up in a deliberately lo-fi cassette crackle. At its midway, Wu-Lu breaks down the track giving space to piano chords in an ebbing groove which gradually builds up again with its familiar elements before finally fading away.
Ginga is available now on cassette from Bandcamp. Also check out MNDSGN’s new mixtape on Stones Throw.
