Once again 22a have loaded another South London jazz-infused artist onto our radar, with newcomer Dennis Ayer, delivering three tracks of sublime ambient jazz, soul and blues.
22a bossman Tenderlonious features on the title track ‘Put It On’, grounding the EP in their unique style of weighty rhythms, supple hip-hop and golden soul inflections. The eerie vocals are surrounded by off-beat percussion with a Detroit-inspired bass line that plods along throughout.
Whilst the third and final track parades an ambient dreamer aesthetic to close the EP out, the highlight for us has to be the penultimate track. Sandwiched between vocal-led grooves and a beat-less soundscape, ‘Ms Chambers’ brings a double-bass progression and shuffling cymbals that gyrate in a synonymously Henry Wu style, with keys fluttering in and out in a heady bounce.
Put It On is the first 7” released by 22a and is limited to 300 copies so don’t sleep. Grab it from Sounds of the Universe.
