Karl Hector is a new name to me (we’re told he’s the mysterious leader of the Funk Pilots) and he has teamed up with The Malcouns (Thomas Myland and Zdenko Curulija) who have previously dabble in projects like the Berlin Serengeti and released soul/funk 45s on Watou Records and the producer of Poets of Rhythm/Whitefield Brothers, J. Whitefield.

As last week was all about Ethiopiques at Glastonbury, this album takes their Ethio-jazz triumph to the next level as the sand falls off your shoes on the ‘Followed Path’ to Afro-funk-jazz enlightenment. As a side note, what little I saw of Jay Z on TV surely put to rest any doubts that hip-hop can’t top the Saturday night pyramid stage, well done Mr Eavis (as featured in this months’ Songlines).

It’s all here. If you fancy abit of Fela, ‘Debere’ is the track with glorious organ whilst ‘Jabore Pt. 3’ is a slow waddle on a Sun Ra trip to the water-hole. On a percussive tip, ‘Psycles’ gets in a groove and ‘Koloko Pt. 1’ is the funky horn tune.

There’s four short interlude tracks called, Transition >I<, >Z<, >B< & >W< and drift towards the ambient/experimentation side but I l’d like to think there are (at least) 22 more elements (being the rest of the alphabet) in transition that could be put together as one coherent piece; perhaps the bonus disc on the next album?

It’s hard to believe this album was recorded in Germany but these guy’s know their stuff as if they’ve smoked Steve Reid’s classic ‘Lion Of Juda’ for the past 20 years and re-invented the sound.

The tracks I keep going back to are ‘Nyx’, ‘Followed Path’ and ‘Toure Samar’ as they are as funky as the Dap-Kings, as psychedelic as a walk with Jim Morrison in the desert, as jazzy Sun Ra and as kick-ass as Fela Kuti and James Brown all wrapped up into one.

You don’t have to have subscribe to Wax Poetic to get this album and who knows, by this time next year, perhaps Karl Hector & The Malcouns will have headlined the Jazz/World stage at Glastonbury!

Live:
3 Aug 2008 - Poets of Rhythm @ Mantua Music & Arts Festival

Reviewed: Karl Hector & The Malcouns - Sahara Swing (Now-Again Records) Cat. No. NA5035 Release date: 7th July 2008
Tracklisting:
1 When The Sun Breaks Through (1:27)
2 Nyx (3:53)
3 Followed Path (4:46)
4 Transition >J< (0:56)
5 Sahara Swing (3:29)
6 Psycles (4:11)
7 Transition >I< (0:16)
8 Koloko Pt. 1 (2:52)
9 Debere (2:37)
10 Transition >B< (0:33)
11 Jabore Pt. 3 (4:07)
12 Mystical Brotherhood (2:41)
13 Timely Interuption (0:22)
14 Transition >Z< (0:42)
15 Mellow (Version) (3:24)
16 Rush Hour (2:29)
17 Transition >W< (1:04)
18 Toure Samar (3:17)
19 Passau Run (2:44)

Links:
Karl Hector www.myspace.com/saharaswing
www.myspace.com/themalcouns
www.myspace.com/mrmyland
www.myspace.com/thepoetsofrhythm
www.stonesthrow.com/Karlhector
www.stonesthrow.com
Gilles Peterson :: 12 June 2008 :: Benga Dubstep Vs Jazz Mix & Nostalgia 77 Maida Vale Session
Karl Hector & The Malcouns - ‘Nyx’ (Now-Again)
www.waxpoetics.com No. 29 Herbie Hancock, Jackson Conti, Nigeria 70 and much, much more!
Songlines www.songlines.co.uk The new July 2008 issue of Songlines magazine is on sale NOW. … My World - Glastonbury Festival’s Michael & Emily Eavis.