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Taken from the album, Talk Memory. Out now on XL Recordings and Innovative Leisure. https://badbadnotgood.ffm.to/talk-memory

Already at the leading edge of the UK jazz scene, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Marc recently stepped into the spotlight with his lustrous and contemplative ‘Breathe Suite’ EP. Released in September and praised by the likes of NPR, The Wire and The Guardian, its sweeping strings, rippling piano and meditative vocals showed off Marc’s undeniable gift for composing and arranging. The EP and was nearly finished during lockdown when the death of George Floyd shook the world. As a result, Marc and vocalist Midnight Roba steered the release in a more contemplative direction, with the BLM ‘Breathe Suite B’ depicting struggle, panic and ultimately peace. New single ‘Way We Are’ offers a tantalising taster of what’s to come, and with an upcoming full-length album muted for release in spring, Marc has this to say on it:

"‘Way we are’ reflects on the way we live, the way we think and the way we grow. It’s the first track from my upcoming record and it came about while I was questioning what type of person or musician I am." Ben Marc

Marc, the alias of Neil Charles, has quite the musical pedigree. He grew up splitting his time between Birmingham and Carriacou in the Caribbean: at school in the English city, he started taking classical music lessons aged 10. After touring the world in school orchestras, Marc moved to London to take classical double bass at the prestigious Trinity College of Music, where Fela Kuti once studied, under the tutelage of double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku. It wasn’t until a chance meeting in Brixton with Gary Crosby, linchpin of Tomorrow’s Warriors – the crucial London jazz educators that connect the UK new wave luminaries, from Nubya Garcia to Moses Boyd – that the possibility of jazz shone like a beacon. “He was Black and holding a double bass, so I went up to him on the street and tapped him on the shoulder to find out what he was doing,” says Marc. It was the start of a game-changing journey that would see him play first with smart jazz group Empirical and then led him to forming the free-jazz trio Zed-U, alongside Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming) and drummer Tom Skinner. With Zed-U, Marc’s passion for electronic music began to bubble up. He and Hutchings would frequent London nightclubs together, soaking in the sounds of garage, broken beat and drum’n’bass at iconic former spots such as The End and Plastic People. He even took Hutchings to his first house and techno night, where DJs like Sven Vath and Ricardo Villolobos would man the decks – influences that led Marc to produce a house EP for the London-based label Atjazz. His work with other key figures has been building up, too: last year, he joined keysman Ashley Henry on the latter’s track ‘The Mighty’, which Marc wrote and produced.

In his new music, Ben Marc has unified these influences into a sublime whole. Now signed to LA’s Innovative Leisure, he’s found a home alongside similarly future-thinking artists like Badbadnotgood, Nosaj Thing, Rarelyalways and Jimmy Edgar. ‘Way We Are’ is a sign of things to come from an artist clearly at the top of his game.

Read more at Clash: https://www.clashmusic.com/news/ben-marcs-way-we-are-is-absorbing-return

Mapache — the Los Angeles-based duo of Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch who deliver “a groove so strong you can basically hear the sunshine” (NPR Music) - share their vibey instrumental version of Stevie Wonder’s classic “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life.” The track comes from their new covers EP 3, out next Friday on November 19 via Innovative Leisure. Mapache’s version of the Stevie standard radiates a hazy warmth, showcasing the duo’s intricate acoustic pickings atop a warped surf organ and a beachy percussive pulse.

“If the Everly Brothers cruised back from a high desert road trip and landed at County Line beach and cracked a beer to watch the sunset – you’d have these guys...Mapache’s chemistry is undeniable and their creative circle seems to be flourishing.” — KCRW

“Quintessentially laid-back. This is Sunday morning music, best experienced within walking distance of Big Sur or Joshua Tree.” — UNCUT

“Medicine for the soul.” — Shindig

“Angelic harmonies weaving somewhere between traditional folk and modern cosmic country music. These songs are inspired by everything from Mexican boleros, to Bakersfield twang, to lonesome cowboy campfire tunes.” — FLOOD

Taken from the album, Talk Memory.

Out now on XL Recordings and Innovative Leisure. https://badbadnotgood.ffm.to/talk-memory

Cast: Wesley Taylor

Mason Charles Thomas

Soleil Pena

Director: Danica Kleinknecht

Producer: Cara Braglia

Production Company: NoCo

Director of Photography: Mitchell Overton

1st AC: Diego Cordero

2nd AC: Maxwell Geoffrey

Key Grip: Jesus Sanchez

Swing: Carlos Germosen

Art Director & Costume Design: Alex Lee

Production Manager: Ben Draghi

Production Manager: Katherine Methven

Editor: Danica Kleinknecht & Alex Segal

Animator: Parker Loris Underkoffler

Colorist: Dante Pasquinelli

Film Print: Color Lab

Film: Kodak

Graphics: Eddie Mandell

Record Label: XL Recordings

Commissioner: Caroline Waxse

Maston performs "Ghost" from the album, Souvenir, live from Ritmo Studio in Leysin, Switzerland with support from members of L'eclair.

https://smarturl.it/maston_souvenir

Recorded live at Ritmo Studio, Leysin, Switzerland

Engineer: Benoit Gerard

Electric Piano/Vocals: Frank Maston

Synthesizer: Sébastien Bui

Guitar: Stefan Lilov

Percussion: Alain Sandri Bass: Elie Ghersinu

Drums: Yavor Lilov Composed by Maston

Filmed by Club Soda

Directed and Edited by Valentin Schaer

Cameras by Patrick Chevalley & Valentin Schaer