We Out Here Festival might be Gilles Peterson’s annual gathering for UK jazz heads, but it’s not short on fence-jumping electronicists either. We run through a few names you won’t want to miss at this year’s edition…
Afromerm (Playing in the Lemon Lounge Tent on Saturday at 11am)
Who?
The guise of Oram Award-winning artist Cecilia Morgan. This south London producer exists in the atmospheric realm of soundscapes, using a bunch of different technical approaches to weave unfolding ambience capable of swallowing you whole.
Prepare For…
Morgan will likely delve into her box of tricks, whether that’s using her much-favoured theremin or a violin, with haunting vocal treatments abound. You expect she’ll be accompanied by other musicians too, which could include a harpist, percussionist and a synthesist.
You Should Listen To…
‘Seasketch’, a recent track recorded while on a residency in the Shetland Islands. Swirling vocals wash over aquatic field recordings, in a piece which summons coastal spirits. “I spent some time in Shetland a couple of months back as part of a residency,” she says of the track. “It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and today I’m sharing ‘Seasketch’, a short sound sketch I made while I was there, using the rhythm of the Shetland tides as a starting point.”
Shabaka (Playing the LushLife stage on Sunday at 3.50pm)
Who?
A genuine living legend in the jazz world – see his renowned work with Sons Of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, as well as Shabaka & The Ancestors – the Barbadian/British musician has been immersing himself into the world of electronics. Peep his Instagram channel for a diaristic feed of many Korgs and theremins.
Prepare For…
A fluid set of patchwork loops, meditative flute movements, and an artist very much pushing spiritual jazz into a fresh form. He may perform with a full band (previous iterations have included synthesist Hinako Omori), or cut a lone figure on stage.
You Should Listen To…
‘Of The Earth’, Shabaka’s latest album which he composed, produced and mixed himself. For an artist who could so easily have stayed in a familiar lane and be lauded for it, this LP saw Shabaka breach new sonic turf through a surprise mix of beatmaking, club-oriented cuts, and for the first time ever, even his own raps.
Your Brother’s Keeper & Gary Bartz (Playing Brawnswood Tent on Saturday at 8pm)
Who?
A surprise pairing, but one you’ll definitely want to plug into, featuring London jazz ensemble Your Brother’s Keeper and American sax elder Gary Bartz, who played with the likes of Miles, Mingus and Max Roach.
Prepare For…
Epic instrumental movements which rise, fall and summon up considerable euphoria. Driven by Chiminyo’s drums, and given rocket fuel by Ali MacSween’s modular synths, this is old-skool spiritual jazz dropped headfirst into an electronic storm. As their peak, expect your body to levitate for a few seconds at least.
You Should Listen To…
There’s only one album to brush up on, and that’s their debut, ‘Where Rivers Meet’. Seven tracks of spiralling compositions to lose yourself in.
Manfredo Lament (Playing Tomorrow’s Warriors Big Top Tent on Friday at 3.50pm)
Who?
This “100 per cent improvised” group hail from Australia and concoct astonishing free-form pieces live, with nothing supposedly pre-prepared. Consisting of Kurt Lam on synth and keys, and Gabriel Haslam on drums, they are capable of reaching stratospheric heights
Prepare For…
Hard to say, since they make it up on the spot, but their long-form improvised sets remind of Robert Wyatt-era Soft Machine from the 1970s. Either way, their UK festival debut is not something to be missed, and you may feel a bit smug to have caught it given their fanbase isn’t huge.
You Should Listen To…
Make your way to YouTube for their outrageous 11-minute live performance at Greenhouse. It’s a trip and a half.
Herbert & Momoko (Playing the LushLife Stage on Sunday at 5.20pm)
Who?
Stalwart experimenter Matthew Herbert and jazz drummer/vocalist Momoko Gill. You’ll no doubt be familiar with the former, who’s about as forward-thinking a producer as you’ll find on this here Earth, while Gill’s reputation has ballooned in the last year thanks to a stellar debut album, as well as collaborations with Alabaster DePlume, Coby Sey and Forest Law.
Prepare For…
Chaotic experimentation. Their live sets involve a circus of live sampling – heartbeats, animal bones, basketballs, you name it – and therefore plenty of on-stage negotiation to figure out who’s doing what.
You Should Listen To…
‘Clay’. Released earlier this year, it’s the pair’s sumptuous record which is club-oriented yet tender. Gill’s soft-as-butter voice is something you won’t forget.
Zena (Playing the Main Stage on Sunday at 3pm and Brawnswood Tent on Friday at 1.30pm)
Who?
London’s Yohan Kebede and Menelik are the new darlings of a a rejuvenated Ethiopian-jazz scene led by the diaspora. Think Hailu Mergia with a R&B underbelly.
Prepare For…
Two sets, one cosy in a small tent, and another on the main stage after their hero Mulatu Astatke pulled out from the festival due to health concerns. In this second set, they’ll be curating a session with some new faces from their scene. Guaranteed to be the perfect afternoon haze to lose yourself in.
You Should Listen To…
Their debut album ‘Temesgen’ was recently released by Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, and is like a warm hug from a close friend, its melodies something to sink into.
Speakers Corner Quartet (Playing the Brawnswood Tent on Saturday at 4pm)
Who?
Speakers Corner Quartet are the exciting London group made up of four musicians, including Kwake Bass on drums (Kae Tempest, Joe Armon-Jones, Mala) and Raven Bush on violin. They started life as a house band at a Brixton open mic night, yet have grown into some truly fascinating experimenters.
Prepare For…
They’ll be performing the music of Arthur Russell, avant-garde disco pioneer and a singular voice from the 80s/90s. The Quartet’s approach will no doubt be gloriously left-field. Bring on crowd singalongs for ‘That’s Us/Wild Combination’.
You Should Listen To…
Their 2023 debut album ‘Further Out Than Edge’ is a show-stopping collaborative affair, featuring everyone from Tirzah (who is Kwake’s partner), Mica Levi, Shabaka Hutchings, Sampha and many more. Wildly eclectic, it ranges from grungy head-nodders to jazz-inflected stompers.
Corto.alto (Playing the Main Stage on Friday at 4.40pm)
Who?
Glasgow multi-instrumentalist Liam Shortall is the chief in corto.alto, a band which exists at the extremities of jazz, at times souding a big band trying their hand at Afrobeat, death metal and grime, often all at once.
Prepare For…
Energy. Skittering rhythms collide with nuclear synth and rib rattling bass. Part The Comet Is Coming, part Domi & JD Beck, this could be one of the most exciting sets of the weekend.
You Should Listen To…
Exorcise your demons with their recent performance of ‘Bulletproof’ on KEXP. Malevolent basslines shift into a dark, blood-pumping rhythm that will certainly get you stomping.
We Out Here takes place between 20-24 August at St Giles Park in Dorset
