BeatCaffeine’s 2019 Artist of the Year: Mark de Clive-Lowe
With six incredible releases across multiple projects, and numerous collaborations with some of the most-forward thinking artists in the world, as well as ongoing performances that touched just about every corner of the globe, BeatCaffeine’s 2019 Artist of the Year is Los Angeles-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Mark de Clive-Lowe.
It’s hard to imagine any artist on any level having a more productive and remarkable year than the one that Mark de Clive-Lowe had in 2019. It seemed like every couple of months the innovative musician known as MdCL was introducing us to a new project, being featured on someone else’s recording, or releasing a new album, all while touring Japan, Europe, the States, and beyond. How he found any time to sleep, rejuvenate, or just take a breather, it’s really hard to know.
He kicked off the year releasing the first of his two-part Heritage project, a series of recordings that explored the Japanese-side of his ancestry. While Heritage I had a more acoustic meditative vibe, Heritage II, which was released later in the Spring, incorporated more elements of hip hop, drum’n’bass, and broken-beat.
From traditional Japanese roots to more modern sounds, MdCL introduced us in March to his Japanese-based electro-acoustic cosmic jazz ensemble Rōnin Arkestra. The all-star collective brings together some of the most groundbreaking musicians in Japan’s thriving jazz and electronic scenes. The group released two brilliant recordings in 2019 including First Meeting EP, and the band’s first full-length, titled Sonkei.
Following March’s tragic terrorist attack in New Zealand, de Clive-Lowe provided some uplifting sounds with the Love EP on GAMM, re-editing Whitney Houston’s “Love Will Save The Day” and John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”.
In late fall, the innovative Los Angeles-based artist presented some of the recent standout sessions recorded from his longstanding CHURCH parties, on the digital-only (hope that changes!) release CHRUCH Sessions.
If that all wasn’t enough, MdCL collaborated on a number of great releases including Dwight Trible’s spiritual jazz album Mothership, two tracks on Captain Supernova’s futuristic jazz full-length The Voyage Never Ends…, Patrick Gibin’s 12inch release Cloud Nine, produced Lady Alma’s Twilight, and much more (see the full list below).
Overall, 2019 was a milestone year for Mark de Clive-Lowe, even for someone that had already made his mark as one of the most innovative artists of his generation. With each release, he continues to dive deeper into his own music, and present new forward-thinking approaches and sounds that seem to be much ahead of many in both jazz, electronic, and dance music scenes.
As we look back and celebrate all of MdCL’s incredible 2019 releases, it’s already safe to say that the LA-based artist doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. He already has a ton of projects and releases lined-up for the new year, including a trio record with longtime Italian collaborators Tommaso Cappellato and Andrea Lombardini, a tribute album honoring one of his favorite inspirations, an EP with London nu-soul artist Omar, and much more to be announced.
Given a similar output we once saw from another leading artist of their generation, I feel like the LA Weekly made a perfect comparison in describing Mark de Clive-Lowe, “If Duke Ellington had been a DJ, this might be what he would have done.”
MARK DE CLIVE-LOWE’S 2019 FEATURED RELEASES
Mark de Clive-Lowe — ‘Heritage I’
(Released: Feb 8 / Ropeadope)
Recorded live last June during a three-night residency at The Blue Whale in Los Angeles, this brilliant seven-track recording is the first of the two album Heritage series exploring his Japanese ancestry. Throughout the album, the music combines traditional Japanese folk with jazz, electronic beats, hypnotic melodies, and spiritual grooves. From track to track, the album flows extremely well, taking the listener on a journey inspired by both Japanese mythology and his own childhood experiences.
Rōnin Arkestra — ‘First Meeting EP’
(Released: Mar 22 / Albert’s Favourites)
Led by MdCL, this record was the debut release for the electro-acoustic jazz ensemble Rōnin Arkestra, which features some of the most forward-thinking musicians in Japan’s thriving jazz and electronic scene, including members from Kyoto Jazz Sextet, WONK, Cro-Magnon, Root Soul, Sleepwalker, Sauce81, and Kyoto Jazz Massive. The recording melds together piano and horn melodies with electronic beats, spacey synths, and groove oriented rhythms. The four-song EP also features an incredible rendition of John Coltrane’s 1964 masterpiece “A Love Supreme.”
Mark de Clive-Lowe — ‘Heritage II’
(Released: Apr 5 / Ropeadope)
Heritage II picks-up where the first volume left off, fusing together deep spiritual jazz and Japanese-influenced melodies with electronic broken-beat grooves, and cosmic atmospheric tones. Where Heritage I was much more meditative in it’s overall tone, the follow-up release feels very much like the “late-night session,” featuring a more uptempo and an electric vibe. This album was also recorded live during the same Blue Whale residency that produced the first Heritage album.
Mark de Clive-Lowe — ‘Love EP’
(Released: Jun 24 / GAMM)
As a native New Zealander, MdCL payed tribute to his homeland country following the devastating and hateful terrorist attacks in March by releasing this EP of “Love”, featuring re-worked version’s of two of his favorite love-based songs, including Whitney Houston’s “Love Will Save The Day” and John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”.
Rōnin Arkestra — ‘Sonkei’
(Released: Sep 27 / Albert’s Favourites)
The Japanese-based collective continue their adventurous exploration of jazz and electronic music on the band’s debut full-length recording. Similar to the group’s first EP, this incredible album features a mix of jazz improvisation, cosmic tones, and electronic-based beats.
Mark de Clive-Lowe presents — ‘CHURCH Sessions’
(Released: Oct 25 / World Galaxy)
For his final release of 2019, the Mark de Clive-Lowe presents his CHURCH Sessions, which MdCL describes as “equal parts jazz club, dance party and live remix experiment.” The brilliant thirteen-track album, curated and produced by MdCL, truly captures the essence of the groundbreaking jazz-influenced dance party (now in it’s ninth year!!!) and features some of the best collaborative moments that have taken place from artists all over the world. Some of the guest artists featured throughout the sessions include 14KT, Kamau Daaood, Joy Jones, Tommaso Cappellato, and many others. The true magic of this release is the strong sense of community and influence each collaboration brings to every track, hence the name “CHURCH”.
2019 COLLABORATIONS & CONTRIBUTIONS
Lady Alma — ‘Twilight’ (Mashibeats) Produced full-album
Dwight Trible — ‘Mothership’ (Gearbox) Featured on full-album
Captain Supernova — ‘The Voyage Never Ends..’ (Ropeadope) Featured on two tracks
Patrick Gibin — ‘Cloud Nine’ 12” (Eglo Records) Featured on both tracks
14KT – ‘For My Sanity’ (First Word Records) Featured on “The Late Bird” Motorcity Wine Records #4 12” – Contributed “Wondering Who”
