London-based group Natural Lateral releases cosmic jazz-funk debut
Every year their are a number of highly-anticipated releases that vinyl collectors and music fans cannot wait to listen in full, however some of my favorite releases are the ones that I didn’t see coming, and completely blow me away. This is certainly the case with the debut recording from the London-based cosmic groove quintet Natural Lateral.
Titled Cogito Ergo Jam, this is the third release from Social Joy (also based out of London) and came together out of spontaneous jam sessions over the last couple of years at the Lazy Robot Studio in North London between band members Aziz Mustafa, Ozan Nidayi, Oli Arlotto, Malte From and Tim Balasubramaniam.
Musically the six-track recording blends hypnotic cosmic melodies, funky electric jazz grooves, and Latin-influenced rhythms. Fans of jazz-funk legends such as Lonnie Liston Smith, Azymuth, Roy Ayers, Weldon Irvine, and Deodato should certainly take notice.
Even though this album might not have originally been on many people’s radar entering the year, this is truly a incredible album and one of the best surprise standout releases of 2019. Don’t sleep on this one!
Natural Lateral — ‘Cogito Ergo Jam’
(Social Joy)
A1. Bossa Blue
A2. 46 to Foulden
A3. Days with Amber
B1. Safe as sound
B2. Stalagmite
B3. Yellow
