Blue Lab Beats Release Blue Note Debut Album Motherland Journey
London-based GRAMMY and MOBO nominated Jazztronica duo Blue Lab Beats released their long-awaited full-length and Blue Note Records debut Motherland Journey. The duo was recently named an artist to watch in 2022 by SPIN, who said “[Blue Lab Beats] combines the classic instrumentation and harmonic vocabulary of jazz with the choppy, beat-driven aesthetic of modern electronica… [On Motherland Journey] the duo touch on funk, soul, hip-hop, psychedelia, even Afrobeat… After a while, the distinctions dissolve and you’re left with the only thing that matters: exquisite feel and atmosphere.”
“Motherland Journey is an extremely special album to us,” Blue Lab Beats enthuse. “This album took us two-and-a-half years to finish, our longest process to make an album, but it was so worth it. On this album you’ll hear many fusions of genres and inspirations that we gathered throughout that time frame and especially to work on so many of the songs during the first lockdown it was a test in itself. We had to figure out so many different ways to achieve what we exactly wanted sonically and having Blue Note to help us achieve that was an absolute blessing. Many of the vocal features and instrumentalists on this album are great friends of ours and it’s just so amazing to have family on this album.”
One of the fastest-rising production duos in the world right now, with a Grammy nomination for their work on the Angelique Kidjo album Mother Nature, and a MOBO nomination for ‘Best Jazz Act’ in 2021 testament to their rise, Blue Lab Beats consists of producer NK-OK and multi-instrumentalist Mr DM. Starting out as bedroom producers, remixing tracks from A-listers such as Dua Lipa and Rag’N’Bone Man, the pair quickly grew into something far more potent – crafting a supple, wide-ranging sound inspired by the pioneers of hip-hop and the music of the African diaspora while staying true to their London roots.
With over 32 million streams and having played Glastonbury as well as supporting the likes of Roy Ayers and Thundercat, Blue Lab Beats releases such as 2017 EP Freedom, with its stand out track “Sam Cooke & Marvin Gaye,” and 2018’s “XOver,” a debut album brimming with hits including the eight-million-times-streamed “Pineapple,” have proved how popular their sound has quickly become. Releases such as the 2019 EP Vibe Central, which has features from Grammy-nominated trumpeter Theo Croker, and statement track “Hi There,” a soulful instrumental sermon that also appears on Blue Lab’s 2020 album Voyage, has brought them further success. Following their appearance on 2020’s acclaimed Blue Note Re:imagined project, the duo released their debut EP for Blue Note Records We Will Rise last year.
Tracklist:
1. Sky Reflections (Intro)
2. Labels Feat. Tiana Major9 & Kofi Stone
3. I’ll be here for you Feat. Teni Tinks
4. Gotta Go Fast Feat. Poppy Daniels
5. A Vibe
6. Don’t Let It Get Away Feat. Emmavie
7. Inhale & Exhale (Interlude)
8. Blow You Away (Delilah) Feat. Ghetto Boy
9. Sensual Loving Feat. Ghetto Boy
10. Motherland Journey Feat. KillBeatz & Fela Kuti
11. Ultramarine (interlude)
12. Warp Feat. Jackson Mathod & Kaidi Akinnibi
13. Slow Down Feat. Ego Ella May
14. Dat It Feat. Kiefer
15. Home Feat. Pip Millett & Dylan Jones
16. Real Good Feat. Jerome Thomas
17. Reflection (Outro)
Photo Credit: Iliana Kanellopoulou
