TITLE: Cats, Dogs And Ghosts
LABEL: Asphalt Tango
Nicola Gruev, aka Kottarashky (“Tomcat”), is a Bulgarian musician whose specialty is cutting and pasting Eastern European samples (including his own field recordings) into a very contemporary jazz-rock context. His first album was a solo project, on his second he introduced a full four-piece (reeds, guitar, bass and drums) band, and on this one they welcome English-language singer-rapper Nufry on four tracks: 2 introduces Nufry with an uptempo groover, and 7 is a mix of spoken word and rap that’s his finest moment on the record. Kottarashky’s EDM roots show most clearly on the gypsy-meets-D&B track 4. But the core of the album is the quintet’s ensemble work – this is some of the most interesting, beyond-category instrumental music I’ve heard in a long time. Track 9 will remind you of Morphine or Richmond’s own Orthotonics; 10 is based on a standard funk figure but samples and sax spiral off into outer space; 1 kicks off with plaintive voice and cimbalom samples and incorporates everything from overdriven guitar to the Bulgarian kaval flute. Even better than the first two albums, this is one of the best things I’ve heard in 2016.
TOP TRACKS: 1 2 4 7 9 10
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 3 5 6 8
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