Jenova 7 - Dusted Jazz Vol. 3 (Cold Busted)

Boston beat-maker Jenova 7 returns to Cold Busted for the crucial cut collection Dusted Jazz Vol. 3. A crate-digging vinyl junkie and film school graduate, inspired by the heyday of ‘90s trip-hop — and artists like DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, and Portishead — Jenova 7 forged his own sound, eventually ending up on DJ Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz 8. After taking a stylistic departure with the funky sci-fi themed album A Cosmic Safari, his collaboration with Russia’s Eddie Shinn, Jenova 7 issues the long-awaited third volume of Dusted Jazz, following the first two volumes on Dusted Wax Kingdom. He is also a member of trip-hop trio Wax Triptych (with Mononome and Mr. Moods).

The cuts transmit a hazy and jazzy flow throughout, featuring chalky mid-tempo breakbeats and funky beamed-in-from-the-70s atmospheres and flavors. You can almost see a sun-drenched, scratchy super-8 film accompanying “5 Pointz Theme,” an immensely cool cut paying homage to a city’s graffiti center. “You Dig?”, which originally appeared on IWYMI Volume Nine, continues the vibe, delivering squelchy vintage synth, chunky piano, and a lovely guitar interlude. And “Static,” featuring the lovely vocals of K8 Marcos, reveals Jenova 7’s range — it’s a delicious, breezy trip hop tune that wouldn’t be out of place alongside the likes of Zero 7.

Dusted Jazz Vol. 3 is a treasure from top to bottom, and Jenova 7 joins the ranks of his influences with this accomplished and multi-faceted release.

Kid Loco (Tromolo Records) – “I dig this! Back to the old school.”
ActRaiser (Fokuz) – “mellow vibes with a crunchy edge. Love it.”
Danny Massure (Spring Strut) - “Lay My Burden Down is my favorite track that has been sent to me in months.”
Rusty/All Good Funk Alliance (Super Hi-Fi) – “Cool stuff. Digging the Shadow vibes.”
Hippie Torrales (Cyberjamz Radio) – “This has a mature acid jazz feel.”
Michael Moebus (Meem) – “Nice release. Smokey, jazzy beats that are well done.”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) – “Dope & dusty. Dirty drums.”
Mark Reynolds (Just Chillin Podcast) – “More stone cold classics than Easter Island.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “This is such a diamond of an album. I can’t choose a favorite!”
DJ Nartak (Nightflight & Klassik Lounge) – “Cool stuff. I love Jenova’s way of mixing styles and (cinematic) atmospheres.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Jenova 7 & Eddie Shinn - A Cosmic Safari (Cold Busted)

The Cold Busted label showcases their international bona fides with a collaborative album involving two producers separated by a half-world's distance. From one side of the globe comes Jenova 7, known to friends as Michael J. Sirois, a multimedia artist from Boston and a member of trip-hop trio Wax Triptych (with Mononome and Mr. Moods). Then all the way over in Ulyanovsk, Russia is the young producer Eddie Shinn, author of the acclaimed Cold Busted debut The Plastic Jam as well as The Third Is Not Superfluous, his album in cahoots with Step. Now, A Cosmic Safari takes this international concept and launches it skyward … the album's songs take place in an intergalactic sound-space. There's "Flying Cabs", which envisions a future that's funky and bright, with hip hop beats, chiming Rhodes piano, squelchy synth lines, and trippy guitar riffs. A "Cosmic Girl" is encountered, loose and free, with an '80s style rhythm embellished by cowbell percussion and floating melodies. "Intergalactic Noir" could signal a new eponymous genre, displaying a distinctive drum beat underneath funky flutes, cool keys, and the sound of space pals getting down. These are just three of A Cosmic Safari's eleven tracks, and Jenova 7 & Eddie Shinn have delivered a full set that is out of this world.

Kid Loco - "Great piece of work."
All Good Funk Alliance - "Dope stuff as always. 'Cosmic Girl' and 'Flying Cabs' both got that bump … so tight."
Belabouche (Midnight Riot / DiscoDat) - "Good solid tunes … will play!"
Inland Knights - "This is sounding sweet."
Quincy Jointz (Timewarp) - "Damn … groovy and fresh. I dig it."
Mason Rothert (Below Zero Radio Show) - “Love this vibe!”
Jon Fugler (Fluke / XLNT Radio Show) - "'Neon Garden' is a little gem, very easy on the ear and with shades of the late, great Mike Kandel, which is no bad thing."
DJ Love (Stellar Music) - "I like the abstract feel … the beats are inventive and unique."
Zac Love (Belmar Sol) - "Well done. Genre-pushing space beats that keep the listener interested from front to back."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) - "I'm definitely feeling the funky cosmic weirdness."
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) - "Rockin' fresh."
Marc Lacasse (sHIFT Radio Show) - "Cosmic and moody futuristic funk surrounds each track with a positive vibe."
Clairvo (Tilos Radio, Hungary) - "The proper amount of hip-hop, proper amount of experimentalism, proper amount of soul … this EP has got a unique balance to it."
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - "Totally fills the need for the cosmic wanting!"

Available from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Bandcamp