1StepFurther – Pre-order
Mackwood

“Maverick talent” – Clash Magazine
“This is crazy, THIS IS CRAZY!!!” – CassKidd (BBC Radio 1Xtra)

South East London drummer, producer, bandleader and DJ Mackwood announces new EP ‘1StepFurther’, bringing together four tracks that operate under the ethos of “Future Jazz, born in the dance,” Mackwood treats the release not as a genre exercise, but as a collision site where distinct musical languages converge and evolve.

Across ‘1StepFurther feat. Javier Santiago’, ‘TakeMeUp’, ‘Battle feat. Meron T’ and ‘Sammy’, heavy low-end grit and breakbeats anchor an exploratory live ensemble. Jazz remains the steering force, but the records pull toward the UK’s Big Beat heritage, the unfiltered pulse of late-night club spaces, and South African dance culture.

Surging with momentum, ‘1StepFurther feat. Javier Santiago’ channels the adrenaline of breaking past physical limits. Propelled by a relentless rhythmic backbone reminiscent of The Prodigy and Massive Attack, the track pairs jazz-fusion complexity with hard-hitting UK breaks – its title echoing the forward motion of The Streets’ ‘Let’s Push Things Forward’. Rooted in a core foundation from Mackwood and layered with uncompromising electronic synth-fusion flourishes courtesy of Minneapolis-born pianist and composer Javier Santiago, the intricate drum pattern demands an ambidextrous performance, prompting featured artist Santiago to note: “This song is about that extra 10% when you give 110% – that little reserve of energy you didn’t know you had inside of you.”

Shifting the mood without losing propulsion, ‘TakeMeUp’ captures a dark ecstasy inspired by Underworld, acting as the communal antithesis to a solitary commute, crafted for shared catharsis. Merging the stark bass weight of XL Records and the fluid breaks of Machinedrum with the joyous, stadium-sized horn stacks of players like Sam Norris and Laurence Wilkins, the track balances floaty, euphoric atmospheres with heavy bass pressure that drops like coming up for a breath before diving back down. Featuring masterclass vocal chops from Plumm and contributions from Jay Verma on keys and Anatole Muster as co-writer.

Honoring his grandmother’s journey from Johannesburg to escape apartheid, ‘Battle feat. Meron T’ is Mackwood’s first release inspired by South African jazz and club sounds, blending the extended grooves of Amapiano and GQOM with log drum basslines and a high-energy hyperpop palette. South London’s Meron T delivers the track’s emotional, defiant core, crafting a narrative of resilience that moves between introspection and elation. “This track is a personal one for me… I wanna see how it fits back into the Jazz canon here in the UK” – Mackwood, while Meron T notes, “To me this song is almost serendipitous… I instantly resonated with the beat and knew exactly what to do with it.”

As his debut Tru Thoughts release, the EP closer ‘Sammy’ illustrates London’s overlapping musical histories by pitting refined jazz musicianship against raw, late-night bass pressure. Inspired by the city’s “triple nostalgia” – a mix of warmth, loneliness, and FOMO – the track bridges jazz finesse, featuring standout contributions from Sam Norris on alto sax alongside Jay Verma and Laurence Wilkins. Anchored by propulsion that mirrors the DNA of grime, hip-hop, and club culture, Mackwood reflects on its versatility: “This track feels like all of London at once – I’ve seen people skank to it live, I’ve had MC’s shell on it at jams, I’ve watched people go introspective to it with headphones on. Excited to see what other ways it finds people.”