Tru Thoughts – Albums 2022

This round-up of the LPs that Tru Thoughts has released in 2022 covers everything from Neo-Soul, Broken Beat, Gnawa, and Jazz to Grime, Alternative Pop, Dub, Electronica and the many genre cross-pollinations in-between. 2022 has delivered new music from Tru Thoughts’ more established artists, our newest signings, and has seen a selection of inspired remixes (more of which can all be found in the Release section of our Bandcamp HERE) which highlight the diverse and international roster from across the UK, US, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany and Morocco, Israel, and Japan.

“We are an eclectic label, which reflects a lot of different genres and scenes. In a world that is dealing with a lot of changes and the UK music industry still dealing with the negative consequences of Brexit and our current government, it feels positive to highlight the creative strength and power of the artists on the Tru Thoughts roster; and, I feel, the wider world of artists and labels too” Robert Luis

Click on the album titles below for links to listen or buy on your favourite platform.

BiggaBush – Freevisited 

For much of the 2020 lockdown veteran dub midi-maestro Glyn “Bigga” Bush was locked in the studio revisiting an album originally released in 2004 on German imprint Stereo Deluxe, ‘BiggaBush Free’. The newly-revised album ‘Biggabush Freevisited’ was fronted by the new split single “Real & “Regal (Illegal Dub Version)” featuring longtime collaborator Farda P and the hypnotic “Outernational Anthem”.

Going back to the old album ‘Biggabush Free’ Glyn felt that the compositions were strong but that he could seriously improve on everything else: sound, arrangements, production – and so many of the songs were rebuilt from the ground up, utilising the skills, studio experience and better technology gained in the interim – rejigging the running order and bringing in some other cuts that didn’t get a proper release first time around, and re-uniting with some of his former Rockers Hi Fi collaborators. “It started with me wanting to rework some of the music and gradually took on a life of its own… I ended up re-producing virtually the whole album, adding a live brass section, new vocalists and arrangements. Kind of a remaster plus, plus…” Glyn explains.

Moonchild – Starfruit

‘Starfruit’ is the GRAMMY nominated fifth album from LA-trio Moonchild – Amber Navran, Andris Mattson, and Max Bryk. The result of ten years spent working and growing together, ‘Starfruit’ showcases the respect, musical understanding, and love the trio have, both for each other and for the noteworthy list of collaborators featured on the album. Bringing a host of beautiful melodies and personal lyrics, ‘Starfruit’ beholds offerings from Lalah Hathaway, Alex Isley, Tank and The Bangas, Rapsody, Ill Camille, Mumu Fresh, Chantae Cann and Josh Johnson. “This is our 5th album, which felt like a big milestone to us. They all added their magic touch to the songs and really brought the music to a new and special place,” Amber muses.

Alongside the LP’s extensive list of featured artists, the release sees Moonchild experimenting with new synths and sounds. While still rooted in their trademark tones, these textures and sound palettes elevate ‘Starfruit’ to new and impressive Moonchild musical territory which has seen the album be nominated for a GRAMMY for the ‘Best Progressive R&B Album’. The result will be announced at the 65th GRAMMY Awards on Sunday 5th February 2023, live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.

Sly5thAve & Roberto Verástegui – Agua de Jamaica

‘Agua de Jamaica’ is the first collaborative project between producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Sylvester Uzoma Onyejiaka II AKA Sly5thAve and pianist and composer Roberto Verástegui. The pair originally met whilst studying Jazz in Texas and began piecing together the release on Sly5thAve’s first visit to Mexico, over a drink of Agua de Jamaica – a drink made with water, hibiscus flower and sugar. Recorded during lockdown in Mexico, the LP is built from a passionate and comprehensive understanding of Jazz, a love of Hip Hop and Mexico City’s ever-vibrant artistic culture, Latin flavours, and the African roots from which these sounds grew.

Ebi Soda – Honk If You’re Sad

Born from ten-hour jam sessions in peeling Brighton bedsits, the technical parameters of a bootstrap recording process and the osmotic, multi-genre influence of internet music archives, quintet Ebi Soda have been steady-cultivating a unique sound amidst the exploding UK jazz scene. Despite their steep rise – the Brighton outfit have preserved as much as possible of their unique recording process, originating from their very first sessions. With just a two-track recorder around, the band would lay down whole takes, one instrument at a time, then immediately transform the overdub, digitally reshaping the sound with the same mischievous, adderall energy as the musical performance. This call-and-response between performance and production spurs an instinctive development – with musicality, player and producer egging one another on through naturally developing phases and textures. ‘Honk If You’re Sad’, their sophomore full-length album, stays true to these foundations, while bringing more ambitious experimentation, technical mastery and a stellar lineup of guest players to the studio including Yazz Ahmed, Deji Ijishakin and Dan Gray.

Palm Skin Productions – Other Times

Palm Skin Productions’ album ‘Other Times’ is an instrumental beat-tape built around a collection of scatter-burst ideas that flow as a unified body of work. Fronted by an album sampler of eight highlighted songs taken from the full twenty-six-track LP and the single “Rule of 12ths”, ‘Other Times’ is first and foremost presented as a continuous mix, best listened and absorbed in one sitting, however it is also broken into isolated tracks. Every song title on ‘Other Times’ is a reference to Simon’s daily obsession with sea-swimming; from album opener “Rule of 12ths”, the rate by which a body of water rises and falls in a tidal cycle, to closer “Mermaid’s Purse”, the egg sacks of sharks that look like mysterious black leather pouches washed up on the beaches along the South coast of England. It doesn’t take long to hear how ‘Other Times’ is influenced and evolved by the energy and force of hip-hop, especially its contrary ability to gel old, existing, familiar things with the utterly new and unfamiliar. Snatched fragments, found sounds, original compositions and random alignments of street noise and radio interference all impact the record, as a sonic homage to legends like The Bomb Squad, DJ Premier and The Jungle Brothers seep through in the production.

Nikitch & Kuna Maze – Back & Forth

France-via-Brussels duo Nikitch & Kuna Maze, made a solid return to form with new album ‘Back & Forth’. Building on the signature sounds the duo developed on their first full-length LP ‘Debuts’ – that was praised by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6Music), and Music Is My Sanctuary – ‘Back & Forth’ is a deeper and more radically aesthetic approach to its predecessor. Nikitch & Kuna Maze expand on their soulful and subtle combination of jazz-flavours and the syncopated beats of broken beat and UKG; the album sees the duo working with collaborators for the first time, such as Brazilian singer-songwriter Joao Selva, while also experimenting with their own vocal material. A direct reference to the mode and method of creation, ‘Back & Forth’ was catalysed by sketches of ideas sent back and forth online from France (Nikitch) to Belgium (Kuna Maze) before being finalised in studios sessions between Grenoble and Brussels. The concept on the record also plays on the geographical reality of the musicians’ relationship, “we have to go back and forth regularly to keep this musical journey moving, and for us to live this life making music”, Nicolas chimes in.

Rabii Harnoune & V.B Kühl – GNAWA ELECTRIC LAUNE II

‘GNAWA ELECTRIC LAUNE II’ from the majestic duo of Moroccan Gnawa-master (maâlem) Rabii Harnoune and Frankfurt electronic producer V.B.Kühl melds traditional North African Gnawa music with funky, soulful modern club sounds. The birth of the ‘Gnawa Electric Laune’ concept resulted in a fascinating cross-cultural record that won over the likes of Gilles Peterson (Winners 2020), Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6Music), Songlines and many others, for its electric and otherworldly bridge from old to new. ‘Gnawa Electric Laune II’ is a more defined follow-up to the duo’s debut – all songs on the album weave Gnawa folklore culture into its lyrical themes and conceptual approaches. Singles on ‘GNAWA ELECTRIC LAUNE II’ include lead-track “Aisha”, a tale about the mythological female figure renowned as the greatest woman of all time. “Laafou” is about the end of suffering for a majestic singer called Bilal Ibn Rabah al-Habashi, hand-picked by the Prophet Muhammad himself and “Koyo Koyo”, a term for the righthand man of the Gnawa master who learns to play the Qarqaba (also known as Krakebs, an iron castanet-like rhythmic musical instrument).

Various Artists – Shapes : Spectrum

‘Shapes: Spectrum’ is the latest addition to the Tru Thoughts series of essential label compilations curated by A&R, label founder and DJ Robert Luis. After 23 years of independently releasing music, the ‘Shapes’ LPs celebrate the best of our wide-ranging and international roster; with established acts such as Quantic & Nidia Góngora, Moonchild, Alice Russell, Anchorsong and Rhi and newer signings including Rebecca Vasmant, Ebi Soda, Hemai, MELONYX, Anushka, Crafty 893 and Tiawa. The 35 track digital album includes recent releases, inspired remixes and an unreleased exclusive from Think Tonk. Following the digital LP, the ‘Shapes: Spectrum’ double vinyl release features essential album tracks and innovative reworks all exclusively on vinyl for the first time. The release is a limited edition, hand-numbered run of 500 with special artwork from Solar Collage plus a download card with the full ‘Shapes: Spectrum’ digital album. “I always enjoy putting together the annual Shapes compilation, as it allows me to pause and celebrate our recent releases as well as highlight the musical direction Tru Thoughts is going in. The label has always had a mission to be eclectic and represent a variety of genres and artists; with the more established artists being placed alongside newer acts and remixes from artists I am into. As usual, if you like a track on the compilation, it is always worth checking more music from that artist.” Robert Luis

zero dB – Bongos Bleeps & Basslines

zero dB’s debut artist album Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines, now released on Tru Thoughts, is a slamming musical tour de force of Latin-infused, UK dance music, with elements of house and hip hop, ably assisted by vocalist Heidi Vogel, New Orleans native Voice and Pase Rock, sometime member of Five Deez and regular Spank Rock collaborator. “A PomBa Girou” combines disorientating echo with fat electronic bass stylings. Title track “Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines” as the name suggests, harnesses the music’s rhythmic drive to earth-rumbling bass noises, alongside drums and synth bleeps, while “Know What I’m Sayin’?” heads in a more hip hop-influenced direction. zero dB are known for their unique blend of hard jazz, electro, Latin, hip hop and house, laced with heavy basslines. Fluid Ounce released their early 12″s, including ‘Party Girl’ and a compilation album of their remixes, ‘Reconstruction’. zero dB later signed to Ninja Tune and released ‘Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines’ in Summer 2006.

Sharky – People Are Strange

‘People Are Strange’ is the debut album from Sharky.

Pushing the surreal and ambiguous into the realm of experimental the LP is the result of shared musical understanding between Sharky and producer/husband Todd Speakman, stuck in their London flat during lockdown, and perfectly embodied in focus track “Concret”. Bubbling with a stifled frustration and need to run wild, Sharky delights at the idea of a pigeon flying into her head; “sometimes you just need a pigeon that will do that, and someone that will let it”. ‘People Are Strange’ features singles “Shark” – a smutty love song eclipsed under the analogy of a horny shark circling beneath the surface – and the swirlingly imaginative “Night On My Mind”, with the latter featuring Alex White (Fat White Family) on saxophone. Both tracks showcase the intricate dreamlike layering present in Sharky’s song writing. They have seen support from the likes of Sian Eleri (BBC Radio 1), Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra), Jess Iszatt (BBC Radio London), Stereofox and Soho Radio and have supported Franc Moody at their sold out Koko show.

Crafty 893 – Boot It 

Rising south-London producer, engineer, MC & creative vanguard Crafty 893 returned with his new project ‘Boot It’, an eleven-track heater that expands the parameters of Crafty’s musical experimentation. ‘Boot It’ demonstrates Crafty’s musical evolution and versatility, moving away from the straight-up grime sound on his debut album ‘Smart Dumb’ and beat-style production on ‘Weapon X’. Instead, the album effortlessly and organically switches it up between a palette of UK sounds such as Rap, Trap, Drill and Afro-Swing with Crafty MCing, singing and sometimes even amalgamating the two in a unique way, all while staying true to Crafty’s foundational grime roots. Since the release of his debut project on Tru Thoughts “Induction EP”, Crafty has been on a non-stop trajectory; executively producing Big Zuu’s debut album ‘Navigate’; performing alongside JME at Maiden Voyage festival as part of his Grime MC FM tour; producing ads for giants such as Adidas x Jacamo and Pret a Manger; as well as being an in-demand producer for a whole host of MCs, including Venezuelan-British artist Fluffy on the reggaeton tune ‘Besame’. As Crafty perfectly summarises: “Crafty 893 is a genre – no one tells me what to do, versatility is my best ability”. Most recently, Crafty has produced the soundtrack for Big Zuu’s Breakfast Show on ITV and Big Zuu’s Big Eats (where he makes a cameo) on Dave; the latter has just won two awards at this year’s BAFTAS.

Hidden Orchestra – Archipelago: Source Materials

‘Archipelago: Source Materials’ celebrates the ten-year anniversary of the release of the experimental and highly praised ‘Archipelago’ LP by peeling back the curtain, highlighting its origins and how it was made. “I want to celebrate some of the performances that are under the surface of the original album, letting the instrumental compositions breathe”, Hidden Orchestra’s musical mastermind Joe Acheson explains. ‘Archipelago: Source Materials’ brings together Acheson’s favourite parts of the original album; honing the eerie atmospheres and thick orchestral textures Hidden Orchestra have become known for. With hints of birdsong and musical offerings from the worlds of Classical, Folk and Jazz, the finished product is a rich tapestry of diverse sounds, meeting in the middle at a fascinating point of genre crossover.

Karolina – All Rivers

‘All Rivers’ is the Tru Thoughts debut and first solo English-speaking release for renowned songwriter and vocalist, Karolina. Curating a thoughtful blend of Jazz, Afrobeat and Soul, ‘All Rivers’ is a journey through the space between daydream, fantasy and reality and the emotions that dictate us. The LP follows Karolina’s solo albums and her releases as part of trio, Habanot Nechama. More recently, the songstress has worked with musician, composer, producer, and animator Kutiman and composer, arranger, and producer Adrian Younge on his collaborative projects with A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The album, alongside title track “All Rivers”, take its name from the universal concept appearing across many religions and cultures that “all rivers flow to the sea”, with an added poetic twist. Inspired by the writings of Avoth Yeshurun while working on the album, Karolina became fascinated with the concept that in actuality, “all the rivers go back to the rivers” and that this is the secret to missing people. “I was struck by the idea that water goes missing from the rivers before going back to the rivers. All of this album is that cycle of going back and forth into the waves of emotion.” Karolina explains, “the rhythms are the sounds of people wading through the water. They’re carrying all their emotions and it’s heavy”.

Various Artists – Tru Thoughts 2022

Closing the year is ‘Tru Thoughts 2022’, the latest instalment from our annual compilation series. Curated by A&R, DJ and co-founder Robert Luis, the 32-track digital comp celebrates the best of the wide-ranging, diverse, and international roster. Selections span from Neo-Soul, Alternative Pop, Jazz and Contemporary Classical to Grime, Broken Beat, DnB and Electronica.