It’s been over 10 years since I first found that magical passageway that led to the door of El Paraiso Records, the Danish record label run and curated by Causa Sui members Jonas Munk and Jakob Skøtt.
These two have built a library of sound with El Paraiso Records that is layered in progressive, thoughtful musical landscapes; as well as mind-altering journeys through everything from acid-burnt psych, sunburnt desert rock, ambient bliss, and experimental jazz. Sometimes all of those on the same album. Their releases are for the space travelers, the existential explorers, and the earthbound ghosts looking for some kind of aural release that opens doors to new realms of listening experiences.
Jazz is a world that El Paraiso Records has welcomed into the fold since the beginning. Artists like Black Cube Marriage, Chicago Odense Ensemble, Psycomagia, and Fra Det Onde sink their teeth into everything from post-bop to fusion to free jazz to experimental. Splashing tradition with a plethora of modern chaos.
Fra Det Onde’s percussion wizard Olaf Olsen has started a new quartet called Lotus. Besides Olsen on percussion, the project includes Chris Holm on electric bass, Signe Emmeluth on alto sax, and rounding out the group is experimental guitarist Karl Bjorå. Their debut album is called Synthbuljong(which translates to “synth broth” in English), and from lead single and title track “Synthbuljong”, this 3-track LP is going to properly blow some minds.
“Synthbuljong” opens on a frenetic groove and never relents for its 8 1/2 minute runtime. Olsen keeps a consistent flow of rhythm going, teasing some kind of explosive release but never lets the kettle come to full boil. This allows Signe Emmeluth’s alto sax to paint hues of blues and blacks all over the canvas. Emmeluth creates a cacophony of noise that brings to mind greats like Stellar Regions-era Coltrane, Joe Henderson, and Ornette Coleman. Chris Holm anchors the proceedings to the earth, allowing for maximum exploratory bliss while the quartet never floats completely off into the cosmos. Guitarist Karl Bjorå adds dissonance and metallic brushstrokes, giving the proceedings something resembling a post punk-flavored Pete Cosey laying it down with Sun Ra.
Lotus has proven in this first single as a band to be excited for. A quartet filled with possibilities and an endless stream of creative flow to pull from.
Give “Synthbuljong” a listen below, then hit up El Paraiso Records and preorder debut album ‘Synthbuljong’. It drops 8/30.
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