I realize that International Anthem is a jazz imprint, but with this new Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek record, the label is taking a step towards staking out a new genre entirely. A rich blend of samples, electronics, and vocals, New Future City Radio finds the two musicians and assorted guests making a sort of soundtrack for future action. Inspired as much by Public Enemy as The Last Poets, this album is informed with a vibe that suggests time is running out for all of us.
"Yes!" kicks things into high gear with snatches of go-go, and commands as if from a radio transmission, while "Droids!" and "Your Name Gonna Ring the Bell" erupt into cacophonous free jazz. The textures of "The Concord Hour" are more varied, with the cut sounding like something someone taped off public television in the Seventies. That's a big compliment, by the way. The excellent "Suspsense in the Grip of Suspense" suggests the kind of cut-up sound that Cabaret Voltaire once imagined, while the epic blends found sounds, samples, electronic noises and rhythms up into something entirely its own. As the longest cut on this record, necessary attention should be paid to this one, a clear highlight here where most of the tracks are a bit too short, and the overall effect may strike some as scattershot in effectiveness.
Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek are rifling through ideas here at a frantic pace, and a listener's enjoyment of this depends on being on their wavelength. This may leave a few jazz purists in the dark, but the whole of New Future City Radio implies a forward position for the forms here. There's little that sounds as if it's staying in one lane, and even if the whole thing roars by in a blur, it's still an invigorating listen on sonic terms. This is the sort of record that reveals new details on each subsequent listen, and though I do feel that earlier Locks releases were more direct in terms of messaging, this sounds hella cool though.
New Future City Radio by Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek is out on Friday via International Anthem.
[Photo: Jamie Kelter Davis]