The latest EP arriving via renowned Munich/Cologne-based label, Jazz & Milk, finds two kindred spirits teaming up for the first time; multi-instrumentalist and producer, Àbáse, and Australian Nu-Soul drummer and studio wunderkind, Ziggy Zeitgeist (who we recently covered on the site with his smash Kreuzberg Kix). Through their mutual love for experimental live instrumentation and modern club music, they have formed Àbáse X Zeitgeist, with Body Mind Spirit EP serving as their official calling card.
Packed in this sprawling, densely layered EP is a dizzying array of various styles, genres, and musical ideas. Much of the EP derived from improvisatory sessions between Àbáse and Ziggy in Ziggy’s Berlin studio. The two of them spent hours going back and forth, with Àbáse laying down improvised keys and synth work over Ziggy’s drum patterns, who would then mix them to delightfully quirky and eclectic results. The result is something that feels palpably organic and loose, yet grounded in the duo’s affinity for vibey, hard-hitting dance-music grooves. Case-in-point is the centerpiece of the EP, the title track, “Body Mind Spirit”. Coupled with South African-born, Berlin-based artist and singer, Dumama––who brings a stunning traditional South-African vocal performance to the arrangement––the track is a vibrant, hypnotic, eclectically playful cut of world-music-leaning Deep House.
On this track, and across the entire EP, the duo displays a formidable knack for taking disparate inspirations and infusing them with their own unique sense of groove-building. There is a deep sense of collaboration and mutual respect for each artist’s singular creative vision that courses throughout the entire project, indicating an exciting, creatively fruitful musical partnership that is only just getting started.
Gilad.
