TAMANRASSET by KARL HECTOR & THE MALCOUNS

Exclusive LTD vinyl-only EP by the world-psych-funk ensemble, original artwork by Kevin Lyons screenprinted by Hit & Run.For all intents and purposes, Karl Hector might as well be another nom-de-plume of Jay Whitefield (producer and guitarist for the Poets of Rhythm and the Whitefield Brothers) who, along with Thomas Myland and Zdenko Curlija, founded Karl Hector and The Malcouns in the early 2000s. Alongside Bo Baral, other members of the Poets of Rhythm and crack Munich-based session musicians, Whitefield, Myland and Curlija crafted nearly twenty tracks for their debut, Sahara Swing, an album that swung with influences from across the African diaspora. The trio will now release a series of vinyl-only EPs – of which Tamanrasset is the first – that will culminate in their second album. Tamanrasset ‘s five songs demonstrate The Malcouns’ deft handling of musics from Eastern and Northern Africa alongside Western psychedelia, jazz and funk, the song “Girma’s Lament” - its title an homage to the great Ethiopian pianist, arranger and vocalist Girma Beyene - is a great representation.