Name: Black Focus
Brand: Yussef Kamaal

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BWOOD157LP

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

[r11701503]

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Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2020-05-28

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5060180322908

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

bwood157cd

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2020-12-18

5060180322915

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Yussef Kamaal

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

Brownswood Recordings

Brownswood Recordings is a British label that was started in 2006 by Gilles Peterson. It originated from the Brownswood Records imprint, which was a side-label of Talkin' Loud (part of Mercury). The label draws inspiration from the Brownswood Basement sessions that Gilles did on his BBC Radio 1 'Worldwide' show. These sessions showcased modern jazz-influenced dancefloor music and continue to inspire newer musicians and producers today. Brownswood Recordings serves as an outlet for artists who are unique or overlooked by other labels, providing them with a space to release their work.

The label also features projects such as Gilles Peterson's Havana Cultura Band and Sonzeira, which are influenced by Cuban and Brazilian music respectively.

With its commitment to showcasing diverse talent and nurturing creativity, Brownswood Recordings has become an influential force in the music industry since its establishment.

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The band's name also appears in Arabic calligraphy on their debut release: يوسف كمال.
On May 3rd, 2017 it was announced through the band's official Facebook page that Kamaal Williams and Yussef Dayes would no longer be performing together under the name Yussef Kamaal. Instead, the music of Black Focus would be performed by two alternative line-ups, one led by Williams (Henry Wu presents Black Focus Live), and one led by Dayes (Yussef Dayes presents Black Focus). The remaining gigs were split between these two line-ups.

The borders between London’s musical tribes have always been porous. For Yussef Kamaal, the sound of the capital - with its hum of jungle, grime and broken beat - has shaped a self-taught, UK-tipped approach to playing jazz. In the states, the genre’s long-running to-and-fro with hip hop - from Robert Glasper to Kamasi Washington - has reimagined it within US culture. On Black Focus, Yussef Kamaal frame jazz inside the bass-saturated, pirate radio broadcasts of London. Taking inspiration from the anything-goes spirit of ‘70s jazz-funk, on albums by Herbie Hancock or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, it’s a loose template with plenty of room to experiment. The pair, made up of Yussef Dayes and Kamaal Williams (aka Henry Wu), have had little in the way of formal training. Instead, their musical tastes – and approach to playing – are indebted to Thelonious Monk’s piano as much as the drum programming of Kaidi Tatham.

Black Focus

Music GB

Buy Yussef Kamaal - Black Focus (Vinyl, CD) now from Rough Trade - independent purveyors of great music, since 1976.