Wax Thematique

New from our friends in France, the design and dj team of Turbo Lala and our longtime creative partner Small Studio comes the newest Wax Thematique mix “Perluette”. French and American hip hop, funk, jazz and lots more while our fav Small Studio, handles the artwork in their typical lovely fashion. This duo of DJ and design is an inspirational force!

Afrocop, the trailblazing trio of psychedelic jazz, was actually the very first thing we wanted to release on Wax Thematique. We didn't know the band members, any of their backstories or even if they had any recordings to put out. In actuality, we didn't even have a name for our label yet, at that point it was just an idea. Years ago we went to a small bar in Seattle to see Afrocop based on the recommendation of a friend (RUMTUM) and BAM, the chatter in our brains disintegrated within seconds of the first sound wave. Afrocop plays purely to keep things open, democratic and evolving. Mistakes, when you can catch them, are few but dealt with grace and curiosity. Bridges, changeups, pauses and just straight up sonic freak-outs are cultivated with a sense of boundless discovery. These are musicians on a mission and we knew this was something incredibly special and unlike any performance we had seen or record we had heard before. The closest thing to us at the time was perhaps, The Heliocentrics or some sort of ambient version of Medeski, Martin & Wood. Through getting to know the members of Afrocop over the years, we released bandleader Noel Brass Jr's ambient album, "Broken Cloud Orchestra" and drummer Andy Sells' post-disco project "Select Level". And we've watched Afrocop bassist, Carlos Tulloss' band Screens blow many a mind with their pulsating electronic live sets.  We've experienced Afrocop live more than any other act, and the few times we couldn't make it we were emotionally and spiritually lacking. Afrocop fearlessly challenges newcomers while simultaneously giving the old heads exactly what they came for. Afrocop Live at Musiquarium was recorded in January 2020 and was the final time we saw them perform. We can't wait to see them blow the walls off the room again someday soon, but until then we have this recording to enjoy.  Audio recorded by Nathan Womack, mixed and mastered by Andy Sells. Podcast photography for this episode by Mike Monaghan.

Presenting the 2nd installment of our new untitled mix series with German guitarist, bandleader and producer: JJ Whitefield. Spiritual Ambience is the offering and is much needed in these times of severe global unrest. Straight from the personal record collection of the creative force behind the Poets of Rhythm, The Whitefield Brothers, our personal favorite Karl Hector and the Malcouns (and lots more). This is an unrelenting cosmic adventure into prog, krautrock, spiritual jazz and ambient sounds. Go to Wax Thematique for limited edition vinyl, exclusive music mixes and more.