athletic progression: cloud high in dreams, but heavy in the air
Francisco Espregueira
Jonas Cook on keys, Jonathan J. Ludvigsen on drums and Justo Gambula on bass form the fantastic Danish/Tanzanian jazz-hip-hop trio Athletic Progression. We’ve been following their ascendant trajectory and, following Dark Smoke (EP, 2019) and the self-titled Athletic Progression (LP, 2020), is time to sit down and get blown away by cloud high in dreams, but heavy in the air, their second album released by Touching Bass. This 16-track ‘car ride’ sees the Aarhus-based band dive deeper into their intricately fused world of experimental, groove-based music. Written over the course of two years, mixed by Eric Lau and recorded in under a week, it celebrates freedom and spontaneity at its core, beautifully capturing those playful moments where jams become songs. The curious title (which comes from Brother Portrait’s verse on “Extended Technique”) echoes that playfulness, while also contemplating on the realities of life and its important decisions.
Athletic Progression’s inspirations are extremely well laid out here. From the space-leaning electronics of Brainfeeder’s Flying Lotus and Thundercat, passing by the glowing dexterity of JD Beck & Domi and BadBadNotGood to jazz-fusion’s boundless nature, with rapper/poet Brother Portrait supplying the feels of London. It’s also possible to hear influences of the collaborative work of Yussef Dayes, Rocco Palladino and Charley Stacey, probably on the textured sound that Eric Lau masterfully extracts from the sessions. That live touch is very present in cloud high in dreams, but heavy in the air, with the three instruments feeling natural, full, deep. All in all this is a special new album that is excitingly introspective - available on vinyl, via Touching Bass, delivering once again forward-thinking, soulful music.