milan93, 9ick & mauricesax: a garden between us
Francisco Espregueira
The intersection of jazz and electronic music is a perfect space for sonic exploration. Now, the revered Oath sub-label Last Year at Marienbad brings together three minds to push those boundaries. Enter milan93, 9ICK, and mauricesax, a trio of artists who just dropped their collaborative debut, A Garden Between Us. Each producer brings a distinct, refined flavor to the studio session. Danish pianist 9ICK delivers the gently evolving, warm jazztronica vibes, milan93 injects deeply emotive, fill-heavy grooves into the rhythmic foundation. To tie it all together, mauricesax supplies a profound jazz musicality, one that we’ve had the luck to come across before. By seamlessly merging their creative languages, they have cultivated a lush soundscape. It feels both delightfully unrestrained and tightly arranged.
Sonically, A Garden Between Us blooms into a deeply hypnotic journey. The A-side glides from the restrained piano and broken beats of the opener "Rhodora" into the shimmering, Rhodes-soaked rhythms of "Tulip". "Honeysuckle" turns up the heat by weaving clever hip-hop vocal samples through humid, restless drum patterns. Then, the gorgeous instrumentation of "Camellia" closes out the original cuts with pure harmonic delicacy. The flip side hands the reins over to two remixers who reimagine the source material. Pacific Coliseum flips "Tulip" into a sun-drenched house anthem driven by a classic four-to-the-floor pulse. Finally, Teuteu transforms "Honeysuckle" into a sprawling, nine-minute club affair. Ultimately, this sophisticated release bridges contemplative jazz textures with late-night dancefloor culture. Available on vinyl.