telemakus: eight ring revival
Francisco Espregueira
Telemakus approaches jazz as something to take apart, reshape and put back together. The California-born, Los Angeles-based producer, pianist and composer first drew our attention with The New Heritage [Radio Juicy, 2021], a debut that connected jazz harmony with hip-hop production and electronic textures. His influences range from Herbie Hancock and Alice Coltrane to J Dilla, and that mix of musical languages carries into Eight Ring Revival, released by Good Problem Studios. Here, Telemakus handles the writing, playing, arranging and engineering, but leaves plenty of space for collaborators to come and showcase their unmistakable class. Flying Lotus, Karriem Riggins, Mndsgn, Liv.e, Sparklmami and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson are among the intergalactic stars joining him.
But rather than feeling like a guest-heavy showcase, the album comes together through a series of distinct musical exchanges. Swarvy co-writes and co-produces “Five Hands Pt. 1”, Mndsgn joins Telemakus on “Revival”, and Karriem Riggins helps shape “By Any Feet Necessary” and “2054”. The arrangements move between downbeat passages, loose jazz playing and electronic details, with each contribution folded into the larger composition. That balance between control and spontaneity has been central to Telemakus’s work, and Eight Ring Revival pushes it further by bringing a broad circle of musicians into his process. Available on vinyl, this edition also includes a printed inner sleeve and double-sided poster, with the record pressed using recyclable PET plastic. Beyond that, this is one of the best albums we’ve heard during 2026. World class.