Description
Age Restriction: 14+ (Under 18s to be accompanied by an adult)
Longtime Leeds jazz promoter DJ Lubi continues his monthly residency at Hyde Park Book Club Leeds with a great UK jazz show and album launch on May 18th by jazz/electronic music artist Greg Surmacz.
Greg Surmacz is a multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Leeds. His music is influenced by jazz, footwork and the spectrum of UK electronic music. Having gained support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, Tom Ravenscroft, Bandcamp Weekly, Spotify Jazz UK, Moses Boyd, Bandcamp, performing at We Out Here Festival and sharing stages with corto.alto, James Holden, Colin Stetson & Sarathy Korwar, Greg announces his fifth album ‘Building Beyond The Sky’ with the release of energetic debut single ‘Loft Music’. Now playing with a full live band, this first single harnesses a potent creative energy, melding Greg’s signature dubbed out low-end sonics, with heavy, scattered percussive elements, propelled by an urgent synth line and majestic horns.
The live band features some heavyweight musicians from the contemporary UK jazz scene :
Greg Surmacz - alto saxophone, synth, electronics
Sam Vicary (Cinematic Orchestra) - bass synth
Matt Davies (Matters Unknown) - drums
Tom Sharp - trumpet
Rosie Turton - trombone
Caitlin LM - baritone saxophone
On the track’s inspiration, Greg explains: “Loft Music is about creating energy and forward momentum, building something from nothing. The title was inspired by the 'loft jazz' scene of 1970s New York. Fed up with the restraints of traditional venues, musicians started putting on casual events in loft spaces. At these shows, artists felt free to play whatever they wanted, for however long they wanted. I wanted this record to be direct and powerful, and this track quickly became the focal point of that. It has a sense of urgency from the beginning which only increases over its running time - start high, then get higher. The energy and intensity of footwork has always been a big source of inspiration to me - I tried to imagine a live band playing that music and this is where I ended up.”
"A wild ride... really enjoyable." Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2) on What We Can Assume
"A great album." Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music) on What We Can Assume
"Thanks to his band Paper Tiger, Leeds resident Greg Surmacz has long been a quiet hero in the interzone between live jazz and the Flying Lotus-adjacent “beat scene.” This year, on his two solo albums, he’s refined his style even further—and on the second installment, he’s achieved a brilliant personal statement. Chiptune bleeps blur into lengthy, lyrical sax lines; jumpy broken beats manage to blend with laid back pastoral chords. It’s incredibly coherent—and very, very lovely."
Timelines (Part 2) best electronic music of the month by Bandcamp Daily
A frenetic and captivating statement of intent, ‘Loft Music’ demonstrates the incredible progression in Greg’s work and gives a glimpse of what to expect from the full length LP in May 2025.
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