Fresh-faced Bristolian Marcel Lune (aka Motz Workman) has been causing a proper stir of late with his fresh brand of beats. Growing up in and amongst a city that constitutes a fundamental part of the UK bass music scene has left a big imprint on Lune’s style, no bad thing given the city’s pedigree for musicianship. As last year’s Hal 9000 EP on Audio Doughnuts exhibited, Lune has a gift for building tracks that cross-step genres and meld hybrid instrumentation with the most seductive of basslines.

His most recent output has come this month in the form of a self-titled EP on East London dubstep-electronica label Studio Rockers. It’s an animated five-tracker that drips with sunshine vibes and bouncy arrangements. Leading the pack is Fantazia ft. Haze, a blasé groove that swans below the mesmeric vocals laid down by Haze. Next up is Noookula, a track that fully embraces the nu-jazz tip we’re hearing a lot of right now. Muffled trumpets, eager keys and euphoric strings cascade into a funk-heavy rhythm that keeps on swelling until climatic chords finish off the tune. Gully Rhythm has a slightly more bolshie tempo; the whistle sample works well with the dubbed out bass hook and trap snares.

It’s rounded off nicely by two remixes of ‘Fantazia’, the first of which by EVM128 is a crisp cut of 2-step that jettisons you back to a time when Craig David was breaking hearts, long before his beefcake days. The second effort, a DnB rehash served up by Redpine & Solo, brings about a more urgent flavour with its hard hitting drums and haunting adaptation of Lune’s vocal constellations. All in all, the EP’s positively worth the coin when it arrives later this month. Until then, here’s the man himself with a snippet of insight into the music that makes him tick.

Dr. Who Dat? – Braziliant Thought

One of may all time favorite Jneiro Jarel beats. It has quite a fast pace for a hip hop track and he sample one of my favorite Brazilian tracks by Arthur Verocai.  I first stumbled on this track when a friend put me on to it when he was playing it out in some summer bbq. definitely a track I’m most comfortable with playing in the hottest parts of summer!

MF DOOM – Lightworks

Classic J Dilla beat with DOOM on vocals. what could possible be better? I have always been a fan of DOOM, mainly because he seems to be the most creative lyricist around in my opinion. Not to mention he has many more aliases that fit perfectly into the little fantasy world he has crafted. Its literally like listening to some graphic novel a lot of the time for me. Not to mention my old art school tutor designed the album cover for this along with a hefty stack of other Lex Records releases. Big ups ehquestionmark?!

Sun Ra – Nuclear War

Have been listening to Sun Ra for a long time, this ones definitely one of his more accessible tracks. Sun Ra has always intrigued me, more so for his astral visions and how vivid and forward thinking his mythos was at the time and still is. As much as I enjoy music just for the sound and beat there is something innately deeper listening to something like Sun Ra, a strong concept idea and vision.

Fhloston Paradigm – Never Defeated

King Britt aka Fhloston paradigm has been on my radar for a long time. for me, it really feels like he is pushing every element of this Afro Futurism movement forwards. this whole album just has such a thick atmosphere. (think Blade Runner and the original Alien film both directed by Ridley Scott.) Nothing better than driving around at night on some long lonely road with this album on!

Miguel Atwood Ferguson & Carlos Nino – Find A Way

I have always loved Miguel’s work. Seems to be one of those unsung heroes. He has arranged string sections for some of my favorite artists in the past, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Kendrick Lamar to name a few. Here is his fantastic take on the classic Tribe Called Quest track ‘Find A Way’ (produced by J Dilla.) around the 5 min mark is where it gets extra special. The original ‘Tek Nova – Towa Tei’ sample Dilla used can be heard here with these funk trumpets.

Marcel Lune’s self titled EP is out now on Studio Rockers.

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