Blue Lab Beats
Blue Lab Beats are a North London-based, jazz-hop, electronica duo comprised of producer NK-OK (Namali Kwaten) and multi-instrumentalist Mr DM (David Mrakpor). The pair are an integral part of the city's diverse modern scene that integrates musicians from the worlds of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and electronica.
Blue Lab Beats have issued more than 30 releases since their debut EP Blue Skies in 2016; they cross those genres and more with their utterly unique, soulful meld of grooves, melodies, samples, and beats. That musical diversity has resulted in being hired to do remixes for Jodie Abacus, Dua Lipa, Rag'n'Bone Man, and many more. The duo's 2018 debut long-player, Xover, was recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios and included appearances from U.K. jazz luminaries Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd, and Nérija, as well as grime rapper Kojey Radical and soul maven Tiana Major9. 2019's Voyage wove more electro, funk, and R&B into their mixes, though they expanded on those genres with subsequent and associated remixes. The pair issued half-a-dozen singles and EPs in 2020 including the charting, Afro-Brazilian-influenced "Não Tem Nada Não" (featuring Kaida Akinnibi and Theo Croker), and contributed a widely acclaimed cover/remix of Bobby Hutcherson's classic "Montara" composition to the Blue Note Re:Imagined sampler. In April 2021, Blue Lab Beats issued the collaborative digital mix set The Sounds of Afrotronica with Akinnibi, and their official debut for Blue Note Records, the We Will Rise EP arrived in June.
In February 2022, the long-player Motherland Journey arrived from the label, showcasing the duo with a host of collaborators including Ghanian producer KillBeatz -- who employed the vocals of Fela Kuti on the title track -- Ghetto Boy, Keifer, Tiana Major9, and Kofi Stone. After touring and releasing a small handful of singles, the band issued the long-player Blue Eclipse as their Decca debut in April 2024.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Jazztronica (Live at Late Night Jazz Royal Albert Hall / 2022)
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 18 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oooo Lala (feat. Kaidi Akinnibi)
Jazz - Released by Blue Adventure - AllPoints on 9 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flux (Blue Lab Beats Remix)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stranger Anthem on 9 Sep 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Labels
Pop - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 5 Nov 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Say Yes (feat. Ruby Francis, Ashley Henry) (NameBrandSound Remix)
Jazz - Released by AllPoints on 25 May 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dome
Jazz - Released by Blue Adventure - AllPoints on 10 Nov 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Eclipse
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 19 Apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Next (Wake Up) [feat. Sampa the Great]
Jazz - Released by AllPoints on 17 Oct 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Say Yes (feat. Ruby Francis, Ashley Henry)
Jazz - Released by Blue Adventure - AllPoints on 16 Mar 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Time Capsule
Jazz Fusion & Jazz Rock - Released by Blue Adventure - AllPoints on 2 Oct 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Dream (feat. James Vickery) (Slow & Low Remix)
R&B - Released by Blue Adventure - AllPoints on 1 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Real Good (Kan Sano Remix)
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 2 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Labels
Pop - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 5 Nov 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blow You Away (Delilah)
Africa - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 5 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sensual Loving
Africa - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 22 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Dream (feat. James Vickery)
Jazz - Released by Blue Adventure - AllPoints on 9 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keep Moving
Jazz - Released by Believe Recordings on 24 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sam Cooke & Marvin Gaye
Jazz - Released by Believe Recordings on 5 May 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Take Time + Guava
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 Mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo