• Limited Edition Double 12" Vinyl EP

  Record/Vinyl

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  (U)nity are five individuals who describe themselves less as a band than a movement. Their latest single, “Guarapachanga,” is a manifesto of that movement, and of Clairaudience’s commitment to reclaiming its place in the vanguard of new urban fusion music – whether on the dancefloor or off it.
  
  The New York-based (U)nity is made up of Michael Valeanu, Axel Tosca Laugart, Chris Smith, Max Cudworth and Amaury Acosta. They formed the band in 2006 as a project to explore Afro-Cuban jazz, funk, soul and contemporary electronica. They say they’ve been influenced by everyone from Chucho Valdés to Art Blakey to Led Zeppelin to Kendrick Lamar, and you can definitely hear all of that in this jawdropping work.
  
  “Guarapachanga” is special in that it was the first song written by the band back in their days as music students at The New School. It’s derived from the style known as guarapachangeo – the most advanced form of Cuban rumba, heavily improvisational and based on very complex rhythms and melodies. On this recording, (U)nity is graced with a guest performance by Grammy Award winner Pedrito Martinez, a master rumbero, one of the greatest conga players ever, an innovator who has left a permanent mark on Cuban music. Martinez is also a priest in the Yoruba religion and a historian of Cuban culture.
  
  Over its eight and a half minutes, “Guarapachanga” twists and turns and journeys through a mind bending array of different tempos and modes, from Latin jazz to hip hop, ultimately ending with a trippy ambient soundscape. The whole thing is overlaid with free spirited melody, soul and the Afro-Cuban essence that is the band’s lifeblood. The white-hot live playing gives it the feel of the best early-morning jam session, yet it packs a sonic punch that will make it sound incredible on a good sound system in the hands of adventurous DJs in the world-beat or spiritual-house vein. If you didn’t know “Guarapachanga” was a contemporary work you might mistake it for a Loft classic; yet it’s also as fresh and exciting as anything you’ll hear this year.
  
  This double vinyl offering features a B-Side on the first disc that features a composition written by Max Cudworth entitled “Can I Get A Dollar.” Max has worked professionally in and around NY both as a sideman and a leader. He has had the great pleasure of performing with the likes of John Benitez, Pedro Martinez, Robert Glasper, Fabian Almazan, Candido Camero, Xiomara Laugart, Michael Rodriguez and Macy Gray and have recorded with Billy Harper & Victor Bastidas.
  
  The second track on the B-Side features a boom bap inspired remix from Bae Bro, also known as Paul Wilson. A self¬ taught producer and beat junkie from Southside Jamaica, Queens. Growing up the youngest of four brothers, a household full of house music and a childhood spent in the thick of 90s hip hop stirred Bae Bro’s beginnings as a producer at the age of 11. Finding the piano at 16, Bae Bro started
  
  playing gigs in the jazz scene, leading to work with Tanya Morgan, Outasight, and Lauryn Hill. In 2012, he played his first show as a solo artist, performing his own music as a producer/DJ. Last year, Bae Bro performed at Boiler Room as a member of Vibe Music Collective. Currently, Paul tours with artist Arto Lindsey, and is the musical director for Top Dog Entertainment artist SZA. He also appears frequently as a member of New York new music group House Special.
  
  The second disc sports deep house remixes from Clairaudience’s founder Anthony Nicholson. Anthony Nicholson has been producing music since 1992, first coming to fame when he started releasing records under various pseudonyms such as Urban Sound Gallery and African Blues on the hugely sought after and influential Prescription & Clairaudience labels. Anthony Nicholson aka Miquifaye is deeply rooted in the movement of taking music and art forward in the city we call Chi-town, across the globe and around the world. Anthony has a discography that has been one of the most respected and sought after collections in dance music. Circular Motion and Infinite Audio are two Chicago based record labels formed by Anthony. These imprints focus on the expansion of the mind of music and it's possibilities
  
  This masterful work tells many stories: stories about different musical legacies making their way around the world; stories about cultural crossroads; stories about the city that has seen the flowering of so much of the music we cherish and was the meeting place of aptly named (U)nity.
  
  Clairaudience is a seminal DIY experiment in recording underground music. Clairaudience under the artistic helm of producer Anthony Nicholson has spent the last 19 years in continuing education learning how to make inspired music. Our motto has always been, “Giving them something, they can feel & All Jams, No Peanut Butter”.
  
  (U)nity
  Guarapachanga
  
  A. Guarapachanga
  B1. Can I Get A Dollar
  B2. Guarapachanga…BaeBro Remix
  C. Guarapachanga...A.Nicholson Miquifaye Remix+
  D. Guarapachanga...A.Nicholson Miquifaye Reprise+
  
  ... more
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