Improvisational music with an orchestral depth on the new single from Kinkajous: “Shifting Sands”
London-based experimentalists, Kinkajous, have just released the first single off their upcoming album, Nothing Will Disappear. The new single is called “Shifting Sands” and features a free-flowing arrangement of percussion, saxophone, and strings. This gives the track vast amounts of space and orchestral depth. At times it gives you this feeling of listening to an audible illusion — focusing in on certain parts of the track gives you this overwhelming uplift, while shifting focus to another part might give you a sinking sensation. The overall effect is moving.
In truth, although you might file Kinkajous’s music under the “Jazz” genre, it’s a thoughtful blend of electronic music with improvisational. Their music takes influence from other jazz-inspired electronic artists in this space, like Floating Points, Amon Tobin, Jon Hopkins, or Bonobo, rather than just their capital “J” jazz contemporaries.
Kinkajous is led by percussionist and producer Benoît Parmentier and saxophonist Adrien Cau. For this album, the duo are joined by Jack Doherty on synths/keys, Andres Castellanos on bass, and the formidable strings of Alan Keary. The philosophy behind Nothing Will Disappear touches on the profound nature of human experience — the lasting impact of every action, anxiety and uncertainty versus interconnectedness, and community.
But there’s no pretentiousness here. “With our previous record being quite dark and introspective, we wanted to escape into a different space with this music,” explains Benoît when talking about the upcoming album. “We wanted it to be more colourful, more driven, whilst pushing towards the edges of fragility and vulnerability.” This is an album that aims to reflect the turbulence of being alive rather than offering solutions, comfort, or concern. From this framework erupts the possibilities of their music for music’s sake. It frees the album to explode into hundreds of different shapes.
Have a listen to “Shifting Sands” below and look out for Nothing Will Disappear, which is set to be released October 18th on the Running Circle Records.
Kinkajous – Shifting SandsCover photo by Sophie Jouvenaar
