[gtranslate]
Music

Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes forge a flawless collab on ‘What Kinda Music’

Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes, although you’d never have seen it coming, is a pairing that just makes sense. They’re two cross-disciplinary musicians who, between them, encompass the realms of jazz, hip hop, pop, funk, soul, and more, their music is united by an all-encompassing smoothness.

Together they’ve just dropped What Kinda Music, the first single from an upcoming collab album of the same name. Due to be released through legendary jazz label Blue Note Records, it will see each side of the duo play to their strengths; experimental meets pop-savvy, wildly original meets hyper-digestible.

tom misch yussef dayes Adama Jalloh what kinda music
Photo: Adama Jalloh

Massage your ears with What Kinda Music, the first single from a new collaborative album by Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes, out this April via Blue Note Records.

Speaking about the record, Misch shared:

“Yussef comes from a more experimental background, and he has a lot of loose, crazy ideas. I know how to write a catchy melody, but with interesting chords and I have a good understanding of popular song forms, so I think I streamlined those ideas and made them accessible.”

The duality between the pair’s unique stylings are in full swing on What Kinda Music, a layered slow-burner that’s a little Radiohead, a little BADBADNOTGOOD. Dayes’ drumming is, as expected, a front-and-centre feature of the track, while arpeggiated synth melodies and Misch’s vocals create a heady, hypnotic feel in the top end.

For Dayes too, What Kinda Music has been all about finding a middle ground and running with it, eager for its unpredictability, rather than being afraid of it:

“…everything feels so divided these days, it would be nice for people to hear the record and hear two very different musicians coming together and realise it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Blue Note Records is as iconic as they come, a label whose lineage dates back to John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly in the ’50s. Seeing Misch and Dayes nestled amongst the back catalogue is a warm surprise, a welcome continuation of the experimental and forward facing legacy which Blue Note has always boasted.

 

What Kinda Music is out April 24 via Beyond The Groove/Blue Note Records/Caroline Australia. Pre-order your copy here.