MELT YOURSELF DOWN
Genres: Eclectic Fusion, World Fusion, Jazz Related Rock • United Kingdom

South London's Melt Yourself Down is a flame-throwing punk-jazz party band whose music crisscrosses North African music, Afro-Latin grooves, fractured jazz-funk, electro-dub, and post-bop, all performed with a swaggering attitude. Founded by saxophonist/composer/arranger Pete Wareham (Polar Bear, ex-Acoustic Ladyland), one can hear the trace influences of early Brit post-punk outfits such as Rip Rig and Panic and Pigbag in their sound, though MYD is much less chaotic than either. Their rowdy 2013 self-titled debut offering showcased a sextet that included Wareham, saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, drummer Tom Skinner (both Sons of Kemet), bassist Ruth Goller (Let Spin), percussionist Satin Singh (Transglobal Underground), and vocalist Kushal Gaya (Zun Zun Egui). MYD may not have garnered the same press attention as many of their compatriots on London's new jazz scene did, but they remain an important empowering influence on the scene's music. After a handful of singles and 2016's Last Evenings on read more...