LANU
This is My Home
Tru Thoughts/Ubiquity
· Broken beats, future funk, nu soul and jazz flavours from down under to bring you up.
Thanks to natives such as Mark de Clive-Lowe, Bembe Segue, Nesian Mystik, Joe Dukie and Fat Freddy’s Drop, New Zealand is becoming known as a hotbed of seriously talented neo-soul and nu-jazz artists. You can add New Zealand-born Lance Ferguson to the list. Currently based in Melbourne, he has both a pedigree (his grand-pappy made the first ever record in NZ) and a C.V. (the Bamboos, Joe Bataan, MdCL, Quantic Soul Orch) that scream quality – which is without a doubt what he delivers on his solo project, Lanu.
A jazz-infused journey through sounds generally lumped under the broken-beat banner made famous by the East London club scene (4Hero, Bugz In The Attic, etc.), This is My Home is awash in syncopated afro-latin rhythms, bouncy bass lines, deftly funky horn arrangements and keyboard accompaniment that recalls Roy Ayers and Gil Scott-Heron. Highlights include "Dis-Information," which sounds like the Mizell Bros. remixing Side Effect, "Mother Earth" where Ferguson recruits Aloe Blacc & Quantic’s Will Holland for an uplifting afro-beat jam, and the sweet Brazilian swing of "Shine," which showcases the solid vocal abilities of compatriot Cherie Matheson.
Although, as with much of the output associated with this genre, a few tracks sound a little "samey." While they don’t have much to distinguish them from the killers, they don’t quite fall into the dreaded filler camp. Equally suited to headphones or club speakers, there are enough solid songs, strong lyrics and diversity in style on This is My Home to make the whole package a worthwhile addition to yours.
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