Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8
The recent debutant of Warp Records, Nala Sinephro can be immensely pleased about the outcome of her first album. All the work required for it to get published was done by Nala herself. The Caribbean-Belgian artist composed, produced, performed, edited, recorded and mixed everything herself - at the mere age of 22. Having already started studying jazz when she was 16, with Space1.8 Nala convincingly shows that typical categories of skills and experience do not seem to apply to her. Respectfully, one should also acknowledge that she recorded the album after having overcome a tumor. Space 1.8 displays Nala’s progressive approach to combine contemporary jazz and ambient through the assemblance of a pedal harp and modular synths, both of which she plays herself. To her own musical input she adds some of her friends as well as prominent guest appearances- John Hassel on the horn, the saxophonists James Mollison and Nubya Garcia and the drummer Jake Long.
The first out of 8 sequentially named tracks, „Space 1” awakens you with warmth: a sunrise emerges and builds up into bright sunlight, accompanied by the lucent sounds of a harp that prepares the way through the album. Then, „Space 2“ perfectly introduces you to Nana Sinephro’s trademark to combine modular synths and jazzy arrangements, under the guidance of a saxophone – a warm welcome for the audience that just started listening. Over the course of the track the instruments increase in speed to intertwine with each other. Once the synths take over the lead, the listener gets pulled away from the coherence that the instruments just have obtained, preparing us for the next track.
„Space 3” that functions as an imprupt interlude, feels to me as if the instruments have suddenly changed its mood. The instruments push each other more into confusion and into hecticness. However, considering the song’s length of 1.15 minutes, I interpret its purpose as an example of a sudden but temperate outburst one can have. Thus, after hitting one’s emotional peak, there is room to compose oneself again, which the following track „Space 4“ might suggest: a peaceful but contemplating piano takes over to calm the waves until the saxophone and the drums lift up the mood by playing confidently. The soli of the saxophone was written for Nubya Garcia who is currently the most sought-after saxophonist in the UK. „Space 5” comes as a surprise and is probably the best example of Nala Sinephro’s talent to combine jazz with ambient. I hear so much life bustling around. Each of the living being she formed, has its only individuality, thus displays its own sound. They unify in being as divers to another, just like in an ecosystem.
With „Space 6“ comes forth another spectacular outburst, however, this time of a different nature: throughout, the interplay of drums, a saxophone and synths intensifies as if the instruments want to raise their voices full of anger and discomfort: the drums play hectically on their hi-hats while being in an emotional conflict with the saxophone, where both instruments mutually drive each other on.
After the short interlude which is „Space 7”, where a harp mingles around some synths, you find yourself in a great relief of „Space 8“‘s meditative closure within its 17 minutes – my personal highlight of the album. It transmits having overcome emotional distress, finding tranquility within yourself and your surroundings. When I listen to „Space 8” I find myself floating through peaceful space. Maybe that is how a perpetuum mobile could sound? An eternal movement in complete balance, where there is no need to change or improve anything, it being the result of its harmoniusly assorted elements?
Listen to Space 1.8 on Spotify:
