The next album forthcoming from Brainfeeder might, at first sight,
appear to be something of a change in direction for the label but
nothing could be further from the truth. Austin Peralta is a jazz musician. Not in the sense that he or people
close to him bandy around the word “jazz” (or even worse, “jazzy”) in
relation to his music. No, in the sense of years of practice and
dedication to a particular artform. In the sense of having played with,
amongst many others, the likes of Chick Corea, Hank Jones and Ron
Carter. In the sense of having serious chops. Of playing the piano and
composing like a true veteran. And in the sense of having done all that
by the time he’s twenty. And that’s before you even get into his work as
a session player for everyone from Erykah Badu to Shafiq Husayn, or the
time he sat in with legendary LA big band, Horace Tapscott’s Pan
Afrikan People’s Arkestra. But, as Flying Lotus explains, “this is a step in direction of where I
want Brainfeeder to go. True musicianship as well as some interesting
electronics.” Peralta, another LA native and son of legendary Z-Boy
skater and, latterly, documentary film-maker Stacy Peralta, in many ways
fits clearly into what Brainfeeder has always been about, a combination
of questing futurism and an understanding of where you’re coming from.
So while Peralta works alongside serious jazz musicians like Zane Musa
(alto sax), Ben Wendel (tenor and soprano), Hamilton Price (bass) and
Zach Harmon (drums), he also relies on longtime friend and associate
Strangeloop for electronic manipulation throughout the set and ends the
album with a scintillating collaboration with The Cinematic Orchestra
and singer Heidi Vogel.
“People would always tell me about this genius jazz pianist,” Flying
Lotus recalls. “‘He's, like, 17 or 18 and already sounds like McCoy Tyner!’
I had to go and see what was up, so Dr Strangeloop introduced me, and I
got to hear this amazing record.” And once he’d heard it there was only
one outcome. It is, after all, the Brainfeeder way. “We had to put it
out.”