We’re very excited to announce the next instalment in our premiere series. Arriving from Germany’s long-established jazz innovators ACT Music we present a track from emerging talents Three Fall and Melane.
‘Release’ arrives ahead of the band’s debut album ‘Four’ – to be released in the UK on the 15th of September – and lays an emphatic marker for an exclusive brand of afro-soul grooves.
Three Fall had been a trio ever since their formation in 2008. Their unusual instrumentation, drums plus two blowing instruments (clarinet and trombone) – i.e. not following the convention of having either a bass or a harmony instrument – proved rapidly successful. Their 2011 ACT debut “On A Walkabout” had new instrumental versions of tunes by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which the Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith has described as the best cover versions he has ever heard.
Melane Nkounkolo was born in Germany in 1986 with her parents having moved there from the Congo. Her childhood was shaped by Congolese music, notably the “King of rumba rock” Papa Wemba. “It was only later that I came into contact with other types of music”, says Melane. “So what I could do was to develop my own style, and one which can’t be pinned down or categorized.”
With the arrival of Melane, Three Fall have grown to four, and opened up new worlds of sound. When they were a trio, their blend of jazz, funk and hip-hop gave them considerable stylistic range and variety, but in this latest album Four, their armoury of possibilities has been expanded and enriched with new elements: soul, reggae and Afrobeat.
‘Release’ sets out the principal desire to set the feet in motion and lift the spirits. Bass clarinet and trombone combine for a dynamic course regularly mirrored by Melane’s scatting to add buoyancy and vigour to a bouncing rhythm section. Radiant vocals of verse and chorus stand in contrast with the deliberately rough edges of the band. This is until the singer throws down the gauntlet at the conclusion of the track and let’s rip with a thunderous solo, hitting home the track’s abiding message.
As Melane relates:
I always write songs out of my intuition, this track is actually a kind of ‘wake up call’ – for myself especially – because nothing will change if the person ‘in front of the mirror’ is not willing to do what it takes to make the world a better place. It is a challenge to try to change yourself. We have to release ourselves from all the things that are holding us back, or keep us from making the world a better place.
Check the track here:
Visit the ACT Music store to grab your album here.