Radio City Feat. Bajka – Ep One

Strictly Limited Edition wax featuring 4 brand new tracks from Radio City.

Heavyweight future funk meets spiritual jazz on the follow-up to Radio City’s “The Hop”, already getting the nod from Gilles Peterson et al…

Stepping out Summer 2005 with “The Hop” on the HVW8/Ubiquity “Music Is My Art” compilation Radio Citys mad DJ-friendly mix of dub and soul caught the ears of folks worldwide. This is the first EP from the group featuring a total of 4 brand new tracks, including 2 new exclusives with Bajka the vocalist from “The Hop”. “The Hop” was featured on the HVW8 12” which we could not keep in stock and was a lead track on the HVW8 full-length compilation.

“Everything” is a mid-tempo DJ friendly old school soul meets funk joint, while “The Prophets” treads in Mulatu territory combing Afro-beat, jazz and funk. On the flip, Bajka vocals ride a mad jazz track called “Voices” complete with furious drum breaks and rounding out the EP is the heavyweight soundtrack-like epic “Mondlicht”.

Radio City aka Niko Schabel (and a collective of musicians and vocalists) hails from Berlin and their sound ranges from slack dub, moody folksy-soul, to adrenalin infused and spirituall-charged cinematic jazz. Radio City tracks are a loosely glued collage of sampled textures which are embellished with gifted musicians and often topped-off with the seductive vocals of the worldly Bajka. It sounds complicated, but the end result is simple and addictive. Think Fela meets Mulatu meets Archie Shepp meets Quantic. It’s future world funk and global jazz business.

In addition to the sampler and mixing desk Schabel plays alto saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet, kalimba and small percussion, plus rhodes, flute and synthesiser. He is regularly assisted by vocalist Bajka and flute and sax man Wolfi. Bajka was born in an Indian temple and grew up in Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan and on a catamaran in South Africa. She has traveled the world with a music commune called Embryo that her uncle founded and father was a member of, and which coincidentally Schabel was also a latter day guest. Bajka has recorded with Compost act Beanfield and released solo records on the Jazzman label. In addition Schabel has played and performed with the Niko Schabel Quartet, the Express Brass Band, the Poets of Rhythm, Jojo Kuo (ex-Fela Kuti), Nik McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand), the Last Poets, and many more.