Birmingham experimental jazz-rock trio un.procedure have announced their highly anticipated recorded debut with a frenetic, groove-heavy new single titled “Polytunnel” and details of their forthcoming self-titled EP – out 14th October.
Made up of synth player Piera Onacko, drummer and electronic artist Nathan Jones, and Mercury Prize nominated and Ivors Academy Award winning alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi (SEED Ensemble, Kokoroko, Nérija), un.procedure have earned a reputation as one of the UK scene’s must-see artists performing alongside live, reactive visuals made by multi-faceted artist David Stanley (GURIBOSH). These performances have seen the trio play to packed out crowds across the UK and Europe at the likes of London Unwrapped (King’s Place), Supersonic Festival, Lancaster Jazz Festival, Enjoy Jazz Festival, and more.
Delivering a frantic collision of semi-free improvisation with spiralling, 70s krautrock-influenced grooves, and heady soundscapes, the EP comes as a consummate snapshot of the pummelling intensity of the trio’s live shows. The lead single “Polytunnel” perfectly exemplifies this with heavy electronic bass facing off against wild yet precise drumming, whilst subtle, insidious synth drones build and swirl around Cassie Kinoshi’s passionate sax riffing.
Speaking on the single Piera Onacko says:
As well as being the leading track on the EP, Polytunnel was the first composition we put together as a band. Using a process of group improvisation and plenty of experimentation with tech, we are thrilled to be putting out this track as a taste of what’s to come on the full EP.”
Elsewhere on the EP, tracks such as “Fall and Flatten” showcase a more electronic led, suspenseful sound, combining cosmic synth sections with drums that grow into frenetic break beats as the instrumentation morphs into doom-laden, psychedelic textures and atmospherics, which call to mind the tense soundtracks of 1970s sci-fi cinema. The EP closer “You Stepped Into A Hole” also exemplifies another facet of the trio’s dynamic, leaning into a more jazz heavy sound which combines experimental synth lines with powerful electronic bass and guttural sax, channelling the spirit of the UK scene through un.procedure’s unique avant-jazz filter.
un.procedure’s forthcoming EP arrives as a debut outing that does that rarest of things – delivers on everything their live shows have promised. With more dates planned for later this year and further new music in the works, there is no better time to get acquainted with this fast-rising trio.
