Album Review: ‘Autumn in Jakarta’

Germany’s Jakarta Records return with another seasonal compilation following 2014’s summer collection and the winter edition released in February. The release of the ‘Autumn in Jakarta’ compilation also marks the label’s tenth anniversary.

Give or take a couple of dubious selections, it’s otherwise another fine mix of (mostly) conscious Hip-Hop and experimental soul with appearances from Jakarta regulars such as IAMNOBODI, underground royalty Oddisee and Suff Daddy.

Newcomer to the Jakarta collective and the sole female MC on the compilation, Lil’ Camille, displays deft lyricism over inspired sampling on album opener ‘Shine On’, which also features a highly complementary Karen Clark-Sheard/Faith Evans-style anonymous guest vocal. My main man Benny Sings also makes another cameo appearance following his stand-out contribution to the previous compilation. The Dutch singer/songwriter has seemingly been on a Doobie Brothers tip of late but ‘Softly’ lacks the lingering beauty of the DB-esque ‘Re-Building the Omega Man’ or his Winter in Jakarta offering ‘Straight Lines’. Instead it’s an inoffensive if forgettable (by Benny standards) demo-quality re-working of his more memorable ‘Little Donna’.

The label use this latest release as an opportunity to champion one of their other projects; the re-issuing of obscure 70s Arabic-Funk. ‘Autumn…’ features two from the archives. Fadoul is James Brown of the Maghreb if ‘Sid Redad’ is any indication. For all intents and purposes it’s a slightly more laid-back, Arabic version of ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag' but with a funky, guttural energy of its own. Tunisian outfit Dalton provide one of the compilation’s highlights with their 1972 track ‘Soul Brother’. The band appear to have been way ahead of their time. The Rhodes solo is reminiscent in the best way of Steely Dan’s ‘Third World Man’ with a brassy, Ska flavour. Yet ‘Soul Brother’ pre-dates both the ‘Gaucho’ album and the English Two-Tone movement by several years.

Barney Artist does a commendable job representing young UK talent on ‘Breathe into Me’. A certain menace underpins the slow groove of producer Sam Baker’s instrumental, well-matched to Barney’s honest, self-reproaching lyrics. Musa Mura rounds off the project with minimalist swan song ‘Lullaby Outro’. With its mournful Moog motif and metronome sample ticking away in the background, it’s an inexplicably moving affair, reinforcing Mura’s flair for heart-breakingly pretty instrumentals.

Jakarta’s compilations each have a distinct appeal, much like the seasons they represent. With three out of the four so capably covered, roll on Spring.