Album Premiere: Freddie Joachim – Beyond The Sea Of Trees (Jakarta Records)
A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul are usually good names for me to indicate my taste in hip-hop to people not too familiar with the genre. So is Freddie Joachim to people who are deeply familiar with beatmaking: a household name to explain a weak spot for jazzy and soulful productions.
No wonder the Californian producer graced the cover of our very first digital magazine back in 2008 (remember when Issuu was still a thing?). And that he made the Bridgework mix together with Yusai in the early days of Mellow Orange. But that’s enough of a dose of nostalgia. Let’s go back to the present: a new album!
Beyond The Sea Of Trees is out now via Berlin-based label Jakarta Records and consists of sixteen instrumentals. But then I don’t count Natalie Oliveri’s subtle vocal contribution on the first single, Backyards. But after all, in words of the late great Nina Simone: “the human voice is the only pure instrument.” The other guest appearances are from pianist Elijah Fox and producer FloFilz, who is gearing up himself for the release of Transit in three weeks.
Listen to the full album below. Including a button to order the 2LP vinyl release (shipping in five days):