Jazz is unquestionably the result of the innovation and ingenuity of African American musicians who dared to bring their artful expressions to the forefront. The music born in the sultry streets of New Orleans has morphed tremendously over time, influencing a number Hip-Hop producers of the modern era for decades. Batsauce carries on that rich tradition and connection of sound via his latest recorded set, Wolf’s Clothing.

Batsauce, like many a beat smith before him, has employed the sounds of old into his updated renditions, traversing the landscapes of World Music, Funk, and Soul – but the resonant hum of Jazz called out to him once again. As a young Jazz man himself, Batsauce dabbled with several instruments in his journey in becoming the audio auteur he is today.

Hip-Hop music owes much of its cultural ascendancy to Jazz, and both genres are still evolving far beyond their respective dawns. Drawing from the inspiration of instrumentation replacing the familiar bars and hooks of a vocal performer, Wolf’s Clothing is the first of Batsauce’s works to go back to his earliest influences.

https://soulspazm.ffm.to/wolfsclothing

Wolf’s Clothing is the culmination of a years-long undertaking into what Batsauce refers to as “Dark Jazz” – moodier textures; muted instrumentation; whispers within the kaleidoscopic rhythms; untold stories coming to life by way of bending bass and drums. This Is an intentional body of work inspired by the legends that Batsauce discovered during crate-digging expeditions to be repurposed into his familiar environs.

Inspired by the countless greats that include Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and even groundbreaking forefathers like Count Basie, Wolf’s Clothing is the sum of Batsauce’s deep reverence for what he considers the greatest American artform in where only the messages within the music have effectively outpaced the technical marvel and skill that encompasses the wide scope of Jazz music.

Across 20 tracks, Batsauce assumes the duality of bandleader and sideman, pulling from the archives of the greats to present what is as true a representation of Jazz and Hip-Hop’s long standing synergy in the present day. Presenting to your ears and souls, Wolf’s Clothing.

-DL Chandler, February 2021
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