Partikel - Partikel (2010)

Since releasing their eponymous debut album in 2010, London, UK based contemporary jazz trio Partikel have established themselves as a notable addition to the European music scene, known for their high-energy live performances and striking originality. Having spent 18 months performing new music across Europe while holding regular rehearsals, the band has gone into the studio and the result of this intense period of music making is now documented on Cohesion, their latest release for Whirlwind Recordings. According to tenor saxophonist Duncan Eagles, “Most of the new songs that made it onto this album we have been playing in for a long time, developing it on the bandstand and rehearsal room, but the way we were playing this music a year ago is a world apart from how you will hear it on our new record."

The sound palette heard on Cohesion spans the musical spectrum. “The three of us are always checking out what each other are listening to, as well as going out together to hear all kinds of different live music,” states Eagles. There are influences from North African and Latin American culture as well as Western sounds inspired by jazz, funk and classical music, all held together with indelible melodies and a vibrant band energy.

Partikel have been hosting a successful invite-only jam session for a few years at one of London's premier new venues, The Hideaway in Streatham. As bassist Max Luthert rightly states, "We have been hanging out and playing together so much over the past 18 months this is really starting to develop a strong and cohesive band sound." Indeed, rarely do bands get the opportunity to work together as much as Partikel has these past few years, and the result is clearly evident on Cohesion. The declaration amongst many in the UK music press of late is that Partikel is one of the hottest new prospects on the live scene. With the release of Cohesion, the band earns this praise.