Carlos Niño & Friends

𝙋𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝘼 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙮𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙨 𝙉𝙞ñ𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙧é 𝟯𝟬𝟬𝟬’𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙗𝙪𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝟰𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙟𝙖𝙯𝙯, 𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨.

As the title implies, ‘Placenta’ was inspired by the birth - or “first solar return” - of Carlos’ son, Moss Niño, and as such feels inspired to new heights of cosmic soul music. Surrounded by more pals than we could name here, Niño helms every piece with a serenaded approach that has served him mighty well since the ‘00s, and has threaded all manner of movements between the LA jazz underground and its offshoots into wonky beats and the Brainfeeder era, and up to recent chops on André 3000’s new age ambient excursions. This one in particular seems to revel in the act of creation with a fine balance of effervescent, radiant dynamics and sublime tension that never quite settles, but remains floating in amniotic suspense with a subtly heart-in-mouth optimism and sunny day, open window promise.

‘Love to all Doulas!’ sweeps magisterial synth figures in glittering hyperspace, opening a bountiful account where passages of rustling shakers and 4th world wooze such as ‘Some rest for the Midwives…’ and the shimmering warmth of ‘In Appreciation of Chico Hamilton’s Vast Influence on the West Coast Sound’ lead to classic-sounding spiritual jazz-fusioneering and gorgeous scenes of panoramic ambient storytelling in ‘Placenta, Nourishment, New Home, The Galaxy’, and all the way out to a riff on classic deep house jazz chords, a la Die Reihe’s, in the joys of “Play Kerri Chandler’s RAIN”.