BadBadNotGood eschew labels.
A jazz group associated with Odd Future, their spell backing Frank Ocean has been punctuated by numerous expansive headline sets.
Refusing to allow anyone to pigeonhole them, the Canadian trio have charged past boundaries, preferring to nudge aside the critics and focus on music.
A continually pioneering force, BadBadNotGood's refusal to be categorised has granted them immense freedom. A melting pot of influences, the group can move from itchy funk to blistering free jazz in the blink of an eye.
Settling down to complete new album 'III', snippets have been emerging for some time. From what Clash has heard so far, it's a release which is bound to delight, surprise, confound and confuse in equal measure.
Out on May 5th, BadBadNotGood have crafted a special mix featuring some of the influences running through 'III'. Fusing vintage soul, funk and jazz and some prime hip hop cuts, it's an enthralling listen with the sudden, jagged mixing reflecting their compositional qualities.
As the band themselves explain: "With this mix we attempted to showcase as many of our influences as possible. All three of us have so many different genres and artists that we love, it was really difficult to squeeze everything in. Soul from the 60’s, rap from the 2000’s, psych from the 70’s, and jazz from the 50’s (to name a few) have all heavily inspired us for a long time. Some of these songs we like because of the production, the melodies, or the arrangements, but one thing they have in common is that they all have a great vibe!"
Listen to it now.
BadBadNotGood are set to release 'III' on May 5th. The band have confirmed the following shows:
May
6 London XOYO
7 Bristol The Exchange
8 Brighton Spiegel Tent (The Great Escape fest, 3.30pm)
9 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
10 Manchester Deaf Institute
12 Brussels Botanique
13 Paris Point Ephemere
14 Amsterdam Bitterzoet
15 Eindhoven Gslab
16 Hamburg Prinzenbar
17 Frankfurt Brotfabrik
18 Haldern Haldern Bar
19 Berlin Gruner Salon
22 Galway Roisin Dubh
23 Cork Pavilion
24 Dublin Sugar Club
Words: Connor Olthuis
