[Cover photo credit to Iliana Kanellopoulou]
London-based Grammy and MOBO nominated Jazztronica duo Blue Lab Beats have released their first full-length album and Blue Note Records debut Motherland Journey. The album release comes with a visualizer video for the album track “Home.”
Blue Lab Beats introduces the album:
Motherland Journey is an extremely special album to us. This album took us two-and-a-half years to finish, our longest process to make an album, but it was so worth it. On this album you’ll hear many fusions of genres and inspirations that we gathered throughout that time frame and especially to work on so many of the songs during the first lockdown it was a test in itself. We had to figure out so many different ways to achieve what we exactly wanted sonically and having Blue Note to help us achieve that was an absolute blessing. Many of the vocal features and instrumentalists on this album are great friends of ours and it’s just so amazing to have family on this album.
The duo have a Grammy nomination for their work on the Angelique Kidjo album Mother Nature, and a MOBO nomination for ‘Best Jazz Act’ in 2021. Starting out as bedroom Producers, remixing tracks from Dua Lipa and Rag’N’Bone Man, the pair created a wide-ranging sound inspired by the pioneers of Hip-Hop and the music of the African diaspora while staying true to their London roots.
Following their appearance on 2020’s Blue Note Re:imagined project, the duo released their debut EP for Blue Note Records We Will Rise last year.
