After a good few years confined to digital, Tokyo label, Jansen Jardin, makes a lovingly crafted return to vinyl. A brand, spanking bespoke 45 features 2 tracks from imprint founder, Max Essa. Both tunes are a bit of a departure from his distinctive nu Balearic / nu disco groove. 

Marbaix Memoranda finds funky drums, accompanied by hand claps and finger snaps. Cool Hammond B3 grind colouring a head-nodding / bobbing b-line. The laidback arrangement layering, perfectly, playful strumming with gently rippling piano and a soaring, summery synth. Library music was, perhaps, one source of inspiration, and listening I picture Lemon Jelly covering Boards Of Canada. The vibe like an “organic” take on Ultramarine at their most “loved-up”. 

On the flip, beatnik bongos introduce Der Kaputte Bananenwagen, which boasts a Latin boogaloo – via Santana  – swing, and fine funky fusion feels. Its catchy keyboard refrain in call-and-response with some tremolo’d twang, while the synth, in this case, resembles a reed. 

Both cuts are much “live-r”, much more musical, than Max’s usual dancefloor-directed gear, and call to mind the melodic magic of another veteran multi-instrumentalist audio auteur, namely Declasse / Fila Brazillia’s Steve Cobby. 

Max Essa’s Marbaix Memoranda will be released on Friday June 21st. Keep an eye on the Jansen Jardin Bandcamp page for news and more details.