When I began BLS in 2008, I was a diehard Soul & Hop Hop head and at best a casual Jazz listener. Fast forward 11 years, neither soul music or Hip Hop are quite the same and, not by default, Jazz has become my music of choice. There are so many NEW & YOUNG artists doing incredible things with the genre, it almost feels like we’re at Minton’s during the height of the bebop era as the music shifted from one sound to another. The influence of Hip Hop on everything is undeniable and its effect on these new Lions fuels my predilection.

I’ve been checking for Alfa Mist since 2014, but when the wonderful Antiphon dropped in 2017, followed a little over a year later with 7th October I was definitely hooked and now he’s returned! His upcoming album, Structuralism is described as “an intricate and profound glimpse into the East London artist’s battles with self and the societal pressures that inform our own conscious experience” and is scheduled to be released next month. Lead single Retainer is an easy, yet introspective gem that takes you even deeper once you think its over. My birthday is April 28th but it’s gonna come 2 days sooner when Structuralism is released 4/26. PreOrder HERE