Mackwood – Habits

Drummer, producer, songwriter and bandleader Mackwood today releases brand new single ‘Habits’, featuring anaiis and Quinn Oulton, out now via 5dB Records. Having cut his teeth drumming and producing for some of the UK’s most exciting and forward thinking artists, including Col3trane, Nilufer Yanya, Jordan Rakei, Eliza and Blue Lab Beats, as well as creative collectives like Levitation Orchestra and The Silhouettes Project, ‘Habits’ follows recent single ‘Yella!’ in launching a new era with the London native now at the forefront.

Mackwood thrives in the spaces in between genres and this is beautifully illustrated by new single ‘Habits’. Having known both acclaimed French-Senegalese artist anaiis and South London based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Quinn Oulton for some time through mutual friends in the London music scene, their abilities to cross the jazz and alt-soul boundary with uniquely sincere writing and vocal delivery made them the perfect fit for the track’s ethereal sonic blend. Under their lush vocals Mackwood combines masterful live instrumentation with cutting edge production, blurring the line between the organic and synthetic until it’s no longer visible.

“This track has been a really beautiful chance to connect some of the sounds I love – classic jazz and fusion tones, Underworld-y rave sounds, and left field soul like Dijon and Noname. I wanted to hit on something tender but also really exhilarating, and Quinn and anaiis helped create a deeply intimate ASMR kinda quality. It’s the first release featuring my own band playing live, and the resulting production blends these delicate folky textures into a rave type of environment.”

Speaking on ‘Habits’, Mackwood says:

One area where the UK is indisputably a world leader is cultural cross-pollination, and Mackwood, real name Harry Ling, is an excellent example of our collective genius flowering again. Inspired by the country’s rich electronic and soundsystem culture, Mackwood warps what we usually understand as jazz into thrilling new shapes and unpredictable forms.

Growing up in a music-loving family of English, Lithuanian Jewish and South African heritage in Shepherd’s Bush, where local music lessons weren’t just classical piano, but also west African drumming, an obsession with rhythm from a young age resulted in Mackwood going on to study with Tomorrow’s Warriors and then at the prestigious Guildhall School of music. This diverse upbringing led to him combining his formal training with elements of the breaks, soul, dubstep, drum & bass and house of his formative years to create his own progressive take on modern jazz. In the studio, having formed the basis for a track on his laptop, he’ll then bring it to his six piece band to flesh out with live instruments before melding it all together.

Hugely accomplished musicians in their own right, his band make a formidable live outfit, code-switching between Sun Ra space blues and block party grooves Quincy Jones would’ve been proud of, time travelled to 90s Bristol. Having already graced festival stages including Cross The Tracks and Brick Lane Jazz Festival this summer, watch out for news of a soon to be announced headline tour and Mackwood’s debut album on the horizon.