JUJU - MAPS AND TERRITORY (Fuzz Club LP, CD).

JuJu's third album, Maps And Territory, reaffirms and at the same time transcends JuJu's unique formula. Refining JuJu’s signature textured wall of sound of pulverizing bass lines, heavily reverbed guitars, hypnotic grooves, gospel drones and crooning vocals, the new record is a linear progression in multi-instrumentalist Gioele Valenti’s singular take on modern Psychedelic Rock. Adding more 1980’s New Wave influences and elements of Jazz to the potent mix of Neo-Psychedelia, Mediterranean Folk, Krautrock and African tribalism of the first two records, the sound of JuJu is now deconstructed, reassembled and expanded, pushing hard against the boundaries of any possibilities. Gioele Valenti’s JuJu project is essentially a blend of his many influences and the six outstanding tracks here fully illustrate this, with contributions from American avant-garde composer and improviser Amy Denio and Goatman from Swedish “Whirled Music” titans Goat, Maps And Territory is the sound of a musician taking a journey deep into a hazy musical hinterland guided by instinct and imagination.

Mixing together groove heavy funk, moody Post Punk/New Wave textures, New Order’s shimmering, propulsive Synth Pop and avant-garde experimentation with the sounds explored on the previous records, Maps And Territory is the obvious next step for JuJu. Opening with the dense, guitar laden ‘Master And Servants’, the new LP segues seamlessly into where Our Mother Was A Plant concluded before taking a series of exhilarating sonic sharp turns along the way. It’s a wild ride as tribal beats are expertly melded with a European Post Punk sheen. There is some really excellent music here………..’Motherfucker Core’ is a metallic, pulsing, almost Industrial sounding, 80s mutant disco groove where Kraftwerk meets chugging guitars and throbbing bass while ‘I'm In Trance’, featuring Goatman, is a heavy Afro-Funk workout that echoes Goat at their shamanic best summoning spirits from down town Lagos. While the current Psych Rock scene is somewhat stagnant and samey, JuJu are continually evolving. Although always pushing forward, JuJu have not abandoned the core sound that has gained the band a growing fan base since the 2015 self titled debut album, however the sense of sonic exploration remains undiminished. The most striking development is the collaboration with Amy Denio……..bordering Jazz territories “Archontes Take Control” is JuJu heading into the strange and beautiful realm of improvised fusion music. At nearly 10 minutes long it’s an intense slow burning instrumental moving from an atmospheric opening, through a polyrhythmic middle section before gently fading into the ether and the perfect was to close this record. No doubt certain to be included in everyone’s end of year “best of” lists, this is one of 2019’s essential albums. You can check out Maps And Territory/stream selected tracks here……….

https://fuzzclub.bandcamp.com/album/maps-and-territory

Due for release on 31/05/2019 via the good folk at Fuzz Club on vinyl and CD, Maps And Territory will be available from all the best record shops, the usual online traders or from the Fuzz Club store.

THEE PSYCHEDELICATESSEN