With Dayes on the drums and Misch on the electric guitar, the duo create a range of jazz, funk, and samba improvised grooves that showcase their undeniable chemistry. Released last year, their collaborative album ‘What Kinda Music’ was a masterful example of this chemistry. Combining electronica and acid jazz in a way that allowed both artists to bring something distinctive to the table, the album helped to fuel the fire of the ever-growing UK jazz scene.

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Whilst discussing the pair’s musical relationship in a press release, Misch said, “Yussef comes from a more experimental background, and he has a lot of loose, crazy ideas. I know how to write a catchy melody, but with interesting chords and I have a good understanding of popular song forms, so I think I streamlined those ideas and made them accessible.”

On a more personal note, Dayes then added, “Both our parents, who’d never met each other before, are now best friends as a result of this – they now see each other more than we do! I’d like to think, in some small way, that [‘What Kinda Music’] has a similar impact for people too – everything feels so divided these days, it would be nice for people to hear the record and hear two very different musicians coming together and realize it doesn’t have to be that way.” Indeed, although they come from two different musical worlds, the duo have undoubtedly found a harmonious middle ground.

Whilst Tom Misch has continuously featured in the UK charts over the past few years, Yussuf Dayes – despite being an integral part of London’s underground jazz scene throughout the 2010s – is less well known. ‘What Kinda Music’ was Dayes’ first record since the split of Yussef Kamaal in 2017, his musical project with Henry Wu a.k.a Kamaal Williams. Even more recently, he collaborated with Ben Howard on the singer-songwriter’s most recent album ‘Collections From The Whiteout’. As he has already done, the jazz experimentalist is poised to play a crucial role in the development of the genre in the UK.

London’s (especially South London’s) current jazz scene is vibrant and diverse, ranging from the afro-jazz of KOKOROKO to the electronica-jazz fusion of Moses Boyd. Tom Misch and Yussuf Dayes’ unique musical partnership sits perfectly within this contemporary scene.

Myself & @YussefDayes present the What Kinda Music listening party and YouTube Premiere of our album documentary – tomorrow from 7:00PM-9:00PM BST! RSVP here: https://t.co/8Ox7ApmaVt pic.twitter.com/4FyVyoIpyS

— Tom Misch (@TomMisch) April 23, 2020

The film captures the making of the album and tells the story of how Misch and Dayes met. This makes the film essential viewing for fans of either artist or people just wanting to learn more about the process of recording. 

Being a short 6 minutes, the film manages to fit a lot of information into the amount of time explaining that Misch had seen Dayes play drums at a school talent show when he was nine. I’m sure they would not have seen themselves making an album together all those years later. Watch the video below:

What Kinda Music was released yesterday and has so far split opinions with critics. While the musicality comes through and Misch and Dayes obviously compliment each other really well, some of the songwriting and structures does let the album down towards the second half. 

While it may have split opinion among critics, many fans have taken to the album and the new sound that Misch has taken. Though it might not look like we’ll get another collaborative album from the duo, as we have learnt so many times from music, we can never rule anything out.

What Kinda Music vinyls are here! Special deluxe edition with booklet, plectrum and heavyweight vinyl looking wavy ☄️ https://t.co/8d3Ihb8Gr6pic.twitter.com/AQOnlHk59F

— Tom Misch (@TomMisch) April 21, 2020

Set to be released on Friday, What Kinda Music is a joint effort with Yussef Dayes and it has more of a jazz orientation to Misch’s previous efforts. The most recent single, Nightrider,  features Freddie Gibbs (American rapper just coming off two very well received albums with production legend Madlib) and has a very mellow, laidback feel which no doubt will be a lot of people’s soundtrack of the summer. You can listen to the track below:

This jazz oriented style is a departure from his first album, which had a hip hop feel to it. Although this may not be something his fans are accustomed to, it is one they’ve welcomed with open arms.

Misch is seen as somewhat of a rising star in the music industry, first gaining notoriety by releasing music through the streaming service Soundcloud. 

His upcoming album will be his first since 2018’s Geography which featured rap legends De La Soul. Along with this he is also known for his collaborations with Loyle Carner. Given the two year wait for new material, his fans will be waiting with bated breath to see if it lives up to their expectations.

With positive announcements becoming evermore few and far between, Misch showing off his new album will bring excitement to his fans. The two years have seemed even longer, especially since we’ve been locked down, but if the singles are anything to go off I’m more than sure it’ll be worth the wait.