Orelha Negra Essentials

Portuguese supergroup Orelha Negra's members come together with a surprisingly fluid sound despite delving into a range of genres on their own. João Gomes, Francisco Rebelo, Fred, Sam The Kid and DJ Cruzfader fuse jazz instrumentals, rap and hip-hop beats to create a blend of trip-hop and R&B, adding a timeless edge by layering on old-school samples of classic soul. They hover somewhere between brooding intensity and soothing familiarity: a captivating collision of the past and present where nostalgia-inducing guitar licks mix with modern turntable scratching and deep, dark bass lines.