Brussels-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, and DJ Kuna Maze, aka Edouard Gilbert, returns with a new single, “Bristol Changes” – a jazz-infused track with a drum ’n’ bass essence. It’s the first taste of music since Kuna Maze’s debut album, Night Shift, a concept record built around the journey into the night that was praised by the likes of Groove, Four Heads, and Mo Ayoub (BBC Radio 1).
“Bristol Changes” title is a homage to both the mecca of drum ‘n’ bass (the West Country city of Bristol) and the ‘Coltrane Changes’, a complex chord progression explored by legendary saxophonist John Coltrane. Kuna Maze’s signature keyboard stabs and distorted dub siren become the foundation of the foreboding track. Saxophonist Hyungjin Lee goes total improv, soloing over the entire song with boundless energy as if a jazz standard, while drummer Victor Pascal collides over the top with a drum ‘n’ bass-inspired breakbeat rhythm.
“I was diving back into the Goldie album ‘Timeless’ when I composed this track, and I wanted to make a song that was a reference / an ode to 90s drum and bass but also still very much a ‘jazz’ track,” Edouard aka Kuna Maze explains.
LISTEN HERE About Kuna Maze
Kuna Maze is known for his releases alongside Lyon-based producer and long-time collaborator Nikitch. The duo released their debut and sophomore albums ‘Débuts’ and ‘Back & Forth’ via Tru Thoughts. Their second LP was made Worldwide FM’s Test Press Club Record and gained acclaim from Jamz Supernova, Mary Anne Hobbs (BBC 6Music) and Okayplayer. The album was followed by a Europe-wide tour with standout shows at Dour Festival, Ronnie Scott’s (London) and Le Botanique (Brussels).
Holding down previous residencies on Brussels’ essential radio platform, Kiosk Radio, and community music space Volta, Kuna Maze has firmly made Brussels his home, a metropolis with a flourishing and emulating jazz-electronic scene (home to Alia, Echt!, Le Motel, Lefto, Mika Oki). Constantly evolving and adapting his sounds, Kuna Maze has played alongside accomplished producers, such as Nosaj Thing, Flako, Lapalu and Machinedrum, while boasting releases on Cascade and Galant Records, as well as remixes and collaborations with the likes of Andreya Triana, Toshio Matsura, Blu Samu, Black Josh, Ødyssee, Katuchat, Woodwire, Winston McAnuff and more.
Kuna Maze has found a new home on the Brighton-staple Tru Thoughts, turning his hand to the resurgent sounds of jazz-infused broken beat, releasing two EPs, “My Fish Is Burning” and “Backward” as well as his debut album ‘Night Shift’ on the imprint. Kuna Maze’s music has garnered support from key tastemakers like Jamz Supernova, Gilles Peterson, Lefto, Tarsza, Nubya Garcia and many more, bringing his live shows and DJ sets to stages such as Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival, Les Nuits Sonores and Parisians finest Giant Steps.
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07/03/25, Ancienne Belgique, Brussels