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Review on «Nagamag»
Our first review in russian:
Шикарная джазовая музыка в очень минималистичном, но при этом выразительном коктейле из приглушённого света, блеклых лучах прожекторов и дыхания живого оркестра. Чистое наслаждение в мелодичном антураже шикарной музыки.
«Gorgeous jazz music in a very minimalist yet expressive cocktail of dim lights, faded spotlights and the breath of a live orchestra. A pure pleasure in a melodic ambience of chic music.» (Automatically translated with Deepl)
The title track «Lazy Day» is composed by bass player Jean-Pierre Schaller, a smoothly rolling theme which evolves smoothly thoughout the whole piece passing a dialogue like solo by bass and trumpet and culminating towards the end in looping cascades over the main theme.
Review on «The other side review»
Wolkenpark has teamed up with Rootwords for their grooving single ‘Move on for Real’. Packed with the big band sound of Wolkenpark, the deep lyrics written by Rootwords perfectly fit the feel of the instrumentation while getting you thinking. The single combines the best of what the band has to offer with the depths of Rootwords’ spoken-word rap.
Drawing on the fusion sound of the band, the single continues their infectious combination of funk, chillwave, ambient and jazz tones while adding a flair of something new with the featured vocals. The band’s sound has been honed over the years since Kriz Flew (trumpet, electronic) and composer Mehdi Khansari started as a duo. After Khansari retired from live performances, the band turned into a quartet with the addition of Jean-Pierre Schaller (electric bass), Andy Brugger (drums) and Julien Boss (piano, keyboard).
‘Move on for Real’ slowly rises from silence with a slight ambient tone that leads you into some rapid jazz beats. The interplay between the drums and the ambient tones is wonderful and creates this great space for the trumpet to make an appearance. The drumming is really amazing as it shuffles and tumbles through the melody bringing a slightly groovy vibe. The trumpet has you swaying to its flow as it speaks out over the drums. As the single progresses, there are other instrumental elements that sneak between the drums, trumpet and ambient tones. This adds a fantastic texture to the single while retaining a rather chilled vibe. There is an infectious energy to the melody that bubbles through your veins as the keys murmur and lead you to a big band blast of horns. This is a melody that really showcases the infectious vibes of Wolkenpark and the masterful way they combine organic instruments and electronic tones.
While the melody catches you in its fusion flow, Rootwords’ vocals infuse a new depth into the single. His spoken-word rap brings a political hip-hop touch to the track while strangely complementing the melodic movement of the music. After the lead-up of the band, his performance changes the vibe of the track in the best possible way. The lyrics of his rap have you searching for something to fill the void in your life while considering the world around you. His performance is wonderfully smooth and it is this smoothness that effortlessly draws you into the consciousness of his words.
After teaming up with Rootwords, Wolkenpark combines spoken-word rap with their fusion big band sound for the thought-provoking yet highly infectious single ‘Move on for Real’. The interplay between the jazzy vibes of the melody and the spoken-word rap brings a unique texture to the single that makes it highly enjoyable. The artists have taken the best elements of their sounds and fused them perfectly.
Review of «Move on for Real» on Info Music
Grâce à une énergie contagieuse qui vous happe dès les premières mesures, le groupe suisses s’impose avec une facilité déconcertante. Il délivre un Jazz alternatif qui ne vous laissera pas de marbre, vous donnera un coup de boost et habillera votre visage d’un beau sourire tant “Move On for real ” est addictif.
La production est de qualité, la réalisation aussi, tout y est au top pour laisser la place à l’expression de celui qui fait une belle entrée dans notre rubrique musicale. Sans plus attendre, découvrez l’univers de Wolkenpark!»
Review on KIMU
A trumpet becomes the main protagonist of the composition, as we experience psychedelic detailing on the opus, which lends itself to ambient and funky acid-jazz frequency.
Lazy Day has a cinematic feel, which would fit cohesively into a 90s movie. We appreciate the dimensional soundscape that the foursome have created, and the cosmic nuances which add energy to the piece.
Coming from a jazz background, three of the four artists being teachers at Swiss jazz schools, Wolkenpark feature a fusion of self-described “nasty grooves” and synthesized sounds. The trumpet is performed by Kriz «Flew» Flueler, rhodes by Julien Boss, electric bass by Jean-Pierre Schaller (who also composed the track) and drums by Andy Brugger. The foursome cite Glasper, Zawinul, Miles and Goldie as influences, although it is clear that they are creating a universe of their own.
Next up is Standing Back, which takes on a more sultry energy, which has us feeling meditative as the band takes us on a more intimate journey, once again with emotive trumpet performed by Kriz «Flew» Flueler, who was the composer for this opus.
We learn that both compositions are live recordings, taking two to four takes for each track, which has us imaging how epic Wolkenpark would be to experience live. The studio versions are amplified by Kriz who played additional trumpets, flugelhorns, valve trombones and even a tuba to further dimensionalize the tracks.
We have added both songs to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we await an album from Wolkenpark, which is due out in September 2022.»
