'The Loop' is the new LP by Los Angeles based polymath Shafiq Husayn, an epic project which saw its inception in 2012 through a series of studio sessions at Shafiq's home, including collaborations with the likes of Thundercat, Erykah Badu, Flying Lotus, Bilal and Anderson Paak. Amongst a close knit circle of friends and family the golden tones of The Loopwere created, deeply rooted in ideas of song, story, history, guidance and spirituality. The album bumps, jumps and jangles through progressions in jazz, hip hop, soul and funk, following on from his debut album 'Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka' and adding further to his rich history of timeless, unique music. On The Loop past, present and future are brought together through a psychedelic concoction of time traveling drum machines, celestial string sections and trails of synthesizer vapour. Inflections of Sly Stone, Pharaoh Sanders and Earth Wind And Fire traverse with Marley Marl and Dilla-esqe drums making for an organic yet LA-trifying experience.
Shafiq has brought together an impressive array of LA's musical royalty, enlisting the likes of Thundercat, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Kamasi Washington, Chris 'Daddy' Dave, Eric Rico, Coultrain, Computer Jay, Jimetta Rose, Om'Mas Keith, Kelsey Gonzalez, I-Ced and more to provide the backbone to his recording sessions. Drawing in features from an international cast of performers and artists like Erykah Badu, Robert Glasper, Hiatus Kaiyote, Fatima and Karen Beamongst others. Now complete and finally ready for release in 2019 The Loop is truly something to behold. The records is accompanied by a series of paintings by acclaimed Japanese visual artist Tokio Aoyama, who worked in tandem with Shafiq to create a painting for each song on the record.
Tracklist:
1. The Flood
2. May I Assume feat. Jimetta Rose & Fatima
3. My-Story Of Love / Starring You
4. DMT (The Whill)
5. Between Us 2 feat. Bilal
6. Mrs Crabtree feat. Erykah Badu, N’Dambe & Aset SoSavvy
7. On Our Way Home feat. Fatima & Jimetta Rose
8. Walking Round Town prod. Flying Lotus
9. Cycles feat. Hiatus Kaiyote
10. Message In A Bottle feat. Coultrain
11. Its Better For You feat. Anderson Paak
12. Show Me How You Feel feat. Karen Be
13. Hours Away feat Om’Mas Keith & Coultrain
14. Twelve feat. The Dove Society
15. Picking Flowers feat. El Sadiq
16. Optimystical feat. Robert Glasper
17. New Worlds Over