Lord Echo Molten Lava (Ft. Leila Adu)

Most people associate New Zealand with pristine scenery and hairy fruit. There is a thriving music scene if you look just a bit further. Brooklyn boutique label Bastard Jazz is exploring that through their release of Curiosities, an album by musician/DJ Mike Fabolous, aka Lord Echo.

Grounded in the soul and feel of yesteryear but pushed forward by the pull of tomorrow, Curiosities presents a satisfying blend of spices. The B-side to the first single is "Molten Lava," a tune that pairs Lord Echo's dancefloor-ready grooves with the earnest vocals of Leila Adu. According to SoundCloud:

"The finely-tuned collaborations throughout Curiosities underscore Lord Echo's pivotal position in the thriving New Zealand music scene. "I generally only work with people I know quite well personally", says Echo humbly. That personal and organic approach to creating his music is revealed as the album unfolds, layer by delectable layer. "I made this record primarily with DJs in mind," he continues. "They are generally people who really love music and are often obsessed with various aspects of it. I'm not making music for people for whom it's just some background noise in their lives, I'm making music for people for whom it IS their lives. And for better or worse, I guess I am one of those people."

A diverse, yet grounded LP chock full of head-turning sounds, Curiosities further pushes Lord Echo's repertoire into the realm of the inimitable, and is sure to pique the interest of discerning music lovers from down-under to the big apple."