Neue Grafik – Rachael

Neue Grafik has been part of a fertile contemporary scene that plays around with house, jazz and hip hop for over a decade. He’s dropped easy-to-love works that sat comfortably on labels like Rhythm Section and 22a, but his first album proper suggests that, until now, he’s just been dabbling.

2024’s ‘Dalston tape Vol 1’ mixtape, for example, was earthy, dusty and rooted in the grit of the New York streets that birthed hip-hop and the hustle and bustle of London’s broken beat scene. Its short, sketchy tracks offered an all-too-brief glimpse into an artist beginning to master double bass and keys alongside his already well-formed skills on an MPC. Listen back now, it’s clear that was the prep study, and ‘Rachael’ is the chef-d’œuvre — a year-long project that goes beyond quick flexes into a full rewire of his sound. Jazz, hip-hop and house remain at the core, but they’re only the starting points for longer studies which spin out into astral acid, neo-soul slow-burners and cosmic instrumental interplays, with spellbinding effect.

‘Rachael’, inspired by the Blade Runner character of the same name, opens with classical strings and a cinematic double bass that seem to state that this is not a background album for stoned afternoons or sunny BBQs. The music is too vivid, spiritually charged and profound for that. ‘Narcissus 909’ is a one-take odyssey driven by a dubby shuffle and pixel-thin synths that conjure infinite depth. ‘Childhood Memories – ADM’ drifts inward and stirs emotional currents both happy and sad. ‘Bold’ is a contrast of light and dark, Jerome Thomas’ angelic vocal floating over Brown Sugar-style beats, while ‘1200 Prophecy’ is Larry Heard meets Ron Trent in Sochi Terada’s studio. ‘Rachael’ is a defining statement from an artist who has truly come of age.