THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC

LA-based producer-composer duo Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) have established themselves as modern custodians of vintage analogue soul, orchestral funk, and jazz. Following their self-titled 2018 debut as The Midnight Hour, the pair established Linear Labs and launched their catalog-defining boutique imprint, Jazz Is Dead. Known for using authentic mid-century tape decks, rare vintage gear, and live instrumentation, Younge and Muhammad merge hip-hop’s crate-digging heritage with sophisticated, multi-instrumental arrangements that seem lifted from yesteryear. Across 27 preceding releases, their label has preserved and reinvigorated legends like Marcos Valle, Roy Ayers, and Lonnie Liston Smith (to name only a few).

In 2020, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad were actively cutting the follow-up to The Midnight Hour when global shutdowns abruptly halted progress. The sessions were shelved as the duo channeled their focus into building Jazz Is Dead. Six years later, The Midnight Hour: Lost Tapes JID028 unearths nine preserved, rich recordings from those lost sessions.

The project presents a seamless blend of cinematic strings, deep bass grooves, and textured soul arrangements. Guest vocal performances from Sam Dew and long-time collaborator Loren Oden anchor highlights like "Til It All Falls Down" and "Harmony," while instrumental cuts like "Moreno" and "Donato's Run" highlight their warm, tape-saturated compositions. Free from modern digital polish, JID028 stands as a triumphant addition to the Jazz Is Dead catalog.