Takuya Kuroda: Moody

Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda blends jazz and Afro-funk on “Moody,” a single from his sixth album, Fly Moon Die Soon. The album, out now via First Word Records, proves to be Kuroda’s most experimental. Within, he references and employs a bevy of compositions and styles: Fela Kuti’s funk, Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me a Bedtime Story,” the Ohio Players’ “Sweet Sticky Thing,” and Thundercat’s riffs. “Moody” …

Eli Fola: Midnight Fall

Nigeria-born, NYC-based artist Eli Fola champions Yoruba Tech Soul—a genre that fuses “traditional Nigerian sounds, electronic, jazz, house and classical music”—through his self-produced music, saxophone performances, DJ sets and beyond. Most recently, he dropped Soundscape To Freedom, a five-track EP that comprises “soundscapes for a Black person living in America,” he explains. A groovy, hypnotic single, “Midnight Fall” embodies all of the aforementioned influences. Steady …

James Thornhill’s Free Zine Celebrates 40 Years of the Casio Keyboard

Music journalist James Thornhill has created a 20-page zine in celebration of the iconic Casio keyboard for its 40th anniversary. Printed in partnership with the instrument company, all 1,000 copies of the zine are free to claim for UK residents today. Once all are accounted for, they’ll be posted. Inside the publication, Thornhill spotlights vintage ads, details how each model was designed and highlights its …