December 10, 2021
London-based GRAMMY and MOBO nominated Jazztronica duo Blue Lab Beats have announced their long-awaited new album and full-length Blue Note Records debut Motherland Journey, out February 25. The announcement comes with the album’s title track featuring Ghanaian producer KillBeatz and vocals of the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.
An album that has quite literally been years in the making, Motherland Journey is the result of tireless days in the studio – a celebration of pushing boundaries, taking risks and overcoming adversity. What started as over 70 demos has since been meticulously whittled down to the 17-track iteration that remains. It is still Blue Lab Beats’ largest project to date, and the fact it is delivered via the legendary Blue Note imprint reiterates its importance.
The LP includes several previously released singles including “Labels,” a majestic sonic creation that combines Kofi Stone’s slick bars and Tiana Major9’s head-turning vocals with the smoothest of production. Further singles have come in the form of “Blow You Away (Delilah)” and “Sensual Loving,” both featuring the unmistakable vocals of Afrobeats prince Ghetto Boy, and “Dat It,” a potent combination of sly piano lines and funk-drenched synths courtesy of Stones Throw affiliate and Drake collaborator, Kiefer.
There are a host of star-studded collaborative tracks on Motherland Journey. Perhaps the most prominent is the title track, co-written in Accra, Ghana with Ghanaian production talent KillBeatz at 3am in the morning. It features the vocals of none other than that of the late Fela Kuti, with the estate of the Afrobeat pioneer giving BLB their blessing to release the song.
“Motherland Journey is an extremely special album to us,” Blue Lab Beats enthuse. “This album took us two-and-a-half years to finish, our longest process to make an album, but it was so worth it. On this album you’ll hear many fusions of genres and inspirations that we gathered throughout that time frame and especially to work on so many of the songs during the first lockdown it was a test in itself. We had to figure out so many different ways to achieve what we exactly wanted sonically and having Blue Note to help us achieve that was an absolute blessing. Many of the vocal features and instrumentalists on this album are great friends of ours and it’s just so amazing to have family on this album.”
