Since his death in 1988, Jean-Michel Basquiat has continued to influence many artists from all walks of life. We find him here at the heart of a compilation concocted by the exceptional London label The Vinyl Factory and the music platform Lonely Table. Untitled brings together seven collaborations inspired by Basquiat’s life and works. The seven tracks that mix jazz, hip-hop, dub, ambient, post-punk, no wave and soul are composed by Wu-Lu, Lex Amor, Ego Ella May, LayFullstop, Moroka, AJ Kwame, Lord Tusk, Roxanne Tataei, Kojey Radical, Shabaka Hutchings, Mala, Joe Armon-Jones, Nubya Garcia, =CoN+KwAkE=, Maxwell Owin and Coby Sey. Based on Basquiat’s retrospective at the Barbican in 2017, this project explores themes of identity, representation and inequality.
“We’re celebrating a legend who fought with his brushes and spoke with his work” said LayFullstop, a young rapper from Manchester and friend of IAMDDB. “The need for his work is still as current as ever. The issues we’re attacking are still as current as ever. So it’s only logical that Basquiat is and will continue to be as current as ever.” Basquiat tore up the rulebook and all the participants of Untitled follow suit. Whether they’re well-kept secrets from the current British underground scene or established stars such as saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia or keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, all the artists are on the same wavelength as they work to blend together various genres. This record is yet more proof that the contemporary English jazz and soul scene is alive and kicking. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz