NEEB drops debut LP ‘Take To The Sky’

For more than twenty years, NEEB have been persistently exploring the fringes of electronic and jazz-infused music. The collective first made their mark by pairing live instrumentation with the experimental textures of electronica, dub and techno, resulting in a sound both cerebral and deeply groove-focused. Originally formed as a trio, the band brought together the talents of Mark Hand on Rhodes piano and synths, Mark Lloyd on drums and Tony Waite handling bass and production.

Together, they crafted a highly original blend of rhythm and texture that found them playing alongside the likes of Zion Train, Pee-Wee Ellis, The Egg, Gong and Alabama 3, as well as playing major festivals such as Glastonbury, Solfest and Free Rotation. Their catalogue, downloaded tens of thousands of times around the world, reflects a group with a knack for taking artistic risks. Every release has broken down borders between genres, between the organic and the synthetic, between improvisation and structure.

After a four-year hiatus, NEEB returned renewed and reimagined, introducing a fourth member who’s transformed the group’s sound. Vocalist Jasmine Weatherill, originally brought in as a guest, quickly became an essential creative element within the collective. Her soulful voice and emotive lyricism have added an entirely new context to NEEB’s sonic landscape and where their earlier work often leaned into instrumental exploration, the addition of Jasmine has given the band a new focal point; emotion as the framework for experimentation.

That synergy reaches its fullest expression on Take To The Sky, NEEB’s long-awaited debut full-length record. Featuring eight genre-fluid tracks that glide between soul, jazz and ambient funk, the album captures a band in full command of their sound while still chasing the thrill of discovery. Recorded at their own Mobeus Studio, the record finds the group balancing Jasmine’s lyrical storytelling and alluring vocal presence with warm keyboard work, jazz-inflected percussion and forward-thinking production.

Opened by title track “Take To The Sky,” the dreamy combination of soft key tones and transportive found sound samples gently expands with the taps of cymbal and twinkling instrumental tones, before the arrangement locks into a mellow groove of shuffling rhythms and silky vocalisations. Gradually blossoming with elegant vocal leads and bright instrumentation, it’s a stunning display of the band’s transportive sound and musicianship flair.

“The Way I Do,” follows with delicate instrumental textures and graceful vocals before locking into a laid back energy of blissful melodic flickers and colourful synth flashes, crafting a misty jazz pop soundscape that’s impossible not to love. “Cave of Hands” gradually comes into focus with shimmering tones and drifting textures before the pulse of drums sets the track in motion, taking listeners on a mesmeric sonic voyage that rolls with catchy vocal lines and intricate rise and fall.

Other highlights on the album include songs like “All Caught Up” with its bouncy groove of rustling drums and slick bass lines, serving up a pop-focused jam that’s infectious, unique and truly engaging all at once. “Wasted” floats into an absorbing scene of warm instrumental layers, slowly shifting with downtempo rhythms and impassioned vocal performance, offering a spectacular slice of the band’s superb musical vision.

Closing the record with “Brighter Day,” smooth keys are met with the uptempo punch of drums and smooth vocal lines, progressing with hazy processing and playful songwriting to deliver an epic finale to NEEB’s incredible debut LP. From start to finish, Take To The Sky sees NEEB present their full reinvention via a record born of experience but fuelled by curiosity, guided by the interplay of human warmth and electronic edge. In blending their past with an exciting new present, NEEB confirm their status as one of the most enduring artists whose sound is in constant motion.

Listen to Take To The Sky below