recording of the week : Ill Considered - Precipice

By the time they had signed to the New Soil label in 2020, Ill Considered already had nine self-released LPs in the bag: studio recordings, live bootlegs and even a Christmas album, all of which sold out in their original vinyl-only run. This astonishing fact is made all the more impressive when you consider they only got their start together three years earlier. Comprised of bassist Leon Brichard, saxophonist Idris Rahman and producer/mixer/drummer Emre Ramazanoglu, it’s clear this trio haven’t been wasting their time. 

One of the most prominent names on the British scene today, the group’s music is characterised by poignant melodies and a deep understanding of groove that range from whispered chants to monstrous climaxes. In a live context, Ill Considered react to the mood of their audience, fusing the dynamism of the new British jazz scene with an improvised punkier sound to create unique music that fits the moment and is impossible to label. Just take a listen to their live offerings (routinely laid down at Total Refreshment Centre, the spiritual heart of London's recent jazz activity in recent years) to give a hint of the breakneck speed at which they operate. The first jam they ever recorded was then mixed and mastered in the same 24 hours before becoming the group’s first album. Ferociously energetic and relentlessly productive, Ill Considered tear through their spontaneous yet fully-formed repertoire in single-take sessions, with each displaying a unique versatility and sense of invention.

The band is driven by the desire to move the audience by taking them on a powerful and wonderful journey. As saxophonist Idris Rahman explains: “We try to express our emotions as much as possible and make the resulting music coherent and cathartic for all listeners who wish to join us.” And join them we did upon the release of Liminal Space in 2021, which came as something of a breakthrough for London’s best-kept secret who, up until that point, had retained a cult-like following. With special guests on that album including Tamar Osborn, Sarathy Korwar and Theon Cross, the evident scope of the group’s influence leaves little to the imagination.

At the cutting edge of contemporary UK improvised music, their voice is completely based on creating compositions in the moment, and this ethos holds true on Precipice. The dynamic jams on display here host a range of influences from electronic D'n'B to afrobeat and spiritual jazz, but always manage to encompass an unmistakable element of funk & beat. It's their laconic approach to music-making, in that everything you hear is settled on in the take without any prior discussion of where the music is headed, that renders these recordings so hot to touch. Piercing but never shrill, Rahman's unfurling sax tones call to mind the unbridled energy of Binker & Moses. Together, the compact rhythm section of Brichard and Ramazanoglu reveals the semblance of smoothness, all the while maintaining its jagged exterior. This is all tied together by the group's secret weapon, an undeniable sense of their Milesian voodoo sorcery at play.