«Let’s say, we’re just vibing here, with no pressure at all»: the core message of District Five’s new release «Pause» is clear and at the same time open. Which suits the new music. Produced entirely on their own, the quartet from Zurich recorded seven one-takes. All of them were created during band rehearsals and in the spirit of the jam.

In contrast to or last album «Burnt Sugar», «Pause» is a DIY album completely. Less studio production rigor, more of unrestricted band-practice-roo-atmosphere.

District Five

Despite the palatable term «jam», the record doesn’t sound like psychedelic rampant escapades. On the contrary: Some songs sound like well-developed hip-hop beats à la Wu-Tang Clan, De La Soul or The Roots. Other Tracks feature dub, afro, post punk, free jazz and even spoken word influences, reaching from Kae Tempest and Moor Mother as well as TV On The Radio to Carol Bruce or Fred Moten. Influences that yet again emphasize District Five’s masterful genre-bending. What all Tracks have in common is a heavy, impressive trance-energy: beats, patterns and melodies are being played mantra like, what makes the compositions appear like tremendously colorful paintings. Production also plays a part in this: sometimes the pieces sound as if they were recorded in a huge hall, other times they seem dry and mixed like a soundtrack. This variety is also reflected thematically.