feature photo: Mikel Patrick Avery
The last time the experimental jazz pair Chicago Underground Duo had released new music was Locus, more than eleven years ago. The world has changed a whole lot since then but sometimes, things come back around. Chicago-based post-rock kings Tortoise recently announced their first album since The Catastrophist in 2016, and now their Windy City vanguard peers likewise chose this year to make a comeback.
This new set of songs Hyperglyph is coming forth August 15, 2025 from International Anthem Recording Co., re-uniting cornetist Rob Mazurek with percussionist Chad Taylor to continue a collaboration that goes back before they formed their Duo in the mid 90s. The advance single just out from International Anthem suggests they hadn’t missed a beat.
“Click Song” (video above) is something that could only come from Mazurek and Taylor. Their awareness of music forms from around the world is remarkable and so is their organic integration of electronic sounds. But when they’re up for it, they can also come up with eminently hummable melodies, and this one sounds akin to a Chinese folk song, blasted through Mazurek’s cornet. Behind him is a pulsing synth bass and distinctive African percussive clatter that Taylor promises on this album to “utilize rhythms from Nigeria, Mali, Zimbabwe and Ghana.”
A colorful clash of cultures makes “Click Song” just the kind of track you’d hope and expect from the Chicago Underground Duo.
Stream/purchase the advance single “Click Song’ now from here. Preorder Hyperglyph from Bandcamp.
*** Chicago Underground Duo CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
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