Vertaal
“You need to go hunt this down. They’re making incredible music!” Tony Minvielle – Jazz FM A shared love of groove, nu-jazz, and artists as diverse as, Bonobo, Yussef Kamaal and Badbadnotgood bonded session drummer Ajit Gill and keyboard player Theo Howarth when they met as teens in their hometown in Hertfordshire. The resulting burst of shared musical ideas traversing spiritual nu-jazz, Dilla-inspired hip-hop, broken beat and neo-soul, gave birth to Vertaal, the duo developing a passion for the freedom and raw expression of the music. As a youngster living in the capital, Ajit was exposed to the contrasting musical worlds of East-Coast hip hop, d‘n’b and rave culture mixed with traditional music from his family’s Indian heritage. A fascination for complex rhythms and patterns developed, defining the unique style and beats he weaves into Vertaal’s sound. Touring with an iconic disco band, Theo was mentored in live sound from a young age, meeting various artists and producers which led to work in various studios whilst pursuing his own sound. Early Portico Quartet and Bonobo inspired a electronic project Triplet Code in which he developed a passion for writing and producing, developing a unique sonic footprint and the formation of Vertaal. Their day-jobs (both are producers, Theo is also a sound engineer and Ajit, a session drummer), have meant they are able to combine their skills to fashion an ever-shifting musical journey
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“…an incredibly produced record” DJ Karl Bos (Deeper Cuts on Mixcloud) ”Ones to watch” - Jazz Re:freshed ”The pair’s improvised shows often see guest players stepping up and helping them push their original compositions into a variety of exciting, different shapes.” – ICMP “Definitely ones to watch!” Amazing Radio https://amazingradio.com/home/review-come-on-babe-why-dont-we-paint-the-town-and-all-that-jazz-2018 ”I'm actually lost for words! Polar is a phenomenal track!” - Gordon Wedderburn
