Sons of Kemet's fourth album is a politically charged, polyrhythmic jazz statement that marries Caribbean rhythms, free improvisation, and hip-hop urgency. The low-end is punishing—tuba and double drums lock in a groove that demands to be felt, not just heard. Essential for anyone who thinks modern jazz lacks bite.
The first sound on Black to the Future is not a melody. It’s a rumble—tubist Theon Cross pressing air through brass until the room shakes, then the twin drummers Tom Skinner and Eddie Hick drop in with a clave pattern that feels like a heartbeat under pressure. Shabaka Hutchings waits a full minute before his tenor sax enters, and when it does, it sounds like a man speaking through clenched teeth. This is music built from the ground up, and the ground is moving.
Recorded at Fish Market Studios in London during 2020, the album was produced by Hutchings himself. The engineer, Neil Collard, captured the quartet live in the room with minimal overdubs—there’s no hiding in a band with two drummers and no chordal instrument. The result is an album that breathes like a single organism, every cymbal wash and tuba exhale locked into a conversation that leaves no dead air.
The political intent is unmissable, starting with the title. Black to the Future takes its name from a phrase by the artist and activist Stanley Nelson, but the band makes it their own. Tracks like “Pick Up Your Burning Cross” and “Field Negus” don’t just nod to Black struggle; they sound like the soundtrack to a protest march. The polyrhythms stack and shift, and Hutchings’ soprano sax lines float above like a banner. It’s not comfortable listening. It’s not supposed to be.
The low end is the engine. Cross’s tuba holds down bass lines that would make an electric bassist jealous—listen to the opening of “Let the Dead Bury the Dead” and feel it in your chest. On vinyl, this album transforms. The grooves are cut deep, and a good system will reproduce that subsonic push with terrifying clarity. The drums snap, the brass bites, and the space between the instruments is wide enough to walk through.
This is the album that finally got Sons of Kemet the attention they deserved, and it’s easy to hear why. It’s their most focused, most urgent statement. The guest features are minimal—a spoken word appearance by Joshua Idehen on “Throughout the Madness” is the only outside voice—but the quartet has enough to say on its own.
What sticks is the feeling of controlled chaos. The two drummers lock into patterns that loop and fracture, and just when you think you have the pulse, they pivot. Hutchings’ solos are brief and cutting—he doesn’t waste notes. And Cross’s tuba work is a marvel: melodic, percussive, and capable of carrying both the harmony and the groove at once. This is a band that knows exactly what it’s doing, and what it’s doing is making a record that demands to be heard on a system that can handle weight.
The closing track, “To Never Forget the Source,” ends with a slowly decaying cymbal roll and the sound of Cross’s breath pulling through his mouthpiece. It’s both an ending and a promise. The future they’re talking about doesn’t arrive at a fadeout. It builds.
What instruments are in Sons of Kemet?
The quartet is saxophone (Shabaka Hutchings), tuba (Theon Cross), and two drummers (Tom Skinner and Eddie Hick). No guitar, piano, or bass — the tuba handles both the bass lines and the harmonic foundation.
Is Black to the Futuresuitable for casual listening or more challenging?
It's accessible but demanding. The grooves are infectious and the melodies sing, but the constant rhythmic shifts and lack of chordal harmony require active listening. Great for a late-night session, not background music.
Why does the vinyl version sound so different from streaming?
The cutting engineer applied a high-frequency roll-off to prevent groove distortion from the loud, low-end heavy master. On a good turntable setup, the vinyl press has more physical weight and a wider soundstage than the digital release.