StrangeFlow
I feel honored Greg! What an amazing album, great musicians and tasteful compositions! Much respect for bringing this beautiful jazz to life - love how the guitar glues it all together and how the melodies change between playful and serious and that unique flow you get when people play together in the same room. Keep it going and I shall keep listening for sure! Thank you so much!
Favorite track: Greatfields.
Ex-Friendly
"‘Perfect Strangers’ has rightfully been picking up rave reviews from across the board, it’s an incredible snapshot of four exceptional musicians just being present to each other as they explore Greg Sanders’ elegant compositions, taking them (and us) to immaculate moments of communion. This record is a great and timely reminder of what humans can achieve in a single room, together as one. 10/10." www.truthandliesmusic.com/magazine/lophae-lo-fi-perfect-strangers-self-release-a-reviewFavorite track: Negative Blues.
Philip Graham
Oh lord does this music swing! It probably helps that these four musicians seem to read minds. And while they're all equals, it does have a guitar-o-centric ring about it, though in a canny, understated way. The use of guitar reminds me of And Ud by I Just Came From the Moon, an excellent Danish jazz band.
𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝
Okay it's still early days, but this debut ranks among the year's strongest. An absolute must-listen from Sanders and crew!
Favorite track: Heddon Street.
Limited edition 12" vinyl Perfect Strangers LP.
Vinyl cut by Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Records.
Includes unlimited streaming of Perfect Strangers
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/96kHz.
ships out within 3 days
edition of 170
Purchasable with gift card
£21GBPor more
Cassette + Digital Album
High-quality cassette tape
Includes unlimited streaming of Perfect Strangers
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/96kHz.
ships out within 3 days
edition of 50
Purchasable with gift card
£10GBPor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Comes in 4-panel digipack CD case
Includes unlimited streaming of Perfect Strangers
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/96kHz.
ships out within 3 days
edition of 100
Purchasable with gift card
£10GBPor more
Streaming + Download
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
Download available in 24-bit/96kHz.
£8GBP or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Extremely limited edition (only 4 available in total!) test pressing of the Perfect Strangers LP, manufactured by the wonderful Sea Bass vinyl in Scotland. Dated 2nd November 2024.
Includes unlimited streaming of Perfect Strangers
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
“thrilling, fine-tuned jazz with subtle powers” - Backseat Mafia
“an incredibly intimate listening experience with tracks both beautifully composed and elegantly performed...an incredibly shiny new gem” - Imran Mirza, Blue In Green Radio
“a brilliantly realised record of globally-infused danceable jazz...an incredible snapshot of four exceptional musicians just being present to each other as they explore Greg Sanders’ elegant compositions, taking them (and us) to immaculate moments of communion. This record is a great and timely reminder of what humans can achieve in a single room, together as one. 10/10.” - Justin Turford, Truth And Lies
“Do yourself a huge favour and add this wonderful album to your collection: you will not regret it. Bravo to all involved: you’ve nailed it people. Unmissable and just beautiful.” - Cal Gibson, BanBanTonTon
There’s a specific thrill that record collectors feel: not while digging through crates for classics, but when intuition leads you to pick out something as-yet-unknown. You take it home, put it on the turntable, and are bathed in spectacular sounds that become new favourite sonic destinations. You have discovered rare and beautiful treasure.
On Lophae’s debut album Perfect Strangers, they carry out the performing equivalent of that crate digging: we are treated to world-class musical explorers searching for (and very much finding) sounds that both hit home with familiarity and bestow that thrill of discovery.
Don’t be fooled by the title: though it is their first time recording together in this particular line-up, these four are no strangers, neither to each other, nor to the singular art of sculpting sound through collective improvisation. Their enthusiasm for the process is palpable on every track, taking many forms and expressing many moods.
Guitarist and composer Greg Sanders – known for his work with Juanita Euka and Teotima – brings a unique aesthetic and an unmistakable feel to every musical setting he appears in. His writing and playing combine melodic elegance with rhythmic complexity, and provide a lush foundation for improvisation and dialogue. He also has a tried and tested talent for bringing together specific constellations of extraordinary musicians to interpret his original music.
To form Lophae (pronounced Lo-fi), Sanders calls on three of his favourites:
Drummer Ben Brown brings wide-reaching rhythm expertise, honed while performing with Ethio-Jazz legend Mulatu Astatke and leading his own group Waaju. Brown’s intricate playing propels the band with absolute confidence and fierce energy.
Bass player Tom Herbert is a mainstay of the UK jazz scene, known for his work with The Invisible, Polar Bear, London Brew and Acoustic Ladyland. Herbert is much in-demand for his unparalleled ability to ground any musical situation with his massive sound, beautiful tone, highly-tuned sensitivity and unceasing musical curiosity.
Saxophonist Sam Rapley possesses a lyrical flair and a relaxed mastery of his instrument in the vein of tenor giants such as Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins. Rapley weaves seamlessly between textural and melodic roles with understated skill and grace.
“They’re all amazing and versatile musicians,” says Sanders. “Some of this music is quite unusual to play, and I know these three can all make difficult material sound really relaxed, swinging and melodic. I liked the idea of a quartet where each player has a beautiful and immediately recognisable sound, and how the combination of those creates a really strong band identity. They are also incredibly sensitive and instinctively serve the bigger picture. I love listening to whatever they’re playing, so having them interpret my compositions is a dream.”
The album was recorded live at the Fish Factory studio in London, straight to 16-track, 2-inch analogue tape, with Benedic Lamdin (Nostalgia 77) engineering. “It was really important for me to have us all in the same room, so we could interact on a very detailed level, using all of our senses to communicate musically,” says Sanders. “I think there’s a level of ‘in-sync’-ness that you can only achieve when people can pick up on the micro movements that communicate intention: how loud someone is about to hit a cymbal; how far ahead of the beat someone is playing something on purpose; or whether someone wants to stay on the same section or move on to the next.”
The sonic landscape of this record is rich and often belies the small group size. “I used a lot of pedals with the guitar to create washy, floaty loops using just a couple of notes that would give a sense of ambience and atmosphere without pinning us down harmonically,” says Sanders. “And recording to tape gives a certain sound that I really love.”
The strength of the melodies on Perfect Strangers is indicative of Sanders’s intention to move away from the ‘performance piece’ realm of much of his previous work in favour of exploring the ‘songs’ end of the compositional spectrum: “I wanted to write tunes that could stand up 70 years later (like the Great American Songbook standards), be read off one A4 sheet by any musician anywhere, and be received and understood. I love music that is melodic without sacrificing groove, groovy without sacrificing sensitivity, harmonically rich without sacrificing melody or groove, floaty and ethereal without sacrificing intention and directness. I also love Ben, Tom and Sam’s playing on ‘classic’ repertoire, so I liked the idea of hearing them interpret my take on ‘standard’-style compositions.”
The opening track ‘Fallout’ pairs the busy rush of the underlying drums with a laid back melody and easy flowing harmony, creating that juxtaposition between motion and stillness that is one of Sanders’s compositional signatures. Weaving together modern jazz harmony reminiscent of Brad Mehldau, bluesy references, hints of the Frevo dance style of Recife, Brasil, and West-African Mande guitar vibes, 'Fallout' is a favourable omen of what's to come.
On ‘Perfect Strangers’, melody and harmony dance in and out of a rich, complex groove. Overlapping solos and an acrobatic chromaticism give a sense of untethered propulsion. Sanders’s title plays with double meaning, evoking “how we often see someone at the beginning of a romantic relationship: as a perfect (flawless) stranger. This song also explores ambiguity, blurring boundaries between improvisation and composition, and the constant shifting between key centres gives it a slightly uncanny feeling - like when we know intellectually that a new love interest is not actually flawless, but some part of us wants to believe otherwise.”
‘Family Tree’ evokes the classic sound of perhaps Sanders’s best-known prior project, Teotima. The chorused-out yet punchy sound of the guitar solo is a powerful vehicle for him to express his take on the moment, through beautiful assemblies of both linear and angular motion, with stop-offs in textural territory. The melody is thickened and enriched by a cameo from flying ace Cuban trumpeter Yelfris Valdés, harkening back to the classic Blue Note jazz catalogue.
Few songs succeed in sounding like they have always existed, while at once being a world unto themselves. ‘Greatfields’ inhabits that sweet spot, fresh with a playful spirit of creation, yet built on timeless melody and harmony. Dare yourself not to dance to this groove at peril of an ankle *twisting itself* out of sheer refusal to sit still.
From its first moments, Perfect Strangers delivers compelling, danceable grooves, yet it is a record that will reward multiple listens and deep engagement. The inflections you hear will depend on the music you know and love, but this record is full of moments that will resonate, creating that feeling that you have indeed discovered rare and beautiful treasure.
Healthwise, bringing this album to life presented a challenge to Sanders, who has the energy-limiting chronic illness ME/CFS. “The demands of this project caused massive crashes and periods of days or sometimes weeks where I needed constant rest. But if you have an idea for something that you can see existing in the world, ignoring it is sometimes impossible. I had wanted to do a small-ensemble project playing my compositions with these musicians for years, so it is extremely gratifying to have this music recorded, released, out there and available forever!”
- Greg Gottlieb, September 2024
credits
released January 24, 2025
Greg Sanders - Guitar
Ben Brown - Drums
Tom Herbert - Bass
Sam Rapley - Tenor Sax
and Yelfris Valdés - Trumpet on 'Family Tree'
Engineered & recorded by Benedic Lamdin
Recorded to 16-track 2" analogue tape.
Produced by Greg Sanders
Mixed by Benedic Lamdin & Greg Sanders
Mastered by Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Records
Additional engineering by Luke Harvery & Ellis Stagg-Neal
Recorded at the Fish Factory, London, September & October 2023
All underlying compositions by Greg Sanders, featuring improvisation, arrangement & further composition from Ben Brown, Tom Herbert & Sam Rapley
This is the debut album from Fabio De Oliveira / Babo Moreno, one of my oldest friends and longest collaborators!
An incredible drummer, percussionist, composer & arranger, a lush 70s-vibe album! Lophae ("lo-fi")
Josi is another very old friend and musical collaborator, and he's just released his absolutely stunning debut solo album. Gorgeous songs & production, A highly-polished jewel! Lophae ("lo-fi")
Holly Holden's incredible third album 'al andar' is her first to be produced by Lophae leader Greg Sanders!
Featuring a stellar cast of London's finest Latin-American musicians, it's a rich tapestry! Lophae ("lo-fi")
supported by 36 fans who also own “Perfect Strangers”
Even at 80 years old, Pharoah Sanders played his tenor sax with the conviction of a gospel preacher. Every second of this album is arrestingly beautiful. As far as I'm concerned, this is essential listening for anyone who considers themselves a fan of music. 3sidesinasquare
