Essentials: Mala ‘Kotos’

Dub veteran Mala’s last release was the product of an extended trip to Cuba. ‘Mala in Cuba’ was tipped as a tour de force when it was released in 2012 and came in response to a dare from Gilles Peterson, who challenged him to introduce his eerie realm of dubstep to the latin jazz and rumba flavours of Havana.

Mala’s thirst for adventure is still in tact as this year he takes his monolithic basslines deep into Peruvian territory. Mirrors LP, to be released by Brownswood Recordings on June 10th is an album inspired by recent journeys to Peru. It features collaborations with Afro-Peruvian band Colectivo Palenke, iconic soprano Sylvia Falcon and Asociación Juvenil Puno; Sikuri (traditional Andean music) collective who join Mala on this opening track ‘Kotos’. Enter the panpipe dub…