Over several years, the pieces on The In Between grew out of loose sketches and sound fragments – an album that lives up to its title. For Lukas Adeolu Akintaya, who releases music under his second name Adeolu, moves here consistently in the in-between: between jazz and noise, composition and improvisation, past and future.
The Berlin-based drummer, composer and sound artist gives his music one thing above all: time. Nothing here is rushed. Instead, the pieces are allowed to grow carefully, to spread out and find their own form. The whole thing is carried by a palpable curiosity about the unexpected. The opener »Prayer for Freedom« already gathers many of the album’s particular qualities. Gentle jazz motifs meet free improvisation; floating saxophone lines encounter atmospheric dissonances. Again and again, voices and singing expand the soundscape, with the many featured guests appearing as part of a collective musical exchange.
The In Between is an album of transitions. It connects urban sound worlds with cultural memories and makes listening itself its subject. Despite its constant movement, nothing here feels restless. Rather, the impression emerges that Adeolu has found a place precisely in this in-between: a music that remains open, repeatedly unfolds anew and is nevertheless firmly connected to its roots.
The In Between
