Blue Lab Beats

Blue Lab Beats — the London-based music duo of NK-OK (Namali Kwaten) and Mr DM (David Mrakpor) — have been making serious waves in the nouveau jazz scene. Their work blends jazz, soul, hip hop, and electronica, often in collaboration with some of the most interesting artists around.

It’s an intriguing partnership: Mr DM, a young and gifted multi-instrumentalist, and Namali, a producer with a sharp ear for rhythm, drum programming, and sound design. Their first EP, Blue Skies, was a gem that immediately turned heads, setting them on a winding yellow-brick road of invention and beauty. Along the way, they even picked up a Grammy nomination in 2022 for their production work on Angélique Kidjo’s Mother Nature — not bad going for two artists who started out jamming in London studios.

Tonight, they’re in Milan as part of the JazzMi festival — now in its tenth edition — which features a truly eclectic lineup. They’re playing at Santeria Toscana 31, a cosy little venue that fills with an enthusiastic, if rather smallish, crowd eager to welcome them.

From the start, there are sound issues — mainly on stage rather than out front, where everything seems fine. With NK-OK and Mr DM positioned at opposite sides of the stage, a revolving cast of musicians comes and goes on cue: drums, bass, trumpet, tenor sax, and vocals. All are talented, vibrant players, but the constant changeovers give things a slightly disjointed feel — as if a pot of heated milk never quite gets to its boiling point, never mind froth.

NK-OK, ever the optimist, smiles broadly, happy to be back in Milan — Italy, he reminds us, was the first European country to host a Blue Lab Beats gig at the very start of their journey. Mr DM, on the other hand, seems more subdued, perhaps preoccupied with the tech issues. He’s precise and skilful on guitar and keys, but not as visibly engaged. A well-defined working relationship is fine in the studio, but on stage I like to see more camaraderie — that brother-and-sister energy that lifts everyone a little higher.

Halfway through, disaster strikes: the power cuts out completely. The band are forced to leave the stage as the tech crew scramble to fix it. There’s always something faintly comic about watching people check plugs and switches, trying to look calm while inwardly panicking at the thought of the band’s wrath.

But Namali keeps the mood buoyant. He’s been smiling all night, and when the power returns, the band come back looser, lighter — as if freed from expectation. Maybe it’s that “we’ve got nothing left to lose” energy, familiar to anyone who’s ever played in a band and been in such circumstances. The second half flows more agreeably. Tracks like “Pineapple”, “Blue Skies”, and “Motherland Journey” are particularly well received by the warm, sympathetic crowd.

This “nouveau jazz,” for me at least, is all about the beats and hooks that let your mind drift while your body moves — almost trance-like — deep in a mellow, luxurious groove. That’s exactly what I felt in the latter part of the gig.

Blue Lab Beats play The Jazz Café in London in early November, and with more rehearsal time under their belt, I’ve no doubt their already-excellent musicianship will evolve into something even more unified and compelling. It was a pleasure seeing them live — but for now, it’s still their records I savour most