PRESS
 Unifying the psychedelic from WestAfrican rock with slinky Ethiopian jazz, emboldened with an improvisationalvibration, Sandman Project are set to unleash their debut 5 track EP.Consisting of just four band members on guitar, trumpet, bass and drums, thevinyl and digital EP package arrives on October 26th through Londonbased Batov Records. Tal Sandmanis the guitarist and leader of the group based in the Arabic district of TelAviv, Jaffa.  With a name drawn from herdeep connection to the earth's elements, the group's sound is purelyinstrumental and at times evokes the early pioneering spirits of Ethiopian jazzwith swirling trumpets climbing up and down the moody Arabic scales. TheAfrican continent is a constant reference within Sandman's repertoire and Talcites legendary greats such as Hamza El Din, Ebo Taylor and Babatunde Otalunjias key influencers. But it's the presence and admiration of artists closer tohome that surely tells the bigger picture, namely the saxophonist AbatteBarihun, an Ethiopian Jew who emigrated to Israel in 1999. Sometimesreferred to as the Ethiopian John Coltrane, Abatte is one of 150,000 EthiopianJews living in Israel. Tal's connection with Abatte was a game-changer. Playingin his ensembles and enjoying a stewardship and intimacy of relationship developedthrough creating and working together, Tal's dedication to unearthing the rootsof Ethiopian music with Abatte also opened up her to new styles of playingguitar from across Africa. Furtherevidence of the spanning creative influence of Ethiopians living in Israelinclude the international popularity of Gili Yalo & Ester Rada, the former currently on tour in theStates. However, since the organised migration from Ethiopia to Israel began inthe '70s, there have been hostitlies in Israel and Gili Yalo recently spoken upabout the distrust and violence he encountered growing up there. Against thisand the backdrop of the Arab/Israeli conflict, Tal is all too aware of the needfor unity in the communities she lives and works in. "My choice to live in Jaffa (Arabic district of Tel Aviv) isbecause I feel safer and connected to a place where Arabs, both Muslims andChristians, and Jews, live in peace leaving space for everyone to live theirlives freely". Tal sees the influence of Arabic culture and musicdrawn from her many Palestinian conections in Jaffa and elsewhere as integralto her identity as a musician. Evidentlythe traditional Ethiopiques famed series is a fundamental source and drive forthe Sandman Project incarnation, none more so than in the track 'Hamsa' withit's lilting guitar and organ propped up against a dubby rhythm section.  Often the music veers to the rockier end ofthe spectrum and lead single 'Circles' growls with its punk-like, rawness and abass guitar and kick drum piling the track through. ‘Savannah Trip’ recalls SunRa in the Malian desert and will surely appeal to the more jazz inclined as itreaches for mountainous atmospherics only the top end of a guitar fretboard canuncover. To a tunedear, there will surely be a playfulness to the entire proceedings, a soundtrackfor a film yet to be made. With the majority of songs played with only fourinstruments, the drums and the bass as one layer, the guitar and trumpet as theother, there’s an insistent sense of purpose that could easily be lost with alarger group or production.

OUR NEW EP:
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Final Report

DJs & Radio support: Gideon Coe (BBC 6 Music), Steve Barker (BBC), Thristian & Erica McCoy (Worldwide FM), Oonops (Brooklyn Radio), Laurent Garnier, Alex Attias (Mi-Soul), Fresh Out (Resonance FM), Music Is My Sanctuary, Dan Wilcox & Mathieu Schreyer (KCRW) SIGNIFICANT REACTIONS “Raw, groovecentric & transcultural” All About Jazz “Hamsa is destined to rock dancefloors. A very enjoyable EP” Music is my Sanctuary “Excellent”
Gideon Coe (BBC 6 Music) “Sounds great” Emma Warren (Worldwide FM) “Stunning .... will play on my radio show for sure” Laurent Garnier “dope tracks on this album” Alex Attias (BBE) “Yay..sounds good!” Ellen King-Rodgers (KGLT) ONLINE Groovement - EP announce and feature HERE Psychedelic Baby Magazine - EP review confirmed Musica Macondo - confirmed audio premiere of Savanna Trip HERE Music Is My Sanctuary - Weekly ‘Crucial Material’ feature confirmed HERE All About Jazz - Review confirmed (out 19th October) HERE RADIO (UK) KMAH LEEDS - spotplays by Barry Shere (UK) Afrobase - confirmed John Warr will play on next show November (UK) Resonance FM - spotplay by Circles 13/11 HERE (UK) BBC 6 Music - spotplay by Gideon Coe of Savanna Trip 14/11 HERE (UK) BBC 6 Music - spotplay by Gideon Coe of Hamsa 06/11 HERE (UK) Brum Radio - spotplay by Glyn Phillips of Circles 05/11 HERE (UK) Brum Radio - spotplay by of Savanna Trip HERE (UK) BBC 6 Music - spotplay by Gideon Coe of Savanna Trip 05/11 HERE (UK) Worldwide FM - spotplay by Erica McCoy of Hamsa 31/10 HERE (UK) BBC Radio Lancashire - spotplay of Mezerich by Steve Barker 4/11 HERE (UK) BBC 6 Music - spotplay by Gideon Coe of Savanna Trip 25/10 HERE (UK) Source FM - spotplay by Karl Philips of Hamsa HERE (UK) Worldwide FM - spotplay by Thristian (Global Roots) of Savanna Trip 12/10 HERE (UK) Worldwide FM - Emma Warren ‘this sounds great” - confirmed she’ll play on show (USA) KCRW - spotplay by Dan Wilcox of Savanna Trip 21/10 HERE (USA) KCRW - spotplay by Mathieu Schreyer of Savanna Trip 20/09 HERE (USA) KGLT- added to World Entry playlist confirmed 6/11 (USA) Brooklyn Radio (NYC) - Oonops to feature a track in November podcast HERE (USA) Van Sounds - Fil Corbitt included Hamsa in monthly podcast HERE (AUS) WRUV-FM - spotplay by Sex Fly of Savanna Trip 28/09 HERE (AUS) ABC - spotplay by Annabel Crabb of Hamsa 31/10 HERE (CAN) Music Is My Sanctuary - spotplay of Hamsa by Colectivo Futura confirmed 23/10 HERE