The brainchild of drummer/producer Chiminyo, NRG is more than just an album, label or event. It’s a concept. Born out of a conversation about the UK Jazz scene (is it really jazz?) Chiminyo concluded that this musical expression is less about ‘jazz’ and more about energy (NRG).

So with this in mind, he set about to explore, celebrate and harness this NRG in its purest form. No labels, no promoters, no industry, no control. Just Chiminyo and members of his musical community exchanging (strictly improvised) NRG with audiences and capturing the spontaneous beauty to be shared with the world. This third edition, NRG 3, features an all-star line-up. Modular synth wizard and Ariwo band leader Pouya Ehsaei, electro synth-pop artist and incredible keyboard/synth player Maria Chiara Argiró, and Hak Baker’s trumpet player Sam Warner.

And you can really feel the vibrant NRG of the capital pulsating throughout.

Raucous dance-floor stompers such as ‘Enter the Dragon’ and ‘Fred not Again’ are beautifully contrasted with the dreamy, cinematic ‘Avalon’. And the addition of instrumental and vocal guests on the night really adds a special touch. ‘Stories Untold’ opens with flautist Lluis Domènech Plana’s lyrical exploration on bamboo flute before developing into an up-tempo house inspired dance tune, whilst Nadeem Din Gabisi’s ‘Fire’ presents a unique perspective on a trap groove that you simply couldn’t imagine outside of the context of NRG 3, and towards the end of the track the audio cuts to camera audio due to an issue with the desk recording, a magical moment that puts you in right there in the room and reminds you that this was a live gig! It is incredible to think this record is improvised, because each tune comes across as a carefully sculpted master-piece, a clear testament to the incredible musicians on the line-up. Chiminyo – Drums Pouya Ehsaei – Modular Synths Maria Chiara Argiró – Keyboard synths Sam Warner – Trumpet & Effects + featured vocalists/musicians Nadeem Din Gabisi (Fire) Lluis Domènech Plana (Stories Untold) Rob Milne (The Alchemist) 1. VITAL SALES POINTS: – Third album from Chiminyo’s NRG series. – NRG has been featured on BBC Radio 6xtra, Jazz FM, NTS and so many international stations across Europe, The Americas, Asia and Australia. – supported by tastemakers such as Gilles Peterson, Somewhere Soul, Tina Edwards and Tim Garcia – write-ups in The Guardian, Jazzwise, Echoes Magazine and more.