NEUE GRAFIK - Rachael

Neue Grafik, the alias of Fred N’thepe, is a Parisian multi-instrumentalist transplanted to south London, where he forged his sound amid the improvised jams of the Total Refreshment Centre and his studies at the Bill Evans Academy. “Rachael” is his third album; but while the first two came across almost as collections of singles, here, starting from the title itself, there's an attempt to bring out the thematic core that inspires and unites the various compositions: Rachael, the character from “Blade Runner“, a Nexus 6 replicant model unaware of her artificial nature, to whom Deckard's character becomes attached.

“Rachael” thus sets out to be an exploration of love in an intimate, raw and organic key. It does so across ten tracks that move between house lightness and jazz depth, weaving together hip-hop, broken beat, grime and afrobeat. The result is a hybrid record that captures the essence of the contemporary London scene (as well as the depth and power of its jazz scene: after all, over his career Neue Grafik has already collaborated with Nubya Garcia, Emma-Jean Thackray, Lord Apex and Allysha Joy).

“Rachael pt. 1” opens the album with interweaving strings, a lyrical opening that immerses the listener in a cinematic, dreamlike dimension. The following track, “Narcissus 909”, is quite different, with its drum'n'bass groove moving between nu-jazz and minimal. Electronics take over with “Voigh Kampf 808”, and the initial lyricism is by now just a memory; we're in a mode crystallized in the digital imagery of the Nineties.

The human element returns on “Bold”, thanks to Jerome Thomas's voice, layered and drenched in reverb like never before. But it's just a brief parenthesis, because “1200 profecy” is once again dominated by electronics and a bass groove that keeps insisting over the beats; still, it wasn't a passage in vain, since now nu-jazz and grime also claim their share. “Rachael pt. 2” is thus very different from the first part, with the strings staying in the background behind the beat and electronic sounds. And so, after the interlude of “Romantic Chlamydia”, we come to perhaps the best track on the album, “Childhood Memories”, where the fusion of nu-jazz, house and electro reaches one of its highest points (the bassline, among other things, is remarkable). “Lullaby For Crackheads” stands apart, dominated, at least at first, by cold, dry sounds. “Rise Of A.” closes the album in a circular, lyrical way, once again giving pride of place to the strings.

Although born from his solitary work in the recording studio, the tracks on "Rachael" (and Neue Grafik's music in general) take on a second life in live performance, thanks to the overwhelming energy that a live show is able to generate. In this way, even the most lounge-like and intimate moments acquire a new dimension and depth.

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14/03/2026