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 between improvised jams at the Total Refreshment Centre and 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 with the title itself, there's an attempt to bring out the thematic core that inspires and ties the various compositions together: Rachael, the character from Blade Runner, a Nexus 6 replicant unaware of her artificial nature, to whom Deckard's character becomes bound.

"Rachael" thus sets out to explore love in an intimate, raw and organic way. 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 the course of 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 intertwining strings, a lyrical opening that immerses the listener in a cinematic, dreamlike dimension. The following track, "Narcissus 909", is very 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 world crystallised in a Nineties digital imagination.

The human element returns on "Bold", thanks to the voice of Jerome Thomas, layered and drenched in reverb like never before. It's only a brief parenthesis, though, because "1200 profecy" is once again dominated by electronics and a bass groove that presses insistently over the beats; but it wasn't a passage in vain, since now nu-jazz and grime also stake their claim. "Rachael pt. 2" is thus very different from the first part, with the strings left in the background behind the beat and electronic sounds. And so, after the interlude of "Romantic Chlamydia", we come across what is perhaps the album's best track, "Childhood Memories", where the meeting of nu-jazz, house and electro reaches one of its highest points (notably, among other things, the bassline). "Lullaby for Crackheads" stands apart as its own episode, dominated, at least at first, by cold, dry sounds. "Rise of A." closes the album in circular, lyrical fashion, once again giving pride of place to the strings.

Even though it's the product of 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 a live show is capable of generating. In this way, even the more lounge-like, intimate moments acquire a new dimension and depth.

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20/03/2026