Partikel London based Jazz trio

One of the hottest young bands on the UK scene Mike Flynn (JazzWise)

Partikel are three London based musicians all with very different musical backgrounds who have come together to make music mixing all of their favorite influences in a melodic, coherent and accurate way. The music puts an interesting twist on the standard jazz format while still honoring the tradition of deep harmony and creative improvisation.

Drawing influence from African and Latin American music combined with the style of the contemporary jazz scene, Partikel produce a personal, committed and contemporary take on the saxophone trio. Soulful melodies are combined seamlessly with complex mixed meter vamps along with an instantly identifiable energy and band sound.

Since releasing their eponymous debut album in 2010, London, UK based contemporary jazz trio Partikel have established themselves as a notable addition to the European music scene, known for their high-energy live performances and striking originality. Having spent 18 months performing new music across Europe while holding regular rehearsals, the band has gone into the studio and the result of this intense period of music making is now documented on Cohesion, their latest release for Whirlwind Recordings.

Partikel have performed at clubs and festivals all over the UK and beyond including - Brecon Jazz Festival, The London Jazz Festival, Cambridge Festival, Pizza Express Soho, The Kings Place Halls 1 and 2, The Vortex (opening for Jacob Bro), The 606 Club, The Edge Arts Center, Watermill Jazz and many more. Meanwhile, Partikel had been developing its music for 18 months before cutting this, their second album. The band also have been running a successful night for the past 5 years at one of London's premier jazz venues The Hideaway in Streatham. With the release of Cohesion, the band earns this praise.

second release and first for Whirlwind Recordings, was received with high praise from the international music press, and was included in Jazzwise Magazine’s best albums list of 2012 . Other artists in this top ten included Robert Glasper, Steve Lehman, Gregory Porter and Billy Hart. Cohesion was included in renowned critic Kevin Le Gendre's list of the top 10 Jazz Albums of 2012. Partikel have also been nominated for the prestigious 'London Jazz Award 2011'.

String Theory is the third release from Partikel,a group who've maintained a feverish live schedule the past few years and is heralded as a significant new band on the European scene. Their latest album sees them pushing their own sonic and compositional boundaries by teaming up with four respected string players of the UK scene, fusing their love of jazz, rock and world music with the textures of a string quartet to create music that showcases an array of unique soundscapes. The string quartet has been integrated seamlessly into Partikel's trademark style of raw emotion and fiercely interactive improvisations, striking a balance between intensity and rich harmony. lts an excellent example of a band not content with resting on their laurels.

The band has also started to incorporate electronic effects into their live set which they touch upon in the production of this album, giving String Theory a new overall sonic feel from their previous albums where they solely featured the acoustic trio.