Nu-jazz fanatics rejoice! Today cultish Britons 4 Hero announced the impending arrival of Play With the Changes. Scheduled for U.S. release on Feb. 27 on Milan Records, it is Dego and Marc Mac’s first album since 2001’s Creating Patterns. Both men have kept busy since then — Dego with his DKD and Silhouette Brown productions, and Marc Marc with his Visioneers joints (including this year’s Dirty Old Hip-Hop), as well as sundry vinyl-only efforts. But 4 Hero is the brand name.
Widely considered a pioneer of jungle music (thanks to its Parallel Universe LP) and broken beat/nu-soul (via Two Pages), 4 Hero enjoys respect on par with electronic innovators like Massive Attack and Incognito. Accordingly, Play With the Changes draws from the cream of future soul, with Jack Davey (from J-Davey), Lady Alma, Darien Brockington, Little Brother’s Phonte Coleman (who has been everywhere lately), Kaidi Tatham and many others. The first single, “Morning Child” features Carina Andersson and is out on Raw Canvas in the UK.