TriForce 5ive album – TriForce

Listen to a jazzy (and often funky) mini album by a young British quartet on the Jazz Re:freshed label

This year’s Mobo Awards led onlookers to believe the UK’s creative well had run dry. However, only a week after the “urban” gong show, TriForce 5ive was released and proved there was indeed hidden depths to the pool of British talent; it just required Jazz Re:freshed to dive in and spot it. The mini album from the label run by Adam “Rock” Moses and Justin “TopRock” McKenzie showcases the work of British quartet TriForce. (Or should that be QuadriForce?)

Dominic Canning, Ricco Komolafe and Benjamin Appiah met at Middlesex University, where they bonded over their love of Thundercat, J Dilla, Funky Knuckles and the late Austin Peralta. But, in truth, on the outstanding Swank, TriForce sound more like Quite Sane, a hugely gifted ’90s outfit that infused jazz with intricate, sophisticated rhythms. Swank, which prominently features the guitar work of final band member Mansur Brown, is the kind of clever, off-kilter tune that will win over fans of Hiatus Kaiyote, Brotherly and the lesser-known Trope.

Like Swank, Red Lagoon also employs syncopated rhythms, while Righteous slows down proceedings, allowing the foursome to submerged into a head-nodding groove. There isn’t, in fact, a bad track here, which is remarkable as the average age of TriForce is just 19.

Listen to three tracks from TriForce 5ive on this page, before heading to Re:freshed’s Bandcamp page where it can be bought for a reasonable price on limited-edition vinyl, CD or digital download.