Edrix Puzzle is a relatively new constellation on the starchart of the London jazz firmament. This trio of professional improvisers is led by the drummer/producer Nathan “Tugg” Curran, famous for the grooves he lays down behind the drum set of Basement Jaxx, as well as in the projects Gorgon City and Planet Battagon. His playing in Edrix Puzzle veers towards rolling funk figures, which might have swirled down in the maelstrom of dark currents flowing from Martin Slattery’s woodwinds, if it weren’t for the dynamic double bass lines of Tom Mason, providing a secure anchoring. The Portuguese percussionist Oli Savill sits in, adding a battery of beats from mysterious sources, that together with some warped tape echos make for an alien setting on Edrix Puzzle’s first EP: Rise to Eris. Funk, jazz, dub – who cares about categories; all we know is that these three tracks build up the appetite for a full length debut, rumoured to be forthcoming on the label On the Corner this summer.
