Although Mudd aka Paul Murphy (not the jazz DJ/producer and Afro Art Records boss of the same name) has been producing music in other guises for years now he first came to my attention in 2005 with ‘Kerry’s Caravan’ a collaboration with Chico Hamilton released on Rong Music. More recently he impressed with the brilliant ‘Villa Stavros’ which saw him team up with keyboardist Kevin Pollard. His latest release ‘Claremont 56’ is his debut solo album which takes in elements of slow motion disco, electro and folk resulting in an atmospheric Balearic soundscape. ‘C40’, a tripped out folk instrumental opens the set before merging into the ambient ‘Mount Pleasant Lane’ which features warm key chords from the aforementioned Pollard. ’54B’ is a solid discoid piece but it’s Mudd’s jazzier side that appeals to me the most with tracks such as the soothing fusion outing ‘Spyro’, ‘The Snicket’ which is underpinned with a subtle samba rhythm and the gentle Latin flavoured ‘Summer In The Wood’.
