Maulawi Free Download from 180 Proof Records

If you haven’t been following Amir Abdullah’s label 180 Proof, well you are missing out. He has been reissuing music from the great Strata record label out of Detroit. His first few releases including Kenny Cox, Larry Nozero, and Sam Sanders will soon be joined by Maulawi. 180 Proof has just teamed up with Slice Of Spice Records and put up a free, unreleased track that will be featured on the 180 gram, remastered, double LP due out later this year. If you have no idea who Maulawi Nururdin is, his S/T Maulawi LP Spiritual Jazz record is highly sought after by collectors and beat heads alike. Maulawi, a Chicago multi-instrumentalist, gathered a group of musicians to put out this gem, which died a quick death shortly after its fuzzy, funky, and deep release. A soundtrack to the times and tribute to what was going on at that moment (plus a great John Coltrane cover deconstructed), this is a record you should at least hear once. Let’s move forward though.

180 Proof have unearthed some unreleased music from the shelved Maulawi’s Orotund record and have given us a sneak preview of the official release that will come out later this year. The unreleased track is an upbeat piece of Jazz, with Maulawi keeping pace with the band feverishly on sax that is equal Sun Ra and Chicago Blues influenced Jazz. This uncovered nugget, albeit only a sample, looks to show great promise as a full length. 180 Proof are on to something special here, so get on board with this label and support a dude who is preserving the integrity of this music that would otherwise go unheard while also exposing a whole new generation of vinyl collectors to a new artist and genre. This is the kind of label that gets things done proper and not only gives back to the artists, but gives the listener something special in these releases. Enjoy.

Check out the 180 Proof site here.

Keep Diggin’!