Point of Few drop NEW ALBUM – Peripheral People

Point of Few, a band that seamlessly blends contemporary jazz with electronic elements and popular music influences, have released their second album, Peripheral People, end of last year under Bivak Records. The quartet’s critically acclaimed debut, Open to Closeness, released two years ago, featured renowned keyboardist Jason Lindner. For the new record, the band collaborated with British producers Eddie Stevens (Moloko, Zero7, Freak Power) and Robin Mullarkey (bassist for Jacob Collier, Jordan Rakei, Laura Mvula, among others).

While primarily an instrumental band, they invited American singer Allison Wheeler for two tracks on the album and featured a guest appearance by Czech electronic artist Aid Kid on another track. With Peripheral People, the band pushes further into cross-genre territory, infusing electronic influences and a songwriting approach into their primarily instrumental style.

“The album is named after the title track, which I dedicated to people who, in a metaphorical sense, live on the periphery of the world’s interest,” says Point of Few guitarist, composer, and bandleader Radim Přidal. “We ourselves live and create outside the main cultural centers and are a kind of peripheral people,” he adds.

Following the success of their last album, which featured David Bowie’s band keyboardist Jason Lindner, Point of Few continues their streak of high-profile international collaborations. Most of the tracks on Peripheral People were mixed by British producer Eddie Stevens, known for his work with Zero7, Moloko, Róisín Murphy, and Freak Power. Two tracks were mixed by London-based bassist and producer Robin Mullarkey, who has worked with Jacob Collier, Jordan Rakei, Laura Mvula, and Quincy Jones. The mastering was completed by Darius van Helfteren in Amsterdam. Together, this international team crafted a rich, expansive sound that ventures deep into electronic music.

The band also blurs genre boundaries in the music itself. For instance, the title track, Peripheral People, eschews the typical jazz solo. In A Random Passerby, the delicate voice of American singer Allison Wheeler pairs with Radim Přidal’s melody, evoking a dreamy, pop-like atmosphere. The album’s finale, Indeed Beat, features Czech electronic artist Aid Kid and floats into the realm of experimental live electronics, skillfully mixed by Eddie Stevens. Other tracks, such as Mellow Massive, channel the energy of the New York free-jazz scene, while the ballad Radiostar pays homage to Přidal’s guitar influences like Bill Frisell and Julian Lage.

Eddie Stevens reflects on the project:

Every job is a learning experience, and this one is no exception. Radim set me the challenge of diving into the band’s immaculate recordings and extracting, augmenting, soldering, scuffing, and abusing clusters of individual audio tracks, then reassembling them — i.e., total mixing. But it was a joy: top-level musicianship combined with bold ideas skirting the borders between contemporary jazz and edgier side-pop styles like Griddlewave, Troonk, Backstep, Fusion, Phusion, Post-Nujazz, London Scene, BreakBroke… new genres start right here, get me? Working on a project that challenges itself to push into uncharted and sometimes uncomfortable territory is my cup of tea. This album has been a heady and stimulating brew.

The album’s title track, Peripheral People, showcases Přidal’s classical guitar roots, built on polyphonic voice-leading that creates a compelling urgency. Allison Wheeler vocalizes the melody without lyrics and shines as an improviser alongside saxophonist Petr Smekal. Tracks like Speed of the World epitomize the Point of Few sound, with cinematic and soundtrack-like qualities, while the closer, Guest List, offers an electronic, upbeat vibe that flirts with house music.

Since their formation in 2019, Point of Few has emphasized a strong visual aesthetic, often describing their music as soundtracks for films yet to be made. Shortly after their debut, the band released a video EP featuring five live sessions, followed by two creative music videos for Open to Closeness. For Peripheral People, they filmed original videos in the surreal industrial setting of a former blast furnace in Ostrava, Czech Republic, including one live session recorded on site.

Robin Mullarkey notes:

Space Cowboy truly captures how well Point of Few integrates contemporary electronic sounds with an accomplished improvising ensemble. The live take from the blast furnace video is exactly what you hear on the album, which is a cool idea and made mixing it fun — ensuring it aligns seamlessly with the studio tracks.