Stonephace is veteran jazz dissident Larry Stabbins’s collaboration with en… Read Full Bio ↴Stonephace is veteran jazz dissident Larry Stabbins’s collaboration with enigmatic sonic alchemist Krzysztof Oktalski – a mind-bending mix of hip hop and externalist semantics.

Featuring Portishead’s Adrian Utley on guitar and Jim Barr on bass, plus a guest appearance from virtuoso trumpeter Guy Barker as you’ve never heard him before, Stonephace creates a unique universe where electronics, free jazz and Afro-tinged beats collide. Imagine a mix of Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, Pharaoh Sanders and early Soft Machine produced by Jay Dee and you might be getting close.

Larry Stabbins is a contemporary of jazz pianist Keith Tippett and played in his legendary 50 piece orchestra Centipede as well as many other of Tippett’s projects over several decades in which he has worked with most of the giants of European free jazz and improvisation. He also played in the seminal pop group Weekend and was co-leader of Latin soul jazz band Working Week, writing what many consider the original acid jazz track, ‘Stella Marina’ with another legend, Jalal Nurridin of New York’s ‘The Last Poets’.

Krzysztof Oktalski is a DJ and producer heralding from the Cornish rave scene, who spent much of his youth organising illicit all night parties on beaches. He later became a lynchpin on the South West drum ‘n’ bass circuit – promoting a long-running monthly club night as well as releasing a string of underground 12“s.

Conceived over many years in the wilds of Cornwall, this album combines Larry’s playing and writing skills acquired during a lifetime in progressive jazz with Krzysztof’s filthy production aesthetics.