Recommendations for a Certain Laid-Back Groovy Jazz (or Rock) with Analog Synths and Jams)

This came up in discussing the new Makaya McCraven album, especially the Techno Logic EP with Theon Cross. I am copying the discussion over from there in hope of getting more recommendations.

I love this. What else is like the Techno Logic portion of this, specifically, the mixture of electronic and acoustic instruments. I have both The Comet is Coming albums, which are similar, but looking for more.

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Thursday, October 30, 2025 1:12 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

If you haven't checked out Ben Lamar Gay's albums, you might like them (maybe try Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun first). Other things top of mind tend to be more on the chill/ambient side of things, but I will think about it

― rob, Thursday, October 30, 2025 2:43 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

omg his new one Yowzers is SO good

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Thursday, October 30, 2025 3:10 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

agreed! though I think I like Yowzers, Open Arms, and DCCNBTS about equally. Open Arms was my first, so if I had to Pick Only One I might go with that tbh. I suggested DCCNBTS because, as a compilation, there's so much range on, but you could probably start with any of them

― rob, Thursday, October 30, 2025 3:23 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

rob, thanks for the recommendations. I will give those a listen.

I am less into the chill/ambient end and more the Pre-DSotM Pink Floyd / John Carpenter / Library Music analog synth goodness. I've liked every Greg Foat album I've heard.

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Thursday, October 30, 2025 3:52 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

My pleasure, I'm happy to evangelize for BLG! Fair warning though: he fits into neither of those paradigms and might not be as synth-forward as you're hoping, I just think he's brilliant and unique.

I like a lot of Greg Foat as well -- Symphonie Pacifique is one of my go-to "I don't know what to listen to" albums. Have you listened to Joe Armon-Jones? Laidback/groovy but not ambient and pretty spacey. Also I should have mentioned Theon Cross's solo work since he's also on that EP, check out Intra-I if you haven't already (and go see him live if you get the chance!).

This is more leftfield, but Sarathy Korwar's KALAK might appeal as well? South Asian-jazz fusion (and South Asian meaning more bhangra and other rhymthic folk musics, not classical) but there is a lot of cosmic synth on it.

― rob, Thursday, October 30, 2025 6:19 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Thank you for the additional recommendations! Laid back and groovy is what I am looking for, even if it has some skronk on top.

I have Theon Cross' Fyah, but not heard anything else other than his work in Sons of Kemet.

I've actually been meaning to make a thread for a couple weeks about this sound I am looking for. I will do that instead of posting about this further here since it is only tangentially related to Makaya (who I love as well).

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Thursday, October 30, 2025 6:32 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Cross just put out a live album with Isaiah Collier on sax that's really good:

https://theoncross.bandcamp.com/album/affirmations-live-at-blue-note-new-york

― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Thursday, October 30, 2025 6:38 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

So I am looking for music with a groove, jazz or jazz adjacent, not ambient/chill unless it also does something else. Some touchstones mentioned above and some not:

Pre-DSotM Pink Floyd
Library Music
John Carpenter Soundtracks
CTI Jazz (especially Freddie Hubbard's Straight Life)
The Comet is Coming
Mwandishi/Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock
Greg Foat, especially Galaxies Like Grains of Sand and The Glass Frog (the Gigi Masin album is nice, too)

International Anthem could be the center of what I am looking for. I was following and love a lot of stuff they released but kind of lost the thread about two years ago. I sometimes wish their releases had more hot shit playing on it than or in addition to stoned noodling.

What say you ILM?

First thing that came to my mind given your descriptions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul0zDWThUQQ

Also check out Time Capsule by Chris Bowden, on Soul Jazz

First thing to pop into my head is the title track of John Cale/Terry Riley's Church Of Anthrax, really underrated i think but groovy as hell

*it's organs not synth but sonically it definitely goes to those sorts of places

Resavoir on International Anthem is a personal fave, all three albums are great, the recent Horizon is a collaboration with a Brazilian artist.

I listened to (mentioned previously) Joe Armon-Jones's two 2025 albums last night after posting and I think you'd be into those PBKR.

Church of Anthrax is so good, that's a really interesting connection

in the Mwandishi zone, I really liked Bennie Maupin's album with Adam Rudolph from a few years back

there's probably some Sun Ra that fits, how about 'Strange Celestial Road'?

You might want to explore the Brainfeeder catalog, the last Kamasi Washington album, Sam Gendel's records and the two Pino Palladino/Blake Mills ones, James Holden's Animal Spirits, a few of the later Moritz von Oswald Trio records.

I feel like there is SO much stuff like this out there and yet am having a hard time thinking of examples, and I think it's because my instagram feed is mostly just drummers jamming along with electronic tracks.

I am just getting around to creating a playlist and listening to the suggestions so far. Some really great stuff. Joe Armon-Jones is the first thing I tried and it definitely is hitting the spot, especially the dub-ier elements. I will keep making my way through the recommendations. One thing to add is I like when there is some incredible soloing on top of the laidback groove, like some guitar or sax shredding.

bobby hutcherson’s “solo / quartet” and “san francisco” are two of my favourite LPs in this mould

donald byrd’s “live: cookin’ with blue note in montreux” might just fit too - his seventies albums might be a little too bombastic overall though

wayne shorter’s “moto grosso feio” and “odyssey of iska” out there in the more esoteric end of the spectrum - not so groovy but very chill

Total Blue - Total Blue
Nala Sinephro - Endlessness

Maybe the earlier Joseph Shabason albums also, particularly Anne.

Maybe John Surman's Upon Reflection also.

Sorry lastly, Eclipse by Javier Bergia.

Some jazz fusion favourites, all fairly laid back:

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Expansions
Billy Cobham - Total Eclipse
Weather Report – Mysterious Traveller

More in the kosmische/Berlin School vein but it has lovely synth work:

Ashra - New Age of Earth

Maybe Floating Points - "Reflections: Mojave Desert"? It makes me think of a fusion group covering Pink Floyd's "echoes" or something.

https://floatingpoints.bandcamp.com/album/reflections-mojave-desert

henry s, both Julian Priester and the Chris Bowden recommendations are spot on. Former sounds a bit like electric Miles, which I love. Time Capsule has some jams, especially Mother and Daughters Now Mothers.