Reviewed by Nika Kretov. Photos by Michael Black
Manhattan’s own Agustín Nevaris—recording here simply as Nevaris—returns with “Remedy – Live,” the second transmission from his forthcoming SoundSession EP, and it plays like a tonic for restless times. Following the extended, soul-drenched sprawl of “Ninth Sun – Live,” this new single tightens the focus without losing the heat. Where its predecessor drifted through Afro-Latin, dub, and funk constellations, “Remedy – Live” locks into a hypnotic pocket: jazzy saxophone lines curl around a slick, elastic bassline; lap-guitar shimmers with addictive insistence; and turntablism slices through cinematic soundscapes like a razor through celluloid. This is the sound of a band breathing together in real time—no safety nets, no studio trickery—just groove as lifeline.
The session itself reads like a downtown all-star roll call. SoundSession marks the fourth collaboration between Nevaris and legendary bassist-producer Bill Laswell, whose fingerprints are all over the project’s architecture. With Laswell unable to perform due to health reasons, bassist Jonathan Maron steps in to embody the specific low-end blueprints Laswell originally penned, and he does so with muscular finesse. The nine-piece ensemble—DJ Logic, Angel Rodriguez, Will Bernard, Peter Apfelbaum, Jojo Kuo, Lockatron, and Matt Dickey—moves as a single organism, fusing improvisational daring with studio precision. There’s history in this lineup, and you can hear it: every accent feels earned, every swell intuitive.
Captured live on May 30, 2023, at Laswell’s Orange Sound Studio in West Orange, New Jersey—originally built for Frankie Valli—the recording rejects the sterility of overdubs. Engineered and mixed by James Dellatacoma and mastered by Michael Fossenkember at Turtletone Studios, “Remedy – Live” documents a band fully inhabiting a room. You can almost see the camera lights flicker as the musicians scrap the idea of a virtual performance and instead lean into the rawness of a single take. The result is immersive and unfiltered—less a track than a moment suspended in amber.
Nevaris, who previously earned praise from Carlos Santana for his 2023 debut Reverberations—released via M.O.D. Reloaded—continues to blur genre lines with fearless intent. A percussionist, keyboardist, vocalist, and multimedia artist who also performs as Loud Apartment alongside figures like Bernie Worrell, Nevaris understands music as ritual and remedy alike. “Remedy – Live” doesn’t just suggest healing—it enacts it, channeling collective improvisation into something communal and restorative. If this is the pulse of SoundSession, consider us revived.
Lorem ‘Remedy – Live’ is available via Bandcamp, where the ‘SoundSession’ EP can now be pre-ordered. On February 27, ‘Soundsession’ will be released digitally everywhere including Apple Music and Spotify.
TRACK LIST
1 Ninth Sun – Live
2 Remedy – Live
3 Document
4 Dub Orchestra
CREDITS
Written by Agustín Nevaris, Bill Lasswell, DJ Logic, Peter Apfelbaum, Jojo Kuo, Will Bernard, Lockatron, Angel Rodriguez, Jonathan Maron & Matt Dickey
Agustín Nevaris – timbales, bongos, Hammond Organ
Angel Rodriguez – bata drums, shekere, congas, darbuka
Jojo Kuo – bata drums, shekere, misc. percussion
DJ Logic – turntables
Peter Apfelbaum – sax, flute, melodica, reed organ
Will Bernard – guitar
Lockatron – drumset
Matt Dickey – guitar
Jonathan Maron – bass
Produced by Agustín Nevaris
Recorded at Orange Sound in West Orange, New Jersey
Recorded & mixed by James Dellatacoma
Mastering by Michael Fossenkember at Turtletone Studios
Artwork by Realize
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
