Jack Barone & Robohands - R.F.I.

R.F.I. is the first collaboration between London drummer Andy Baxter, performing as Robohands, and LA multi-instrumentalist Jack Barone, four tracks of psychedelic groove pushed through the ancient scales of the Middle East.

Released in 2025 on Bastard Jazz, the record sits somewhere between jazz-funk, psychedelia and global groove, built around Baxter's drums and Barone's layered instruments. Rather than treating the Middle Eastern scales as a gimmick, the pair let them shape the harmony and mood, creating music that feels both hypnotic and genuinely adventurous, with plenty of space for improvisation.

Floating on the Walls drifts in with a woozy, weightless pulse, Moving Circles turns its repeating figures into a slow spin, Blue Mirror gleams with cool, shimmering colour, and Under Under Under sinks deeper into a trance-like groove.

Four tracks is all it takes to set a mood, and this one lingers long after the needle lifts. Nothing outstays its welcome. It suits late-night listening, a record for headphones or a dim room, and the etched B-side adds a collector's touch to an already striking release. Anyone who enjoys the more wonderfully exploratory end of jazz, or psychedelic music with global flavours, will find plenty here to get happily lost in.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Floating On The Walls
2. Moving Circles

Side B

1. Blue Mirror
2. Under Under Under