Captain Planet - Dig [2LP]

Dig is Captain Planet doing what he built his career on: finding real musicians across continents rather than sampling them from a laptop, spread across 2LPs.

Charlie B. Wilder has spent years as a DJ and producer bridging traditional global music with hip-hop, dancehall and house, and this record most emphasizes the collaborative side of that approach, with guests from very different traditions: Haitian vodou singer Erol Josue, Brazilian percussion legends Trio Mocotó, Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen. This latter credit carries real weight given that Allen died in 2020, making Tony's House one of the last things he worked on. Bastard Jazz, Captain Planet's label for years, releases it here as one of his most ambitious efforts to date.

O Xangô leads the percussion of Trio Mocotó into something truly festive, decades of Brazilian groove distilled into four minutes. Tony's House carries an obvious weight given the circumstances, with Allen's drumming instantly recognizable even when filtered through Captain Planet's production. Kamsi, with Azuka Moweta, is part of the luminous and rolling tradition of highlife guitar, and Mi Calor closes the album with Chico Mann for a warm and Latin finale.

Eleven tracks, a dozen traditions and a producer much more interested in collaboration than sampling. And you can hear it.

List of titles

LP 1

1. Queen Of Thunder (ft. Erol Josue)
2. O Xangô (ft. Trio Mocoto)
3. Canta el Agua (ft. De Mar y Rio)
4. Tony's House (ft. Tony Allen)
5. Need To Move

LP 2

1. Kamsi (ft. Azuka Moweta)
2. Barco Velho
3. Master Plan (ft. DRM)
4. Cocoase (ft. Santrofi)
5. Thirst No More
6. Mi Calor (ft. Chico Mann)