nurdle.

 

A crooked funk machine.

Forging addictive hooks dipped in nostalgic beats, distorted dreamscapes and creating the soundtrack to your alter ego's taboo lifestyle.

 

nurdle. are a groove driven quartet designed to make you move and dance. Formed to have fun, they set out with a vision to blur the lines of genres and stir a sense of yesteryear within the listeners body, whilst constantly searching for a new modern twist. 

Think groove. A party of the wonkiest funk, the hardest jazz beats, sweeping melodies, melting dreamscapes and contagious riffs that will stay in your head for days.

Founded in 2019 by saxophonist Joe Northwood, it contains three other scene stalwarts in Paolo Adamo on drums and Tom Berge on organ, from the original trio, before bassist Chris Jones was drafted in to complete the lineup. 

They recorded their debut EP in 2020. Short and snappy, it contains the shuffle shake of 'Tiny Wines' and the emotive balladry of 'The Ballad of the Midnight Ramen'. Its tracks were featured on BBC Radio Cymru and garnered praise for its concise vision and sharp sleeve design. Nurdle are currently working on new material, so keep an eye on their socials for more news.


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Taking Flight

Joe Northwood | tenor & alto saxophone
Aidan Thorne | double & electric bass
Paolo Adamo | drums & percussion

Recorded in August 2017, Taking Flight is Joe’s first full-length album, showcasing a body of work composed and developed with his Tuk Tuk trio over the past 4 years.

Recorded at Fieldgate Studios.

Album design and photography by Bethan Miller.

Banshee

Joe Northwood | tenor sax and pedals
Aeddan Williams | electric bass
Paolo Adamo | drums

Through the medium of Free Jazz, Improvised music and groove with a little dash of electronic mayhem, an amalgamation of jazz sensibilities and creative minds, Banshee is a group born out of a series of gigs dedicated to exploring improvisation through musical extremes and textural richness. 

Each gig invites the audience to join the discovery of new sounds, creating a magical cacophony that will treat the senses. 

John COltrane Project

 
 


Joe Northwood | tenor sax
Tom Berge | piano
Aeddan Williams | double bass
Paolo Adamo | drums

The genesis of this project originated in the love of John Coltrane's music.

Joe's first jazz album, when a bit younger, was 'Coltrane's Sound', an astonishing album with his definitive rendition of ‘Body and Soul’ and Trane ‘standards’ such as Equinox and Central Park West. This album has always stuck with Joe and helped shape his sound throughout his career, and it seemed about time to honour this formidable legacy of the saxophone maestro.

 
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Tuk Tuk

Jan 2016

 
 
 

Joe Northwood | tenor saxophone
Aidan Thorne | double bass
Paolo Adamo | drums

A trio of creative musicians based in Cardiff, Tuk Tuk are a sax led group that perform tunes of memorable melodic lines and highly percussive group improvisation. With the absence of a chordal instrument they have flourished, creating a strong collective sound, rich in textures and subtle soundscapes.

 The writing has an undeniably contemporary feel yet with a firm foot in the past, citing a range of influences, from legends like John Coltrane and Joe Henderson, to modern the greats of Mark Guiliana, Avashai Cohen and Ben Wendel.

★★★★ - Tuk Tuk w/ Nick Malcom…

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Others

A sideman, a musician for hire or music with friends.

 
 
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al Swainger q*tet

Al Swainger | bass & FX Jon Clark | drums
Tom Berge | keys Joe Northwood | tenor sax​

​Mix Chick Corea with Radiohead in a blender then use the resulting cocktail to write film music and you might get something a little like this...

“An outstanding gig, with worldclass musicians... a fresh and live-experimental take on otherwise well-covered work from Chick.”

 
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Slipped Disco

A retro revolution dressed in glitter, flares and dancing till the break of dawn. Slipped Disco brings together some of South Wales' finest live musicians, playing all your favourite disco classics. Boogie on!

 
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Duppybusterz

The Duppybusterz are a collective of Cardiff based musicians coming together to play some sweet reggae music for your soul. Expect classic reggae, 90's era reggae, modern reggae and reggafied versions of popular songs.

Featuring members of Captain Accident & The Disasters, Super Chango, Afro Cluster, Junior Bill and more!!

 

Tiny Rebel Jazz

This is a monthly event that I host as part of Echo Music at Tiny Rebel Cardiff. Every second Thursday of the month we invite a band to perform a set of their music before hosting a jam session, open for all instruments and musicians.