New Music Friday: James BKS, Jian Wang and More

Each week, Babylon Radio brings you a handpicked selection of five songs, spotlighting standout tracks from new and upcoming albums, overlooked gems, and fresh singles. Expect a wide range of sounds from around the world and across genres, with a special focus on unique artistry and multicultural collaborations. This week’s roundup includes new music by French-Cameroonian artist and producer James BKS, the debut release of the newly established Deutsche Grammophon China, and more.

Alex Paxton, Delicious (New Amsterdam)

Release date: May 16

Delicious, the latest album by award-winning composer and trombonist Alex Paxton, is a vibrant kaleidoscopic journey through utopian sound worlds where melody, harmony, and hyper-detailed production collide. Orchestrated like a symphony but bursting with playful improvisational energy, the record fuses ASMR textures, video game sonics, and lush acoustic moments into a surreal, full-body listening experience. Anchored by irresistible melodic lines and a flair for sonic world-building, Delicious is truly a technicolor feast for the senses, dancing between joy, humour, and deep sincerity.

James BKS, See Us Rise (Grown Kid/Believe)

Release date: May 23

French-Cameroonian artist and producer James BKS returns with See Us Rise, a powerful new seven-track EP deeply influenced by his Cameroonian roots, his American upbringing, and Parisian home. Co-produced with JoA Touch and Roark Bailey, the release musically bridges generations and cultures with its a fusion of West African rhythms, ancestral chants, modern hip-hop, and Afropop. Thematically, it explores themes of resilience, self-empowerment, and healing, including on the emotionally charged focus track “Ndolo.”

• Ethio Jazz: A Beginner’s Guide to Ethiopia’s Soulful Music

Jian Wang, Bach: The Cello Suites (DG China)

Release date: May 23

Marking the debut release of the newly established Deutsche Grammophon China, celebrated cellist Jian Wang return to one of classical music’s most iconic works on Bach: The Cello Suites, offering a deeply personal new interpretation recorded at the Shanghai Conservatory’s Opera House and produced by a world-class team including Grammy-winning engineer Rainer Maillard. Reflecting years of artistic growth, Wang offers a matured, introspective take on the historic suite. “Bach’s music is like a mirror,” he says via an official statement. “It reflects the performer’s aesthetics, but also exposes their limits. That’s what makes it so great.”

Marumari, Hidden Tracks and Rarities 2001-2005 (Carpark)

Release date: May 23

IDM producer Marumari returns with a captivating collection of previously unreleased tracks recorded between 2001 and 2005, offering a rare window into a pivotal transitional era in the artist’s creative life, when they shifted focus away from music and immersed themselves in work as a graphic designer. Crafted in fleeting moments during Boston commutes, late nights at home, and even under pseudonymous Napster uploads, the long-lost pieces presented on Hidden Tracks and Rarities 2001-2005 form a fragmented but deeply evocative archive, capturing the quiet persistence of artistic drive through uncertain times.

• French House: The Feelgood Vibes of the 1990s Paris Nightlife

These New Puritans, Crooked Wing (Domino)

Release date: May 23

British genre-defying duo These New Puritans return with their first new album in six years, Crooked Wing, a richly textured and operatic work that swaps out the rhythmic experimentation of their recent works for lush pipe organs, Reichian minimalism, and cinematic grandeur. Produced by Bark Psychosis legend Graham Sutton and executive produced by George Barnett, the album is a spellbinding fusion of prog, post-rock and sacred minimalism, with featuring stellar guest contributions and nods to Talk Talk, Sarah Davachi, and Kate Bush.

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