Broken Knowz

Jay Daniel's debut album takes an unusual path to the dance floor, downplaying programmed beats in favor of the Detroit percussionist’s own powerful, loping drums. “Last of the Dogons” eases us in, wrapping elastic loops of bells, handclaps, and tambourines around toe-scuffing bass and keys, while “Paradise Valley” enlivens ethereal funk with slinky syncopation and sparkling synths, and “Niiko” dives into complex polyrhythms. It’s like a hand-carved variant of techno, where human muscle meets machine soul, resulting in unusually sumptuous shapes and textures.