Album Review: Drosan

I first heard Drosan live at the Matariki celebrations in Ngāmotu earlier this year and was struck by the tightness and freshness of their performance. Latin rhythms, modern jazz-funk, and a thread of 70’s experimental fusion weave through their sound. Think Chick Corea and Charly García sitting in with Kamasi Washington or the Ezra Collective. When I heard this shape-shifting collective of talented, creative artists were releasing a debut album I was excited to take a listen. 

Drosan is anchored by Federico Daconti (keys) and Pablo Cordoba (drums, percussion), originally from Argentina but now based in Tauranga and already making waves in the local jazz scene. For the recording, they’re joined by Rodrigo Fessia on bass and Regan Perry on guitar – a simple lineup forming a strong foundation. The live session approach gives the whole project a looseness over something deeply solid: flexible, carefree, open, yet utterly locked in. The self-titled debut album was recorded by Tymothy Clark at O Zone Studio. “By recording live we wanted to convey to the audience… This is Drosan. This is how we feel. This is how we sound” says Pablo. They’ve nailed it – the energy, the immediacy, the sense of being right there in the room.

The album features six tracks, bookended by an intro and outro, with an interlude in the centre. All instrumental, all distinct. “Music as an art form has its own language,” says Pablo. “It lacks words, sentences, paragraphs – but you can tell a story, you can pass a message with each song.”

One track I kept returning to was Saviola – it sparked nostalgia and a gentle melancholy, a lyrical wander that feels both carefree and beautifully direct. Jazz infused harmonies, but not showy or performative, not a big screen embrace, more like a simple stolen kiss. 

In contrast, Barullo opens with a bass line, rim shots, and the sizzle of cymbals – crisp, spacious, and instantly propulsive. The keys enter with a simple, melodic, almost mantra-like line, while the drums open out into a groove that feels both anchored and exploratory. The whole track carries a retro vibe, like the soundtrack to a 70’s chase scene, complete with the stop–start moment at the end – the point where I imagine the car flying overhead and landing just as the groove kicks back in. Harmonic shifts move beneath the surface, with drums that verge on melodic themselves and THAT bass line which keeps everything grounded.

This album is an exciting new sound to come out of Aotearoa. The compositions emerge from hitting record during jam sessions, then listening back for the gold. The high level of musicianship makes this process expansive, and the result is an album that feels genuinely fresh within the local music scene. In the words of the band this is “…a great piece of art, we do believe it. Made with love, heart, brain, effort, but above all else with intention.” I couldn’t agree more.

Released by UK label Village Live Records and also available on vinyl.