Angelo Outlaw's Axis Of Time

Vibes. Vibe shifts. Vibes that are mid. There’s a lotta talk about vibes these days, but nowhere near enough folks getting out there and doin’ something about them!* 

Your interest in this sound recording makes you someone on the precipice of entering that esteemed latter group. And at this time I would like you to meet your vibrational sensei for the next 37 minutes, Philly’s own Angelo Outlaw. Outlaw is a master of vibes both emotional and sonic/literal — he’s a mallet percussionist (vibraphone and marimba), as well as a poet, and the record you hold here is debut solo album. 

It’s magical. It’s a musical Swiss Army knife, working in all kinds of situations. It’s like Bobby Hutcherson jamming with Air during a scene in the greatest heist movie never made. All of this time- and genre-hopping makes perfect sense when you consider its title: Axis Of Time. 

The leadoff cut “Free My Mind” illustrates this perfectly, its forward-motion groove and vocals connecting Angelo’s work to a few different eras of soul at once: Spiritual jazz and spiritual disco to name just two. “Speed of Light” and “10th Wonder” settle the record into a kind of cinematic motif that’ll string itself all the way through Axis Of Time: it’s giving what-me-worry chase scenes, it’s giving The Thomas Crown Affair. “Dreams” is soul jazz as told to Philip Glass and Roger Moog. And that’s just side one; we’ll refrain from further spoilers. 

The glue holding Axis Of Time together is the Eraserhood Sound crew: Vincent John and Maxwell Perla, who appear here as rhythm section, producers, co-writers and label honchos. Working out of a studio in the aforementioned Eraserhood here in Philly that’s located in what used to be Questlove’s record room behind the old Electric Factory, John and Perla have been issuing forth with their own brand of space age soul for some years now. 

This writer has loved it all, but Axis Of Time feels like a big step forward for them just as much as it does for Outlaw. A solid groove percolates in nearly every track here — save for “Dreams” and album-ender “Memories” — and wherever they can, they’re also providing synth color and more.

Together, Outlaw and Eraserhood Sound have made here a vibe for the ages. 

— Joey Sweeney

*True fact: We built a whole bar that runs on vibes. It is located at 48 S. 2nd Street in Philadelphia, PA. Please come visit sometime. 

Note: These words originally appeared as the liner notes for the 48 Record Bar Record Of The Month for March 2024. To learn more about our ROTM program, click here.