Detroit legend Theo Parrish is back with a two-tune 12" EP that's set to cure the modern malaise in just a few simple steps. Self-described as "a response to stagnation and nonmovement", the Traffic Jams 12" arrives next month via Parrish's own label Sound Signature. - Flying Out
Detroit innovator Theo Parrish returns with his latest EP, Traffic Jams, a profound response to stagnation—whether physical, mental, or emotional. True to his boundary-pushing ethos, Parrish channels the mantra of Bad Brains' "positive mental attitude," using his signature blend of soulful, textured beats to explore themes of flow and blockage, aptly likened to "Traffic Jams" in mind and body.
The opening track, Positive Mental Attitude Solves All, serves as a heartfelt tribute to Parrish's late Detroit mentor and funk legend, Amp Fiddler. With its dusty, off-kilter percussive layers, warm synths, and intricate melodic interplay, it encapsulates the deep, jazz-inflected soulfulness Parrish is celebrated for. Traffic Jams extends these themes, weaving hypnotic rhythms and jazzy inflections into an 11-minute meditation on loosening the constraints that hinder creativity and flow.
In Parrish's words: "Traffic Jams are really coagulation and inflammation in the body. Mental stresses are Traffic Jams. Moments where there is no flow are all due to Traffic Jams. Within the Mind, Fear and Doubt are Traffic Jams."
