Broadstairs-born trumpeter JSPHYNX (AKA Johnny Woodham) — a regular collaborator with Alfa Mist, Rex Orange County, Corto Alto, Barney The Artist and more — returns to Alfa Mist's Sekito Records with 'HOLD ON', a five-track EP that follows his debut LP 'REFLEX'. Across the project, JSPHYNX continues to operate at the intersection of UK jazz and bass music, but this time the lens is wider: jungle's diasporic histories, late-night euphoria, rooms in Birmingham, Mumbai and London, and a deeply personal goodbye all sit shoulder to shoulder. Opener 'Cowie B' has been a live cut in JSPHYNX's set for some time, built around a bassline pulled from one of the very first beats he ever made. The tune takes its name from a friend who suggested a cowbell that didn't survive the final mix — but the dark, propulsive energy did. Drummer Nathan Shingler and Birmingham vocalist Tarju, first met at the city's Neighbourhood night, carry the track from rehearsal-room ritual into a studio document of good times and shared memories. 'Flows' opens up space for the band to stretch out — a breaksy, jungle-tinged workout where euphoric piano lines (lifted in spirit from classic rave keys) thread through the improvisation. 'Interlude', featuring Michael Underwood and Eddie Lee, is a moment of lyrical calm tucked deliberately between two of the EP's most hectic cuts. 'Cash 4 Gold' brings in Mumbai-based singer, composer and producer Anuraag Dhoundeyal, who JSPHYNX met while playing on his music in India and who later jumped up with the band at London's 91 Living Room. Built on the raaga Kirwani (loosely the Harmonic Minor), the track honours jungle's long-running dialogue with Indian classical samples — and the diasporic identity carried in them — pairing JSPHYNX's UK jazz and bass palette with Anuraag's ancient, spiritual weight. The EP closes with title track 'Hold On' — dedicated to JSPHYNX's late father, written from the feeling of not being ready to let go. Originally titled 'Hold On. Don't Go', it gives the project both its name and its emotional centre of gravity: a quiet insistence that the people, places and memories woven through these tracks are worth keeping close.
