Rituals

Released in 2008, Rituals marked a significant evolution for Italian DJ and producer Nicola Conte. While his previous work, such as 'Other Directions', leaned heavily into the bossa nova and lounge revival scenes, Rituals saw Conte embracing the spiritual jazz traditions of the late 1960s. Recorded with a stellar ensemble of international musicians including Till Brönner and Gianluca Petrella, the album emphasizes live performance and modal structures over the sample-based aesthetics of his nu-jazz origins. The inclusion of diverse vocalists like José James and Alice Ricciardi adds a choral, almost liturgical quality to the record. Critically, it is viewed as his most 'serious' work, successfully bridging the gap between the dancefloor-oriented jazz of the Schema label and the high-art aspirations of contemporary post-bop. Its lasting legacy is its ability to make deep, spiritual jazz feel accessible to a modern, urban audience.