We’re no good at maths here but there must come a time, sooner than later, when every permutation of letters has been used for an artist’s name? This time we’re presented with SFZ, which we’re pronouncing as ‘zed’, even though we know we probably shouldn’t. Is it meant to be a word if you say it in a certain way? We’re a bit lost on it to be honest but the good news is that the music definitely makes up for the name confusion*

• SFZ has now contacted us and told us that SFZ is a term used in classical music meaning, “suddenly with force”. We have stood in the corner as penance.

SFZ (Joe Ordish), in another life, is a classical pianist – like, a really good one, not just chopsticks. Combining his skills in this department with his passion for hip-hop, so that rather than using generic samples, he is able to create actually quite beautiful, plaintive backing for his vocals. It’s a bit like when you here a real soul band playing their instruments as opposed to one miming and using synth horns – it makes you wonder why more artists don’t make more effort.

Musically, it’s very Loyle Carner, British hip hop without falling into a grime beigeness, there’s a confident, laid-back approach that makes you feel comfortable that SFZ knows what he’s doing and you don’t need to be on red alert for anything ropey suddenly coming into play. Impressive, check him out here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFZISPOOR/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sfzispoor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sfzispoor/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29xo8oUT7ldPP2j5ZJUCHB?si=dgs-fi7_S12kdf3Sm4G_RA