Alphabet City is a neighbourhood in New York’s the East Village. Nublu is a club lying behind a black door — anonymous but for a band’s name etched in chalk. The band’s name is NYEUSI.

When Justin Brown’s name is on the band list you know the drumming’s going to be tight and powerful with a touch of the frenetic when it’s apt. Having taken the drum stool most prominently with Ambrose Akinmusire, Gerlad Clayton and Flying Lotus, NYEUSI provides the vehicle for Justin’s raw impulses to take root and steer a band of his own.

As you’d expect/hope, the band’s sound drives with an unpredictable, oscillating energy. Justin pushes and pulls the beats around: percussive pitter-patters around the cymbals and snare ride on top of a restless pulse. Jason Lindner on keys brings an electronic trance into the mix importing the experimental aura of Now Vs. Now. The quartet (maybe too formal a term) is completed by Fabian Almazan on keys and Burniss Earl Travis on bass.

This is a band for fans of transportive grooves, electronic freedom, and unmarked doors in Alphabet City.