Review: Emma Noble, the emerging soul singer from London, delivers a powerful performance on the girl group soul anthem 'Unstoppable'. Her second single, it's poised to become a next-gen floor-filler; catch us playing it on repeat, *in flagranti*, after it premiered on Craig Charles' BBC6 Soul Show in early 2025. 'Going Going Gone' backs it up on the B-side, as the first single from FPE's upcoming album Waves. Hearing rising Australian singer-songwriter and pop genius J Mahon on vocal duties, the track's catchy brass sections combine with J's androgynous soul vocals, and evokes the sounds of young Motown artists in the style's 60s adolescence.
Something New (extended Smooth version By Philip Ward) (5:21)
Review: Texas-based jazz harpist Cindy Horstman quietly released Fretless in 1995, a self-assured exploration of jazz textures and instrumental elegance. Tucked among its originals is 'Something New', a standout soul jazz cut that drifts with mid-tempo grace, elevated by James Kings', well, fret-free vocal perforations. Horstman's harp is hardly heard here on this album salvaging; instead, she procured 'Something New', steeped in street and smooth soul, with tuned claves and electronic triangles abounding. Pressed on clear vinyl and limited to 300 copies, this small-batch reissue offers a welcome return for a quietly majestic moment in 90s jazz-soul fusion.
J Blue - "I Can't Keep Crying Sometimes" (part 1) (3:25)
Original Gravity Allstars - "I Can't Keep Crying Sometimes" (part 2) (4:02)
Review: London imprint Original Gravity keeps the 7" heat coming with a two-part reimagining of the blues standard 'I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes'. J Blue takes the A-side, laying down a smoky, melancholic vocal over a stripped-back hip-hop groove, bringing 60s soul pathos into sharp modern focus. It's the kind of cut that creeps up on you-restrained, ghostly, all mood. On the flip, the Original Gravity Allstars stretch things out dub-style with a Pt. 2 version, turning the track inside out into something moodier, heavier, and bass-led. Another strong entry in the label's ongoing campaign to bridge vintage sonics and contemporary pulse-perfect for deep selectors and collectors alike.
Review: In 1979, the Washington-based Janice Lakers Quintet recorded this fetching demo, beloved for its formal attending to the joy of making music together. With Lakers on vocals, Dick Cady on piano, Mike Edwards on woodwinds, Larry Turner on bass and Fred Taylor on drums, the group delivered two unique covers, each worked into their own signature style. Their take on Seawind's 'He Loves You' strips back the funk, replacing it with a light, effortless glide. Taylor's whisking drums and Turner's steady bassline lay an airy foundation, while Edwards' clarinet and Cady's piano inject bursts of energy mid-song. On the flip, 'Shaker Song' bridges Spyro Gyra's instrumental and Manhattan Transfer's later vocal version; richer in texture, it offered Lakers a chance to explore her vocal range, closing with lively scatting.
Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts - "Wooly Bully" (2:26)
Review: Across four artists and four versions, Original Gravity present 'Woolly Bully', a woollen repackaging of the longtime Sam Sham & The Pharoahs classic. Laid down in 1964, this terpsichorean prancer kept to a 12-bar blues progression, and made for the first American record to sell a million copies during the storied British Invasion. Its mixture of skiffly British rock and Mexican-American conjunto was an intentional blend, and a succesful one at that. Its enduring impact is now felt in these rollicking cover versions from Junior Dell, Donnoya Drake, Luchito & Nestor Alvarez and Curtis Baker, all roomy, costume vintage retrofits of the original. Listen closely to the lyrics for strange talk of a mythical creature: the original song's lyrics were so strange that some radio stations banned it for fear of popular befuddlement.
Junior Dell & The D-Lites - "Watch That Girl (Little Fatty Boom Boom)" (3:30)
Woodfield Rd Allstars - "Sharpen Up!" (3:11)
Review: Junior Dell & The D Lites so often and so brilliantly work together and this is another fin example of it. Red hot vibes and sunny soul flow freely throughout the airy and breezy 'Watch That Girl (Little Fatty Boom Boom)', which muses on a passing beauty with a lovely behind. It's a single bursting with catchy hooks and tight rhythms topped by Junior Dell's charismatic vocals and all coated in nice authentic lo-fi fuzz and analogue warmth. The Woodfield Rd Allstars provide a Hammond organ-laced groove with brighter melodies and still lush, dynamic instrumental backdrops that elevate the song's lively edge.
Review: System warmongers Moonshine Recordings brew their own methanol murder beats, this time enlisting master home brewer King DuBear and toaster/taster Junior Dread for an apocalyptic system smasher, of epidemic proportions. In characteristic throaty baritone, 'Keep The Faith' hears Dread caution his fellow youngers against folly - "stay away from they food and the lies dem a spread" - while snares and noir bubbles come ensnared in intense, pop-out reverb. The dub goes surprisingly in on Dread's vocals, hamming them up with extra preamp body.
Native Sons (part 2 - feat Maseo, Black Thought, Posdnuos, Mike G, Afrika & Busta Rhymes) (4:38)
Native Sons (part 2 - instrumental) (4:34)
Review: We've an East Coast rap royal flush, as Talib Kweli and J. Rawls tap into deep lineage with 'Native Sons Part 2', a limited 7" pulling heavyweight verses from Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers' Mike G and Afrika. It's a sprawling nod to the Native Tongues era, retooled for now; lyrically dense, spiritually charged, and anchored by Rawls' crisp, jazz-touched production. The single lands ahead of a spring 2025 compilation with Dostoyevskian undertones, Notes From The Underground, via Fat Beats. The flip bears an instrumental, stripped down to let Rawls' craftsmanship breathe.
Review: 'Incense Music for Dining Room' is the third release in the acclaimed Incense Music compilation series curated by Toru Hashimoto, with artwork by Jiro Fujita and mastering by Calm, who is one of Japan's leading figures in jazz, chill-out and Balearic music. The 7" comes with two standout tracks: side-A features a beautiful reinterpretation of Yusef Lateef's 'Love Theme From Spartacus,' famously sampled by Nujabes on 'The Final View,' while Side-AA delivers a mellow, jazzy take on Joe Thomas' 'Coco' which also known as the basis for Buddha Brand's 'Buddha's Holiday.' It makes for a refined blend of nostalgia, jazz and chillout for discerning diggers.
Review: Measured Mile, the 7"s label run by Bob Stanley, firms its focus on DJ-friendly 45s that are or were either very rare or previously unavailable in the format. Its run of sharply curated 7"s is replenished with another three-tracker, this time an unusual choice, fencing two classic British sports broadcasting themes, pivoting from midtempo funk to faster breaks. Leading the A are two standouts from Douglas Wood, 'Cranes', known as the punchy, synth-heavy theme from the BDO World Darts Championship - and 'Drag Racer', the atmospheric opener to the BBC's Snooker World Championships coverage, both drawn from the revered Studio G library catalogue. On the flip, John Cameron's 'Sprocket Shuffle' - the lively 1980s ITV Snooker theme - rounds out the package in a flurry of analogue texture and charming nostalgia.
Review: Sensory Blending hears Finnish artist Jimi Tenor and Italian group Aura Safari team up for an impromptu studio shebang in Perugia, Italy, after Tenor's storied but clandestine performance at a Hell Yeah party. Despite no prior connection, the musicians quickly found common ground, forging a vivant fusion of jazz-funk, tropicalia and soul. Tenor's psychedelic style gelled Aura Safari's faster, intuited approach, resulting in such tracks as 'Bodily Synesthesia,' 'Bewitched By The Sea' and 'Lunar Wind', each of which connect seductive grooves and ghost noted keys. Possibly performed live at select events later in the year, the record is a perfect storm of recorded "live feel" Balearica.
Review: A standout 1958-1959 recording by Johnny Hodges, Side by Side marked his continued solo work after taking the bold decision to leave the legendary Duke Ellington Orchestra. This album harks back to the small-group sessions of the 1930s but with a twist as Ellington's absence on several tracks meant Billy Strayhorn stepped in on piano. Joining Hodges are jazz legends like Jo Jones, Roy Eldridge and Harry 'Sweets' Edison, who all add colour to the varied collection, which has been newly remastered for Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series. As a follow-up to 1959's Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues, it is another gem from the noted alto saxophonist.
Review: Reconnecting through their shared musical heritages, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson present What Did the Blackbird Say To The Crow, a mesmerising collection of fiddle and banjo tunes tied to North Carolina's many oral and digital traditions. After their late mentor Joe Thompson bequeathed them a trove of recordings to work with, the already esteemed, torch-bearing duo breathe new life into 18 handpicked rethinks and honorific originals, some sung, others purely instrumental. Recorded outdoors at sites meaningful to Thompson and Baker, their sessions were joined by the rare, overlapping calls of two cicada broods, unheard together since 1803. Giddens calls it "music made for your community's enjoyment and for dancing."
Review: German pair Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth rightly got plenty of acclaim for their 2023 ambient album Overlay and now it gets revisited with a top selection of remixes that breathe new life into the original compositions. Prominent ambient and experimental artists such as Hollie Kenniff, Rafael Anton Irisarri and Pole all show their class while newer names like Abul Mogard smears synths into a misty wonder on 'Scope', Galan/Vogt layer in angelic vocal tones to 'Valenz' and Leandro Fresco brings a lightness of touch that fills with optimism on opener 'Apastron. Guentner and Spieth themselves provide two alternate versions of their originals that bring new emotional and sonic depth.
Review: Headnodic and Jazz Mafia, hailing from the Bay Area, bring a fresh yet nostalgic twist to the West Coast jazz-rap sound, combining the gritty pulse of boom-bap with the fluidity of jazz. From the outset, tracks like 'Rambissimo' and 'Zugulala' strike with a laid-back but engaging energy, fusing head-nodding beats made from SP-12s and MPCs with live instrumentation that radiates warmth and spontaneity. The resulting sound is both organic and meticulously crafted, effortlessly balancing sharp, loop-based hip-hop with the kind of loose, human groove that gives jazz its soul. The project came to life through an introduction from Thes One of People Under The Stairs, and it's clear why this collaboration is so electrifyingiheadnodding beats paired with smooth, clever bars that never take themselves too seriously. Tracks like 'Maiden Voyage' and 'All That You Could Be' capture the essence of jazzy hip-hop without ever feeling forced, creating a timeless vibe perfect for any occasion. This limited release is a gem, capturing a moment of pure creativity and musical synergy.
You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) (4:54)
Go For It (4:18)
Loisaida (5:27)
Happy Ending (3:39)
Be My Number Two (4:28)
Heart Of Ice (6:50)
Review: A reissue on nice double vinyl for the sixth album from 'sophisti-pop' pioneer Jackson, fusing jazz, funk and soul elements with a post-punk spikiness and a very British outlook, pointing the way forward for the likes of the Style Council and a host of other 80s acts. It first surfaced in 1984 and although it's the first digitally recorded album he made, it's typified sonically by Jackson and producer David Kershenbaum's move to reject the sterile, dead acoustics of modern studios in favour of the Manhattan Masonic Hall, previously mainly used for classicx recording. The jazzy solos, sparkly sax and snazzy chorus of 'You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)' - with just a hint of Afrobeat groove to it too - are probably best known here, but all nine songs number among the Staffordshire-born musician's smartest output.
Review: Berlin-based producer JakoJako aka Sibel Kocer's debut album for Mute - after appearances on a stream of leading German labels including Tresor - is described as a distillation of ideas that she's been exploring for many years. In reality, that means working on a minimal set up, away from the computer while restricting herself to just a Eurorack and a Waldorf Iridium Core, in the search for spontaneity. She found it, for sure, as the results - recorded in Vietnam during the Tet Lunar New Year celebrations - are a feast of glistening arpeggios and lush modular textures, stripped back but full of expression and personality. 'Ghi-ta' will appeal to fans of vintage perky ambient productions the Pete Namlook/Mixmaster Morris collaboration Dreamfish, while 'Gio' has a touch of Tangerine Dream's classic widescreen sensibilities. Bold tones, bold debut.
Review: The tenth album from French-Syrian flautist Naissam Jalal brings together some of jazz's most distinctive wind players in an intimate and remarkably cohesive set of duets. On Souffles ('Breaths'), she engages in raw, unhurried dialogue with Emile Parisien, Louis Sclavis, Sylvain Rifflet and others, each piece anchored in mutual listening and the elemental pulse of breath. Rather than showcasing virtuosity, these recordings draw power from restraint. 'Souffle #1' with Archie Shepp is the most meditative, an unspooling conversation between two voices that barely rise above a whisper. On 'Souffle #5', Thomas de Pourquery's sax lifts Jalal's flute into a playful, unsteady dance, while 'Souffle #3' with Yom pulls from deeper tonal reserves, evoking both lament and resolve. Jalal's talent lies in evoking weight from simplicity - not just through technique but through presence. The album foregrounds breath as both material and metaphor: exhalation as expression, resistance, memory. Her unforced phrasing and instinctive sense of space bring a disarming honesty to every track. Though rooted in jazz, this is music beyond genre - personal, embodied and open to the world. It's less about improvisation as freedom and more about the quiet intensity of listening.
Review: Experience the white knuckle energy of the band's early U.S. tour at the legendary punk club, with a mix of tracks from their 1977 debut In the City and their second album - also released '77 - This Is the Modern World. Technically named the Rathskiller, the Boston venue was nicknamed The Rat and built a reputation as a basement dive bar that has hosted acts that have gone on to be the biggest names in rock. The Jam are a case in point and on red hot form here with the Paul Weller-led band thrashing through the likes of 'Carnaby Street', 'In The City' and 'All Around The World' in an unpolished, ramshackle and intimate way that the studio albums can't conjure.
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