Back catalogue: All genres

Review: The Mercury Prize-winning British jazz group returns this September with the greatly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning 'Where I'm Meant to Be'. The first jazz group ever to win the prestigious accolade, their unique blend of jazz, calypso, afrobeat and roots has carried over into the two singles 'God Gave Me Feet For Dancing' and 'Ajala'.The former features up-and-coming star Yazmin Lacey, whose sudden scouting has made her a necessary one to watch in the British soul scene. Interpolating Nina Simones's 1965 classic 'Feeling Good', the track proposes the group's manifesto of dancing not just as an activity confined to the club, but as a God-given ability - an act of spirituality and community. 'Ajala', by contrast, is a fast-paced afrobeat-cum-bebop jam named after the Yoruba slang for being unable to sit still. Lucky fans were able to hear the recording live at the 'Beyond the Bassline' exhibition at the British Library - with some of the live adlibs and crowd work being included in the single version currently on streaming. Pressed on an indie-exclusive deep red stain disc.

Review: London's contemporary jazz scene is so strong right now that there's not a week that passes without the release of a killer new album from one of its leading protagonists. The latest comes from Ezra Collective, which finally delivers its' debut album following a string of inspired live performances and a handful of must-have singles. Kicking off with a breezy chunk of hip-hop-jazz, "You Can't Steal My Joy" sees the hyped five-piece confidently bounce between intense, spiraling epics ("Why You Mad?"), reggae-influenced aural sunshine ("Red Whine"), polyrhythmic Afro-jazz ("Quest For Coin"), bespoke soul (Jorja Smith hook-up "Reason In Disguise"), live boom-bap hip-hop (Loyle Carner collaboration "What Am I To Do"), bustling Afro-Cuban jazz ("Chris & Jane"), picturesque piano pieces ("Philosopher II") and much more besides. As debuts go, it's mighty impressive.

Review: Much celebrated new school jazz crew Ezra Collective finally unveil their highly anticipated new album Where I'm Meant To Be after a big summer single 'Victory Dance' got us all excited. This record is a life-affirming romp with their famous hybrid sound tasing in all manner of different styles, eras and scenes. Some high-profile features from Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sande and Nao bring extra goodness to this record which is certainly a product of the current London scene but also owes a debt to the sounds of southern Africa. It all adds up to a real doozy.

Review: Dance, No One's Watching is a joyous celebration of the unifying power of dance. Written during Ezra Collective's world tour in 2023, which also saw them become the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize, this album is full of vibrant energy, a complete sonic journey through a night out in the city, this album succeeds from the opening anticipation to the dawn's quiet conclusion. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios amidst a live communal celebration, Dance, No One's Watching resonates with love, music, and the infectious spirit of dancing. The band's dynamic compositions and rhythmic power are showcased in every track, making it a powerful addition to contemporary British music. The Deluxe 2 LP set on black vinyl, housed in a gatefold jacket with exclusive artwork and a fold-out poster, makes this limited edition the copy to have. Ezra Collective's are innovative with a unifying musical vision.

Review: Continually travelling jazz explorer Greg Foat heads to Finland in search of more kindred spirits to jam with, again hosted by the excellent Scandi jazz label Jazzaggression. Having recently collaborated with Aleksi Heinola and Teemu Akerblom for Gone To The Cats, Foat now teams up with Eero Koivistoinen on tenor sax for a decidedly smooth ride which brings out the best in both players. Captured over a stormy weekend at Jazzaggression's in-house studio, there are considered compositions and improvised moments alike on this infinitely listenable album, which neatly rounds off his trio of albums for the label.

Review: Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper's Director's Cut project continues with its third rendition, bringing together yet another eight house remixes of established neo-soul and trip-hop songs by the pair and their friends. Standouts on this one include Tony Humphries' Work & Play Mix of Inaya Day's 'Let's Stay Home', which follows the singer's orders to "take advantage of this little bit of rainfall" to produce a slice of humble, heated house pie; and Director's Cut's 'Signature mixes' of sultry lullabies by Martina Topley-Bird and Vintage Dbow.

Review: The Reflex's multi-track re-edits are always on point, but those he's created for Salsoul Records have generally been impressive even by his high standards. This third double-pack of 'ReVisions' (as he calls them) contains two of his best Salsoul reworks yet: a thrillingly stretched-out take on Gazz's 'Sing Sing' that sees him cannily showcase some of the track's key elements in turn before unleashing the familiar bassline, breaks and vocals, and a fabulously spaced out 'Cosmic Dub' of Rafael Cameron's early electrofunk classic 'Boogie's Gonna Get Ya'. That too, has a big build, making the introduction of the bassline and Cameron's chorus vocals a genuinely breath-taking moment. The EP also contains a solid take on a lesser-celebrated Cameron tune, the more disco-fied 'All That's Good To Me', and a Tom Moulton-esque take on Edwin Birdsong's 'Win Tonight'.

Review: Ensemble Modern and experimental, Berlin-based music composer and sound artist Hainbach come together for Primer, an album sourced from their 2022 Checkpoint concert and reworked in the studio with bassist Paul Cannon. The record transforms their fine live performance into a rich, immersive home listening experience with Hainbach's signature use of nuclear research gear, tape loops and vintage electronics weaving haunting, ever-shifting textures throughout. As such the pieces pulse with a sonic spark that captures the spirit of experimentation and collaboration and is taps into plenty of avant-garde thinking in its approach to drone and ambient.

Review: The legacy of Frankie Knuckles will never diminish even if releases like this one day eventually dry up. Forever regarded as 'The Godfather of House' it is now almost a decade since his passing. In his prolific career he hooked up with Eric Kupper many times as Director's Cut and this is a collection of their best works. It's full of house classics that have all been remixed by their fair hand, from 'Your Love" (feat Jamie Principle) to 'The Whistle Song' via 'I'll Take You There', all of which are spine tingling emotional deep house anthems that never lose their shine.

Review: Rob Mazurek and the Exploding Star Orchestra's Lightning Dreamers is a new and eclectic mix of vignettes for jazz and beat-tronica, with its instrumental oeuvre ranging from brass and analog synths to strings to sampled electronics. In total, the album amounts to a sonic wonderland of boppy brain-ticklers, but that should only go to serve the already extensive reputation of the project's lead brain Rob Mazurek - trumpeter and 'interdisciplinary abstractivist' extraordinaire. Fashioned after a slew of experiences while the on a 3-year trip to Rio Negro, Brazil, this is a metallic and scrapy jazz opus, full of curiosities and odd twist-turns.

Review: El Grupo Renacimiento, the brainchild of Colombia's Meridian Brothers, offers a fantastical journey into a surreal world where salsa meets Kafkaesque transformations. Led by the versatile musician Eblis Alvarez, Meridian Brothers have long blurred the lines between avant-garde experimentation and traditional Latin rhythms, including Colombia's cumbia. With El Grupo Renacimiento, Alvarez and his collaborators craft a whimsical playlist that touches on themes ranging from anti-police protest to addiction and broken love, each track infused with a surreal twist and paying homage to salsa's diverse subgenres. Songs like 'Triste Son' parody Cuban son with a cha-cha beat, while 'Poema del Salsero Resentido' forewarns of a rhythmic apocalypse. 'Metamorfosis' explores the theme of transhumanism with percussive intensity. Despite the album's tongue-in-cheek approach reminiscent of Latin Spinal Tap, the music remains tightly woven and playful. Released on the revived Ansonia label, marking its first new release in three decades, El Grupo Renacimiento is a delightful fusion of creativity and nostalgia, pushing musical boundaries while paying homage to salsa's rich heritage.

Review:  Legendary Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento is often hailed as one of Brazil's greatest ever musical exports and for this album, he collaborated with NPR's "21st Century's jazz genius," Esperanza Spalding. Milton + Esperanza is an album produced by Spalding and one that blends urgent and timeless sounds together into something interesting and new. The album features guest appearances by Dianne Reeves, Paul Simon, Lianne La Havas, and others while fusing Nascimento's enduring musical vision and Latin spirit with Spalding's innovative approach to jazz.

Review: The search for The Quest is finally over. This rare album, a true first pressing with the Abbey ring and deep grooves, is now on the shelf and sounding fantastic. It ranks among the top jazz albums, alongside Basra and Far Cry. The Quest is a stunning showcase of soul, musicianship, and composition, with all tunes penned by Mal Waldron, who is a master of sparse, dark, delicate beauty on the piano. Featuring Eric Dolphy on alto and clarinet, Booker Ervin on tenor, Ron Carter on cello, Joe Benjamin on double bass, and Charlie Persip on drums, the ensemble is top-notch. Standout tracks include the mellow and reflective 'Warm Canto' and the energetic 'Status Seeking,' Every tune is unique, making it an album worth revisiting. This reissue rightly restores leadership to Waldron, and with the support of Benjamin and Persip, the complex music, bridging hard bop and avant-garde, is beautifully interpreted. Highly recommended.