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: 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.
Busta Rhymes - "In The Ghetto" (feat Rick James) (3:54)
Review: There's more to US funk god Rick James than just 'Super Freak' and this sprawling retrospective proves it. Across four sides, the Buffalo-born musician's full-spectrum funk is on glorious display i from the righteous bounce of 'You & I' and weed-soaked romance of 'Mary Jane', to the hard-grinding grooves of 'Ghetto Life' and 'Give It To Me Baby'. The hits are all here, but so are deeper cuts like 'She Blew My Mind (69 Times)', 'Cold Blooded' and 'Can't Stop', showing off James's twisted humour, whip-smart arrangements and genre-bending instincts. Highlights like 'Glow', 'Dance Wit Me - Part 1' and the Temptations-featuring 'Standing On The Top' cement his reputation as a psychedelic soul innovator who consistently defied convention. Even the closing Busta Rhymes flip of 'In The Ghetto' feels earned i a nod to his lasting influence on rap and r&b. This isn't just a greatest hits i it's a flex, a time capsule and a reminder that Rick James could outplay, outsing and outfreak almost anyone.
Review: Jameszoo aka Mitchel van Dinther returns with a cinematic journey blending jazz and contemporary classical. Written for Dutch ensemble Asko Schonberg, percussion group HIIIT, and Jameszoo's trio, Music for 17 Musicians explores themes from his 2022 work Blind. Central is a self-governing player piano controlled by custom algorithms creating autonomous musical decisions which add a unique, experimental edge. The music reflects van Dinther's fascination with detaching composer identity to invite active, unbiased listening. It is packed with rich orchestration and smart electronic interplay that nods to Steve Reich's classic while pushing onto new frontiers.
Review: Boy Better Know founder, vegan grime MC and one third of the Adenuga family legacy alongside Skepta and radio presenter Julie, JME has always floated above grime and bass music airspaces as an incontestable voice. Integrity first arrived through BBK as a fully self-produced banger set in 2015, corralling heavyweight collaborators Wiley, Giggs, Skepta, and D Double E to hammer home a certain message: simply put: don't mess. Wavering between dreamy and tearout instrumentals almost always orbiting 140bpm, and circulated between then "in" producers Joker, Deeco, and of course the inimitable Swifta, JME's subject matter always matches the vibe, be that as it may, boxing the opposition with car key fobs, or treating producers like prostitutes, giving them P for a beat. A certain nostalgia will wash over 10s grime listeners, as this limited edition clear vinyl reissue reinvokes the mouthy verbiage of one of grime's toppest guns.
Old Skool Funk (feat Cory Wong & Jeff Lorber & Roki) (4:32)
In It To Win It (4:09)
Is It Too Late (4:11)
Fascination (4:06)
Personal Revolutions (4:31)
Earths Mysteries (4:13)
Flowers In Their Hair (feat Valerie Etinne) (5:05)
Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sky (4:47)
Warrior Princess (4:37)
Dance Of The Summer Rain (3:02)
Review: British keyboardist, producer and songwriter Matt Johnsonibest known as a longtime core member of Jamiroquaiand no relation to the The The lynchpin isteps out once again under his own name with a second solo album that channels cosmic jazz, 70s funk and a renewed sense of purpose. Built around the symbolic narrative of Greta Thunberg's 2019 solo Atlantic crossing, the new record balances personal reflection with the energy of vintage groove music. With over 20 years' experience as Jamiroquai's co-writer and keyboardistihaving co-produced albums like AutomatoniJohnson now synthesises that foundation into something even more expansive. Aided by guests like Cory Wong, Will Lee and jazz fusion great Jeff Lorber, he crafts instrumentals that are warm, exploratory and fluid, rich with analogue synths and lyrical progressions. His YouTube community of 140,000 keyboard fans will find much to love here, but it's just as inviting for those new to his solo work. This is music that stares into the storm, yet sails through it with colour and clarity.
Review: There's a dark and eerie underbelly to Kathryn Joseph's We Were Made Prey. Everything feels dense, the air thick with a kind of moonlight, midnight unease. Images spring to mind of rushing through twilight woodlands or sailing through blinding fog. More than a few shades of Kate Bush, with the leading lady's vocal range certainly worthy of such a comparison. Tracks like 'Deer' owe more to the eternal Wuthering Heights resident than others, perhaps, but when all is said and done drawing this kind of comparison does us all a disservice. Lazy writing, and a failure to recognise the unique individuality of both female icons. Sticking in the here and now, Joseph has this remarkable ability to distill heady, intoxicating songs that grow, blossom, sometimes growl and always captivate. An emotionally charged enigma you need in your life.
Review: First released in 1981 in the wake of Ian Curtis's death, the compilation Still served as both an epilogue to and archive of Joy Division's brief but seismic existence, beginning in 1980s Manchester. A one-of-a-kind compilation, its uniqueness stems from two non-album wranglings, 'Dead Souls' and 'Glass', which precipitate a revelatory ream of studio outtakes, before a raw, emotionally freighted live set from their final show at Birmingham University. That concert also captured the only time the band played 'Ceremony' live; the tune would later reappear, reshaped, on the other side of Curtis's death, as New Order's debut single. An unusually passable idiosyncrasy consists in the fact that Curtis' vocals are barely audible on this version, as was often the case with every live performance of the song. Now reissued, this has to be one of the most comprehensive four sides of formative post-punk supersession ever to hit the shelves.
Review: Though they've trodden remarkably different paths through music so far, the coming-together of UK singer-producers Allysha Joy, Hidden Spheres and Finn Rees makes for a latent talent condensation of the "of course!" kind. Solina hears them freshwater rock pool their shared ear for groove and space, weaving motifs of Balearic house, jazz, broken beat and 90s street soul through a vivid whole; long after each artist's works across in veins of future beats, chillwave, deep house and UK bass. From the tremulous Rhodes overwash of 'Promised Me Love' to the sophomoric sunstroke 'Trust The Feeling', Joy's vocals usually only appear lately, like a vocal forest spirit peeking its head out on the ecotone between wood and sea. Not a showcase of chops, but a case of layered restraint, unfurling unhurriedly.
Experimental (feat Brian Smokey Williams - album vocal mix)
The Midnight Hour
Knights (Ext Time Traveler mix)
Overdrive (album mix)
The Project
Good Timing (feat Big Mel)
Spirits (album mix)
Beyond
Review: Vick Lavander is a name that has always been a byword for deep house quality. His sound is couched in a classic template but comes with subtle tweaks and plenty of its own musical character. BEYOND is a bumper collection of beats which proves just that. There are silky and cosmically minded sounds like 'Time & Time Again' next to subtly jazzy dancers like 'Sunset BLVD' and dubby, elegant grooves like the life-affirming 'Grace'. The pace picks up with joints like 'Knights' but never at the expense of atmosphere and slows right down with swab-tinged downbeat delights like 'Good Timing'. A magnificently rich work.
Free (Do What U Want) (feat Ultra Mate - LP Giobbi club edit) (3:53)
You Got The Love (feat Becky Hill - Tiesto remix) (3:07)
Time (5:07)
La Ritournelle (feat Will Heard) (3:20)
Greece 2000 (3:39)
Insomnia (4:21)
Cafe Del Mar (3:34)
Right Here Right Now (4:08)
Sing It Back (feat Becky Hill) (4:44)
9PM (Til I Come) (2:47)
Rhythm Of The Night (feat RoRo) (2:53)
Review: It's all gone... 2025 marks the decade since Pete Tong, folk-vernacular-approved DJ and radio tastemaker, joined forces with conductor Jules Buckley and The Heritage and The Essential Orchestra to reimagine electronic dance anthems through the grandeur of orchestration. Over the years, their redos have made club classics symphonic, purpled in a way few other reimaginers could beat. To celebrate, Pete has now curated a special anniversary compilation, with orchestral renditions of iconic tracks such as 'Pjanoo', 'Lola's Theme', 'Killer,' 'Insomnia', '9PM (Till I Come)', and 'Your Love'.
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