Pulse 02(coloured vinyl 12"+ MP3 download code limited to 200 copies (comes in different coloured vinyl, we cannot guarantee which one you will receive))
Joachim Spieth - "Subtle" (Nitechord remix) (4:45)
Review: Past Inside the Present's 'Pulse' series is an investigation into ambient tech and beat-driven ambient sounds. Who better for the job on this second edition than master craftsmen ASC and Joachim Spieth? ASC opens up with 'Tidal Disruption Event', an understated, underwater rhythm with jittery percussive patterns and bright shards of melodic light piercing through the mix as more coarse soundwaves break over the top. Spieth's 'Subtle' is just as artful and delicate a mix of persuasive rhythm and melodic beauty. A classy Nitechord remix closes out this fascinating EP.
Review: This EP is the first collaborative work by Andrea Belfi and Jules Reidy. Berlin-based and hailing from Italy and Australia respectively, the duo blends compositional precision with improvisational freedom. During a residency at Berlin's Callie's-a 19th-century factory turned arts space-they and engineer Marco Anulli crafted four expansive tracks in which Belfi's masterful drumming interlaces with Reidy's shimmering guitars and electronic textures. The opener layers just-intoned guitar figures over delicate brushwork and climaxes with a synthetic surge and tracks like 'Oben' and 'Alto' explore shifting grooves, propulsive rhythms and dynamic soundscapes.
Review: Brooklyn is not often somewhere you think of when it comes to minimal, a sound more usually associated with European artists these days, unless of course, you're talking about early US originators like Dan Bell and Robert Hood. This release suggests that view is wrong with a trio of classy cuts. Mike Berardi's 'Helicopter Ride' is lively and jazzy and rides a nice broken beat. Samuel Padden's 'String Theory' is more icy and paired back to a minimal cosmic trip and Jay Tripwire's 'Floorboards' a wonky late-night charmer.
Review: The well regarded Umwelt introduced Raverbreakerz as a dynamic new series on his label Rave Or Die earlier in summer. This massive compilation shows what it is all about with four hard-hitting tracks from genre specialists Blame The Mono, Jadzia, Ghost In The Machine and Umwelt himself, Seamlessly blending techno, breakbeat and dark, intense sounds design to captivate and energise the floor in equal measure, each artists contributes to what is a versatile arsenal for DJs seeking powerful sounds with a distinct style. On this evidence, Raverbreakerz is going to be a crucial new series.
Review: Mark Grusane presence on Disctechno brings with it a compilation of five unique house tracks from Chicago and Detroit-based producers, as you will probably have guessed from the title. The A-side features DJ Slush's synth-driven 'Memory Blank' and Deon Jamar's bass-heavy 'AYYYO' which offer different but both killer sounds. The B-side opens with Jordan Zawideh's reverb-drenched 'Axolotls' followed by Grusane's intense, atonal 'The Recoil' and concludes with Thomas Xu's groovy 'School Street.' All of these are the sort of off-kilter sounds you would expect of these revered and enduring electric hotbeds. Raw, stripped-down and authentic, this is the contemporary Midwest underground.
Review: Inhale Exhale will have you doing just that at a fair pace once you've dropped the needle on their latest record. It's a sweet trip into the depths of house and disco with seasoned artist Eddie C igniting the dance floor with a disco-infused anthem sure to set your hips swaying. Tilman crafts a delectable nu-groove track evoking the essence of the 90s with 'Forevermore' and then debuting on vinyl, Julius Renner embarks on a soulful journey to the heart of the dancefloor. Fresh talent Toomy Disco offers a funky, introspective bomb, Ron Brown serves up a deep, Latin-infused organ piece brimming with melancholy and optimism. Last of all, Meeshoo delivers a soul-stirring fusion of strings and disco brilliance.
Review: Burnt Friedman and Joao Pais Filipe's collaborative efforts began back in 2018. The former using synthesis and electronics to paint subtly but incredibly specific aural pictures, the latter focusing on the drum and rhythmic end of things. At times their music feels entirely designed for the dancefloors of underground electronic clubs, in other moments it's something very different indeed.
This latest EP lives up to those broad brushstrokes. '21-30' is a lush, almost tropical sounding workout that offers a complex percussive pattern, and combines these with gentle shades of melody, harmony, hook and distorted note. '22-105' brings elements of glitchiness and robotics into the mix. Meanwhile, '18-140' would work well as a brooding building tool (or section) of a 'proper techno' mix, with '23-130' bridging gaps between the lot.
Lost Girl (Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night rework) (3:32)
Special Technique Of Love (Jim Dunloop Shaolin Soul edit) (3:08)
Review: The mighty Dusty Donuts return to Queensbridge where they encounter a 'Lost Girl' featured on a legendary mixtape by one of QB's finest. This bouncy, choppy Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night Remix is sure to ignite any gathering. On the flipside, the vibes shift from Queensbridge to Staten Island and bring a special sound to work the crowd - this heavy soul classic arrives in true Shaolin style with choppy, dark soul chords and classic hip-hop beats. It's a track that commands attention with the drums but also locks in head and heart.
Review: Hip-hop head and dizzyingly dexterous DJ J Rocca is back with another musical celebration of the exit from office of the worst president in the history of the United States of America. This is the 6th such volume of 'Impeach' and it is a tight woven tapestry and skilful mash-up of no fewer than 14 flips of surely one of the most sampled songs in the history of hip hop. Masterfully mixed together and limited to 500 copies, this is a strong sonic statement that will stand the test of time.
Review: Ja-Ge George is a rather little-known dancehall artist who has turned out only a few releases over the last 20 years. He hails from Japan and is part of the Rub-A-Dub Market crew and now he is back with a new single that comes on Far Eastern label Lawson Entertainment. 'Down Beat Rule' blends new school and contemporary raga and dancehall into a classic-sounding cut with some rhythmic vocal stabs, natty, polished chords and broken tumbling beats to amp up any crowd. On the flip, it becomes a high-energy jungle workout powered by blistering breakbeats.
Review: The Jackson Sisters are next up on the latest 45 from Tower Vinyl, which has in recent times done a superb job of serving up some timeless and effective vintage soul sounds from across different niches and eras. This one kicks off with the well high energy sound of 'Miracles' with its big vocals, bigger drums and raw horns that are well known to cinema goers everywhere. 'Boy You're Dynamite' is a more raw and emotive sound with a striped back rhythm but superbly gut wrenching vocal deliveries.
Little Orphan Boy (Two Soul Fusion Downtempo remix) (10:25)
Little Orphan Boy (Two Soul Fusion instrumental) (14:00)
Review: Josh Milan and Louie Vega are real heavyweights and as Soul Fusion they step up here to remix the legendary 'Little Orphan Boy' which is the second single taken from album 'This Is Brian Jackson', the veteran artist's first true solo LP in over 20 years. They do so across four different versions and give it a vintage treatment. The extended 'Two Soul Fusion' mix brings back golden era of Masters at Work with a Latin-infused percussion groove while the 'Downtempo' remix lets Brian Jackson's vocals ride over a stripped back but just as soulful arrangement.
Review: This classic Japanese funk tune has long been adored by erudite boogie, 80s funk and soul fans in Japan but also more internationally, and for the first time here it is now available as a 7" single. Produced by Toshiki Kadomatsu, the release includes one track each from the Jadoes albums It's Friday from 1986 and Free Drink in 1987, both of which are considered iconic in the Japanese boogie canon. 'Summer Lady' is full of glossy 80s drums and sparking melodies that bring unbridled joy and 'Friday Night' is a little more paired back but the stepping drums and male-female vocal interaction is a thing of beauty.
Review: Jahlin was not only a talented singer and songwriter but was also someone who made music with a strong message. He got his education in Canada after moving there in 1975 following his younger days in amid and after booming a welder - which seems a popular first career choice for eventual reggae stars as Bob Marley took a similar path - he pursued his musical career. His 'Roots Reality' is as the title suggests a roots reggae song from the Roots Reality label in 1983. It has a positive vibe and the rather rare addition of a violin which is not so often heard in reggae tunes.
Review: Aussie duo Jayse & Steve P are so low profile that we can't source quite enough information to introduce them, but when the edits are this good - we'll just let the music speak for itself. The pair are back with another collection of boogie-funk edits; on the A-side there's some sexy and neon-lit late-night vibes, and over the flip the retro styles carry over with a low slung electro-funk jam featuring a quite familiar and absolutely infectious hook.
Review: Jazzanova remains one of the most musically astute and adventurous acts in the electric scene. Their sounds never seem to age and fuse everything from jazz to funk to soul. That makes them perfect for remixing by more dance floor-orientated producers and that is what we get here. Alongside an original tune 'Creative Musicians' Detroit talent Waajeed brings his warm machine soul and deep grooves, Henrick Schwarz's signature melodic majesty and serene sounds are on display and further dubs and instrumentals are also included. This one really packs a punch for fans of broken beat.
Review: Jimi Ahlroos's debut release on Jazzaggression is a limited edition album that comes in a reused sleeve with a digital download but none of the musical ideas are rehashed in any way. it's a vital 10" that features three original compositions performed by Jimi's energetic trio which includes Mooses Kuloniemi on drums and Tuomo Purhonen on double bass. Recorded at Pelto Studio in Siuntio during November 2023, the A-side opens with the funky 'Kouvo's Dance' followed by the introspective 'Blues.' The B-side offers the expansive 'Dave Had a Dream,' a heartfelt tribute to David Lynch that has already proven popular at Jimi's gigs.
Review: David R Jones's 'More Than A Dream' is about as Italo as Italo gets. It's also a hugely accessible disco cut with plenty of euro-dance influences in its hi-NRG, camp and upbeat arrangement. There are sinewy synth modulations and shiny arps, chugging beats and a big vocal to finish it off with plenty of razzmatazz. The dub version is included here as well as an acappella, extended mix, instrumental version and standout Eddy Mi Ami remix to complete this essential new 12" from Irma. All of these will provide great moments of energetic release in the club this winter and beyond.
Review: Stimulator Jones, you might know, is a Stones Throw artist, but here he lands on the house-leaning Star Creature with a new and exquisite outing that finds him tapping into a different side of his skills. He has dropped several fantastic albums before now that go from hip-hop to jazz-funk but here he taps into the magic of Chicago house greats like Fingers Inc and Larry Heard. 'Night Walk' is pure mid-tempo deep house perfection, 'Precious' layers in some tender vocals and a melodic bassline and 'Strive To Survive' brings more manic acid lines. 'Moon' shuts down with some irresistible swing and cosmic synth work.
Review: Koenig Cylinders always kept it hella real with their techno. The pair of John Selway and Oliver Chesler were pioneers of the hard stuff first time around and now that it is back en vogue, why not reissue this classic? 'Untitled' opens with a freaky vocal and eerie synth sound before '99.9' brings a wall of white noise and slamming drum patterns. 'Carousel' is an urgent wall-rattler with cantering drums and rave sires that light up the 'floor and 'Choreomania' shuts down with razor-sharp synths and acid flashes that tickle your brain. Arresting tackle of the highest order.
Noriko Kose & Haruka Nakamura - "I Miss You" (3:31)
Joachim Kuhn - "Housewife's Song" (4:35)
Review: Insense Music Works finished off 2024 on a high by serving up this brilliant pair of wonky jazz sounds. Noriko Kose & Haruka Nakamura's 'I Miss You' pairs pensive piano playing with alluring vocal sounds and raw beats into something heady and beguiling that almost seems to shift space and time with its smeared designs. Joachim Kuhn's 'Housewife's Song' on the flip is a busier sound with mad jazz keys, cascading piano chords and a vibrant sense of energy that flourishes ever brighter as the track unfolds.
Review: Deptford Northern Soul Club go in on this new single compiler. On the A-side comes a rare and true cut from singer-songwriter Velma Perkins, a paean for optimism in the form of 'Yes, My Goodness, Yes', which despite its affirmations only appeared as a rare and expensive B-side on her first ever 7". On the B-side comes Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr, whose 'You Can't Blame Me' originally appeared as a single for their then-incarnation as The Revelations.
Review: The Disintegration Loops man William Basinski has linked up with acclaimed experimental composer Janek Schaefer for this new collaborative record on Temporary Residence Limited. What they cook up is a suite of very unassuming songs that are all dedicated to the late and great avant-garde composer Harold Budd. The record was eight years in the making and is as timeless as ambient gets with 42 minutes of gently undulating sonic terrain gently and quietly detailed with subtle skill and placid melodies. It is as beautiful as it is absorbing once you really give yourself over to the sounds.
Harmonies In Hesitation (feat Marine Eyes) (10:53)
Interactions In Isolation (8:20)
Halvings In Hypnosis (10:06)
Strategies In Struggle (9:03)
Lamentations In Light (8:18)
Formulas In Fathoms (9:25)
Review: Anyone who's cast even the most casual eye over their ever expanding catalogue will have realised that one thing Past Inside The Present do best is bring artists together for unexpected and inspired collaborations. Departing in Descent is the first collaboration between James Bernard and Bvdub but their creative conversation effectively started as far back as 1994 when the latter bought Bernard's Atmospherics album in 1994 when it was "mistakenly stocked" in his local house music store. He says it was and remains his favourite ambient album, so when the pair found themselves crossing paths for one night in LA years later, a collaboration was the only logical conclusion. The results are more organic and friendly on the ear than some ambient offerings, with real instrumentation meshed with walls of woozy synths and delays, but no less fantastical and ambitious for it.
Review: The great Alice Coltrane was already widely revered by the time she released her third solo album Ptah, the El Daoud. It was written and recorded in 1970 in the basement of her house in Dix Hills on Long Island, New York and is noted for being the first record she made with horns. They are split between the two channels with Pharoah Sanders on the right bringing his abstract and transcendental sounds and Joe Henderson on the left bringing the intellectual vibe throughout. The post-bop sounds find Coltrane playing piano and harp receptions at the time were warm critically and with fans. The otherworldly sound is drenched in blues and perfect for some mindful meditations.
Review: In the reams of great John Coltrane recordings, this album surely stands of one of the true gems. Originally released in 1963, this collaboration with legendary baritone singer Johnny Hartman captures Coltrane at his mellow best. Alongside the headliners, the line-up on this album also features McCoy Turner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums and Jimmy Garrison on bass, and the result is an understated, sumptuous listen to lose yourself in. Sentimental and melancholic in all the best ways, this is sensitive musicianship at its finest.
Review: Five years after unfurling their first collaborative album, Iron Curtisn and Johannes Albert have finally got round to recording and releasing their fourth - three years after its predecessor landed in stores. As with previous sets, it's loosely inspired by all things lunar. In practice, that means hazy, spacey synths aplenty, slowly unfurling grooves, and loads of cosmic intent. Beginning with the soft-touch headiness of 'Void Gathering', the German duo flits between moon-lit, synth-powered nu-disco ('Silverclub'), jaunty analogue house ('Sound (The Feels)'), warmer and more tactile dancefloor gold ('Ohne Dich', 'Club L'Avenir'), bubbly electro ('Pipeline'), revivalist Italo-disco ('Into Somethin') and ultra-deep bliss ('Daso').
Review: A new album that is not a new album. It was written more than 20 years ago but somehow never saw the light of day until now. It is soul and funk-infused hip-hop gem that follows on from Danger Mouse and Jemini's debut LP, Ghetto Pop Life, which itself is 20 years old in 2024. Inspired by the success of that album, Ghetto Pop Life, the duo went out on tour and also wrote Born Again but shelved it until now. The previously unheard record retains the debut's fun-loving, shit-talking innocence while adopting a more introspective tone. Jemini's free-flowing cadence and Danger Mouse's resonant instrumentals create a classic hip-hop record that blends light-hearted topics with personal, poignant lyrics about redemption and relationships.
Review: This all new EABS meets Jaubi In Search of a Better Tomorrow long player is the result of musical bridges having been formed between Jaubi and the releases on Astigmatic Records and collaborations between musicians from Europe and Asia and EABS members' trips to Pakistan and Poland. It is a world sound with Moogs, bass guitars, grand pianos, Fender Rhodes, clarinets, saxophones and vocals all colliding tradition with new school thinking. Hip-hop elements, improvisation and spiritual jazz and Hindustani ragas all feature in this most cultural and musical melting pots.
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: The Firm was a UK supergroup that formed in 1984. Singer Paul Rodgers was the man responsible for getting together with guitarist Jimmy Page and the group became one of the most successful rock outfits of their era. They released a brace of brilliant albums - the self-titled debut in 1985, then a year later Mean Business - and played across the UK and US in the years after. One of the best shows they did was at the Oakland Coliseum on 15th March. Their extraordinary energy and fine set list was recorded for live FM Radio Broadcast and now you can listen back to the whole thing on vinyl for the first time ever.
Review: There's almost no point writing about this one - an album that already has legions of disciples waiting to embrace it, with pretty much everyone who knows the names Liam Gallagher and John Squire guaranteed to be interested in what their self-titled LP is about. More so, without even hitting play we all kind of know what it's about, with two of the biggest names to come out of Manchester's 1990s indie rock breeding ground coming together for a record that sounds every bit the sum of its parts. Squire's incredible guitar playing - a centrepiece of The Stone Roses' sound - is incredible as ever, sending riffs soaring over the dilapidated rooftops of North West England and out into the stratosphere. Meanwhile, Gallagher's elongated but gruff vocal style remains steadfast across ten anthems-in-the-making. Powerhouse stuff, but like we said, nobody expected less.
Review: You will always have a job second-guessing where The Gaslamp Killer might go next. This time, it is to a new collaborative album with Jason Wool. ANANDA find the pair cooking up 33 minutes of avant-garde experimental jazz underpinned by heavy bass and topped with plenty of sound design madness that calls to mind the likes of Stanley Clark, David Axelrod and Aphex Twin. The synapse firing collage of 'Chaos In The Brain' is a great example of the joys of this record - organic and synthetic, chaotic yet calm. It's a real treat.
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: Moods and Moods Vol. 2, the sequel to the acclaimed Scandinavian piano trio album Moods, is now available worldwide on double vinyl and featuring renowned bassist Jesper Bodilsen, drummer Morten Lund and pianist Henrik Gunde. This magnificent record captures the artistry and elegance that have made these musicians standout in Scandinavian jazz. With each note and stroke through the course of this album, the skilled trio creates a mesmerising jazz sounds that is distinctive to lovers of Scandinavian stylings and full of expressive piano.
Mike Parker - "Shakuhachi Two" (Hardspace mix) (4:50)
Review: Released on lovely transparent blue vinyl, the fourth volume of Figure's Hardspace series offers six fresh reinterpretations of Len Faki's favourite tracks under his staunchly underground Hardspace alias. Josh Wink's 'Sixth Sense' gets a powerful low-end rework while Aoki Takamasa's minimalist dub transforms into a high-energy and peak-time slammer. DJ Yoav B's iconic 'Energize' reaches new rave heights with its relentless groove and Huxley's dark take on 'Weapon 3' comes on with explosive force. Tuttle's 'Function' ups the intensity with Faki's signature claps and sirens while Mike Parker's '90s classic 'Shakuhachi Two' gains extra drive with Hardspace's propulsive percussion for a dynamic techno workout.
Review: Two Johns unite: griot and kora master John Haycock, hailing from Manchester, and fellow multi-instrumentalist John Ellis, team up for the spiritual-visionary album 'Didymus'. Enlisting a ragtag band of musicians to produce something far beyond what the average folk artist can make on their own, the album centres on a single mantra: 'visions create'. The aim is to sonically chart a roadmap towards a bright future, a feat that seems impossible: the means are sequenced electronic, dub-psychs flourishings, solstice chants, and poetry from a band of wordsmiths such as Rob Dunford and Sunflower Bill.
Review: The dynamic duo of percussionist Daniel Humair and cellist Jean-Charles Capon recorded this now super rare library album back in 1980. Humair was a key figure in Switzerland's avant-garde jazz scene and Capon was known for his work with Jef Gilson and Henri Texier, but on Apocalypse: Biorhythm Fiction Scenes Descriptive Futurist they deliver a groundbreaking performance. The album features their exceptional musical acrobatics including unexpected electric modulation which create a uniquely intense and groovy experience that was produced by Christian Bonneau, a genius in the French radio music world. This one is a real boundary pusher that often leaves you wondering just how on earth it was made.
Review: "Ruff Draft", originally released in 2003, is a sought-after album that remains the elusive key release in J Dilla's catalogue. This has freewheeling, in-your-face synthesizers, and an uncharacteristically sample-heavy approach that is as banging as it is experimental.
Review: Dilla's "The Shining" serves as a testament to the fact that legends never die. On February 10th, 2006, the world of hip hop lost J Dilla aka Jay Dee. James "J Dilla" Yancey leaves behind an impression on hip hop that will last the test of time. A bridge between hip hop's underground and mainstream, Dilla's contributions ranged from single handedly defining Detroit hip hop as a founding member of Slum Village to providing his production talents to Common, D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, The Roots, Janet Jackson and Macy Gray. "The Shining" marked the reunion of J Dilla & BBE, who had released "Welcome 2 Detroit", J Dilla's debut album. "The Shining" serves as showcase of J Dilla's talents which features him not only as a producer, but also as a rapper, singer and musician. Featured guests on this album include Busta Rhymes, Common, Pharoahe Monch, D'Angelo, Madlib, Black Thought, Medaphor aka MED, and Guilty Simpson.
Review: "Donuts" is J Dilla's instrumental masterpiece and perhaps the finest record he ever made. This is half soul mixtape, half beat CD and 100% genius from the sorely missed hip-hop legend.
Place Of Refuge (feat Garth Trinidad - intro) (0:38)
Hot Sauce (feat Andra Day & Aloe Blacc) (1:44)
WSTT Story To Tell Radio (feat Estelle - interlude) (1:35)
Cut The Line (feat Joss Stone & Kardinal Offishall) (3:22)
Better Half (feat Mumu Fresh & Camp) (1:35)
This Is A Love Story (feat Mayda Del Valle) (1:28)
Voicemail (feat Dave Chappelle - outro) (1:49)
Hot Sauce (single edit) (3:26)
Hot Sauce (instrumental) (3:16)
Cut The Line (single edit) (3:06)
Cut The Line (instrumental) (2:59)
Better Half (single edit) (3:06)
Better Half (instrumental) (3:05)
Review: Hailed as a "music guru" by Rolling Stone and also highly praised by the great Questlove who called him "the most creative mixtape producer of all-time", US beatmaker J.PERIOD is a rich musical storyteller. His music always manages to connect cultures, eras and styles in his own signature way and he has done so alongside the likes of some real legends - Nas, The Roots, Kanye West, Q-Tip, Common and Mary J. Blige, and has appeared on the Billboard #1 album, The Hamilton Mixtape. Now he is back with the second part of his Story to Tell album and it is packed with names like Joss Stone, Aloe Blacc, and Mayda Del Valle and arrives on lovely blue vinyl.
The Changing World (feat The Koreatown Oddity) (3:33)
Keep On (Yeah) (2:07)
Flawless (feat Frank Nitt - Raw) (2:47)
Flawless (feat Budgie - Smoothed Out) (2:09)
All I Wanna Do (feat Steve Arrington - remix) (5:10)
Pajama Party (feat The Egyptian Lover) (3:36)
Go! (5:45)
Dancing With The Best (4:07)
The End (NTP) (3:18)
Review: DJ and producer J. Rocc debuts a new trip down memory lane in LP form, reminiscing on his comeup in the LA underground music scene. 'A Wonderful Letter' is quite literally a love letter to the City of Angels, expressing his thanks for the community found there - not to mention the machinations that led to his signing with Stones Throw, as well as various collabs with J Dilla and Madlib.
Review: Following last year's Final Departure on Keysound, J Shadow returns to the realm of albums with his second LP, this time on Sneaker Social Club. Ominously titled The End Of All Physical Form, it's business as usual as J plays between the genres, murking up boundary lines with a raw sense of funk and emotional energy. Sitting somewhere between breaks, garage, grime and drum & bass, the whole body of work is a whirlwind attack of the senses that works well both for home listening and dancefloor demolishing. From the breakbeat bombardment of 'Arsu' to the much slower, undiluted eski-beat heaviness of 'Prototype' by way of the turbo charged futurist finale 'No Gravity', J Shadow has delivered something special here... And it sounds best on the physical form of a 12".
Review: John Also Bennett's new album Out There in the Middle of Nowhere came to him during a long road trip through South Dakota's desolate badlands. Inspirations from that journey were then taken into the studio along with a lap steel guitar, Yamaha FM synth and field recordings to elicit the same sense of emptiness but potential for menace that he felt in the middle of nowhere. It is a superb evocation of windswept plains, wide open vistas that sparkle under the sun and panoramic landscapes distilled into long-form drones. There is a great cinematic feel to this album - a story telling narrative that sets your mind into overdrive filling in the mental imagery that makes it as beautiful and poignant as anything we've heard for a while.
Review: Bristol has a lot to answer for when it comes to atmospheric downtempo stuff. The birthplace of trip hop is still commonly associated with the genre decades after its inception, but this shouldn't make anyone think for a second the city has sat idly by gorging on the fatted calfs of Massive Attack, Portishead and the like without pushing further experimentations in the art of sombre, slow, emotional electronica. Jabu are a great case in point, and if the world were different, fairer, and less overwhelmed with band names you can bet your bottom dollar this South West England trio would be household treasures by now. Having released a number of genuinely mesmerising albums packed with meditations on loss, landing on exalted labels such as Blackest Ever Black, here they present a generous helping of unreleased and previously unheard bits and pieces that led to the back catalogue we now have. Tellingly, everything here was always worthy of release, so it's great this has finally happened.
Review: This Record Store Blanc Friday, US label Madlib Invasion serves up a CD version of this most classic of albums from Jackson Conti aka the one and only beat making behemoth Madlib with Mamao. Sujinho landed in 2008 and since then has often been heralded as one of the best few projects Madlib has ever been involved with. It is a smooth fusion of hip hop, jazz, Latin and soul that, on vinyl, has fetched eye watering high prices until now. A new reissue has landed on wax as well as this CD.
Review: The Jackson 5 were a legendary American pop band consisting of famous musical brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson. Managed by their father, Joe Jackson, the group achieved great success in the 1970s and were much loved amongst younger audiences. They had plenty of chart hits and several of them went on to have great solo careers, of course. Their eighth studio album, G.I.T.: Get It Together was released on September 12, 1973, under the Motown label and now gets reissued on limited red vinyl with an insert.
Review: Most people will recognize Brian Jackson as the most important collaborator with Gil Scott-Heron - between them the pair laid down a mesmerising new kind of soul which resonates in its influence and brilliance to this day. Jackson went on to work with scores of legends of Black American music, but this new album is something altogether his own. Working with Daniel Colias from Phenomenal Handclap Band, Jackson revived a long-dormant solo project from the 70s and brought it to fruition in a set of ascendant soul cuts which speak to Jackson's mighty legacy while offering something wholly contemporary. 'All Talk' bursts with jazz funk and boogie flourishes, while 'Path to Macondo / Those Kind of Blues' takes a more introspective trip into Jackson's illustrious musicality. Forget reissue culture for a minute - here's a bonafide legend still doing it in the here and now.
Review: The much loved and always essential Jazz Is Dead series hits instalment number eight here. The project was only conceived in 2020 by musicians and producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad and aims to work with jazz legends on new material. This time it is Gil-Scott Heron's famous partner Brain Jackson in the spotlight. There are plenty of languid grooves that float on airy drumming with acoustic piano and electric bass also weaved in. Afro-Cuban flavours colour closeR 'Ethiopian Sunshower,' which is the most sedate of the lot.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.