Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Montreal producer Jesse Futerman returns a refined sound that has carefully developed since the early 2010s. With past support from BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music champions like Gilles Peterson and Benji B and collaborations with the legendary Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Futerman is a real contemporary favourite. These four cuts blend swinging vocals and organic live drums with introspective downbeat bliss outs like 'Velvet Glove' and 'The Case of The Lost and Found' marries the sort of life-affirming piano lines and persuasive Balearic grooves that will light up more mature parties. 'You Are All The World Of Hero' is a delicate dub with fluttering percussion and hand drums lending it great intimacy.

Review: The MC was one of a kind. His legend lives on through his work which here gets served up on new label Doom in instrumental form. 'Saffron' (MF instrumental) is a silky late-night sound with warm melancholic chords and subtle boom-bap beats. On the flip, things get more jazzy with the expressive trumpets and more raw broken beat patterns of 'Arrow Root' (MF instrumental). It's a timeless and sophisticated sound that will woo any listener into a calming mood and comes on a limited 7".

Review: Broken beat legends Nautilus return with a futuristic teaser for their upcoming 2026 studio album, and on this evidence, it's going to be superb. The first single reimagines a legendary anime soundtrack with their signature groove and features Japanese singer and sanshin virtuoso Anna Sato, whose vocals elevate the track to a new dimension. The release is completed by Berlin-based DJ and producer Delfonic, a well-known disco and house don and label head, renowned for his deep club remixes and praised by Gilles Peterson. Delfonic adds a magical touch with heavy beats that come with plenty of lavish synth work.

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: In a dimly lit room in Dalston, the crowd is entranced as Finnish jazzman Jimi Tenor commands the space by blending smoky sax, wild Moog lines and a hypnotic electronic groove. When the track ends, he muses aloud, unsure what to name it. A voice from the crowd calls out, 'Release Me!', and so it began. That spontaneous moment sparked a very special release on Fluid Ounce, celebrating 25 years of the label with a limited edition vinyl from the iconic multi-instrumentalist. Chris Vogado (zero dB), under his new alias Special Guest, delivers a bruk-meets-house remix plus a dub B-side. A lovely 12".

Review: The third volume in the Insense Music compilation series, Insense Music for Dining Room, deepens its exploration of ambient, jazz, chill-out and Balearic sounds, all of which are perfect for serene dining moments. Curated by Tohru Hashimoto with artwork by Jiro Fujita and mastering by Calm, who a key figure in Japan's music scene as well as a renowned Balearic boss, this 7" release shines from the off: side A features Yakenohara's subtle, exclusive take on Bill Evans's 'Peace Piece' which blends his genre-fluid skills as rapper, DJ and producer. Side B offers Noa Noa's warm tribute to Bobby Hutcherson's 'Montara,' a hip-hop sampling favourite. The release precedes a full compilation dropping this May.

Review: On Higher Dreams is the debut LP from Italian producer and guitarist Isaac de Martin, aka IKE. It is couched in jazz and electronic fusion and draws inspiration from the time the artists spent in Egypt during the COVID pandemic back in 2020. It was there that themes of nature, contrast and cultural reverence for music informed the record's conceptual foundation. Tracks like 'Nilo' and 'Sidda' channel the life-giving force of the Nile and its surrounding traditions, and the whole thing was recorded live to analogue in Berlin so effortlessly merges vintage warmth with modern textures while offering a contemplative, cinematic experience shaped by cultural immersion and personal reflection. A strong debut, then.

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: Margaux Gazur has made her mark as a DJ with sets at places like Panorama Bar and Waking Life. Her debut album on Smallville is a deeply personal exploration of identity and sound that confirms she is just as good in the studio. The French-Vietnamese artist is now based in Berlin but draws from her time living in Vietnam and childhood recollections to craft nearly 70 minutes of immersive, organic electronica across Blurred Memories. Field recordings, traditional instruments and woozy textures blend with street rhythms from Hanoi to create rich, intimate soundscapes of the sort that are well suited to this label. Each track reveals delicate details such as mysterious voices and fragile glitches in the hypnotic grooves. Known for captivating sets at Panorama Bar, La Station, and Waking Life, Margaux offers a magical, emotionally resonant debut that invites listeners into her blurred sonic past.

Review: Khadim is a smart evolution of Ndagga Rhythm Force's sound-stripped down, spacious and spiritually charged. Abandoning guitars and full percussion, the four track album hones in on minimal live drumming, dubby synths (including Mark Ernestus's Prophet-5), and Mbene Diatta Seck's powerful, expressive voice. Each track is emotionally rich and narratively distinct while touching on Senegalese history, Sufi devotion and street-level struggles. Songs like 'Lamp Fall' and 'Khadim' pay homage to revered religious figures while blending traditional rhythms with contemporary electronics. After years of touring, this new direction feels deeply rooted yet forward-reaching and means this album is both devotional and radical in its dubwise majesty.

Review: We Carry Eden is an album so deep you can plunge right into it and forget the real world entirely. It comes from Son Of Chi, the latest project by Dutch ambient pioneer Hanyo van Oosterom, and it melds drones, field recordings, dub, jazz and fourth world influences across a two-part composition that features storytelling by West African vocalist Omar Ka. A founding member of CHI and Chi Factory, van Oosterom crafts textured soundscapes rooted in meditative grooves and spiritual depth and is inspired by Patmos and Hopi wisdom. He also weaves nature, myth and memory into a unified sonic journey with fine artwork by Michael Willis underlining the message of harmony.

Review: There's a crippling truth behind this expansive and musically accomplished compilation which few of us really want to acknowledge. Created to shore up funds for a City of Angeles devastated by yet another series of wildfires in January 2025, the sad fact is that we are going to see more and more records like this because more and more records like this will be needed. Still, at least we can be incinerated, drowned by flooding, or die from starvation or thirst while listening to some decent tunes. And these tunes are very decent. From space age jazz of Celia Hollander and Photay, to Julia Holta's pin-drop piano-vocal theatrical stunner, Baths & Rachika Nayer's very Bibio-sounding guitar-electronic dub, and the retro lounge style 'Making The Beat Scene' by Daedalus. We could go on.

Review: Following the success of their standout single 'Feel The Rush,' Zaimie returns with Black Velvet, a lush new long player that blends jazz, funk, soul and global rhythms that all expand on the group's signature sound while remaining rooted in groove and emotion. Each track showcases Zaimie's refined musicianship and evolving songwriting, from silky basslines to soaring melodies on 'New Life' to more horn-led celebrations like 'Weekender Breeze' and sunny vocal charmers like 'Can't Do Without It'. Black Velvet feels timeless and contemporary and makes for a confident step forward for Zaimie, who are ever more polished and full of soul.