Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: James Bangura is up next on New York City's Mister Saturday Night. The Washington-based artist is an exciting new talent: said to be a nomad who takes in various influences and can never be pinned down to one style. Drum 'n' bass was said to be a huge influence on Bangura during his younger years back in Alabama, and he revisits those seminal beats here on Interpretation Of Sound. From the contorted groove of 'Big Change', a sharp stepper that incorporates dub techno influences, to the meditative and polyrhythmic hypnotism of 'The Diffuser' or the depressive jungle introspections of 'Taking Loose' - this one really takes the genre into exciting new realms. Tip!

Review: Well Curated is a series of releases and parties that - in its own words - "reflects the ethnomusicology of the last 50 years of music" - and aims to reach into all genres, merging classic styles and breaking down barriers. Steve Spacek occupies the A-side with the breezy broken beat and soul-in-space of 'Alone In Da Sun', while Lukid's 'Hair Of The Dog' is a more intense counterpart, with wobbling sub-bass and swirling, surging atmospherics hovering above.

Review: Once again, Music From Memory has dug deep for inspiration. Very few will have come across the original 1987 pressing of Ich Traume So Leise, a long-forgotten collaborative album that brought together trumpet player Heinz Becker, songwriter Karl-Heinz Stegmann, and poet Isabel Zeumer. Predictably, though, the tracks which the Dutch label has chosen to reissue are exceptionally good. "Mein Tanzlied", for example, features Becker's meandering trumpet lines and Zeumer's eyebrow-raising spoken word vocals seemingly drifting over an intoxicatingly funky, mid-80s dancefloor groove, while "Dir" is a seriously atmospheric chunk of beatless jazz poetry. Flip for the Balearic electro-funk of "Der Schnupfen" and the languid, new age ambience of "Abends".

Review: Detroit's John Beltran can do no wrong if you ask us, and what he does do is always famously varied, from sound design for TV to melodic techno excellence via ambient beauty. Here for MotorCity Wine he revisits his Back To Bahia series with a third volume that finds him flexing his Afro-Brazilian deep house chops. The 7" opens up with the jazzy boogie of Lsaura' which is steeped in Minneapolis funk and will get cultured dancefloors in a spin. 'As The Sunsets' that appears on the flip and is a superbly emotive sound with wispy late night melodies and glowing harmonies and shuffling Latin grooves. Essential.

Review: For seven years, Matasuna Records has been dedicated to uncovering musical gems from the past. Now, they introduce a thrilling contemporary find: Barcelona-based band Bidaide. Their debut 7" vinyl single features two unreleased tracks, 'Batua' and 'Love Me & Give Up', both of which showcase their eclectic blend of soul, funk, psychedelic rock, reggae-dub, and library music. 'Batua' on the A-side delivers an energetic fusion of funky rhythms, agile guitar dialogues, and vibrant brass overlays. On the B-side, 'Love Me & Give Up' offers a soulful, relaxed vibe with Motown-esque charm. Bidaide's evolution from a duo to a vibrant band culminates in this dynamic release.

Review: Having landed his debut album Bosq Y Orchestra De Madera on Ubiquity Records back in 2013, Bosq will be returning with his second long player on the Californian label later this year. Take Over is the second 12" laid down as a precursor of what Bosq has up his sleeve and the Boston-based Whisky Baron is certainly on good form. Known for his towering vocal contributions to Fela's Egypt 80, Benin-born / Nigerian-raised singer Kaleta once again lines a Bosq production in lead cut "Take Over", and it might just be their heaviest collaboration yet! The Less Patient edit adds a bit of dancefloor weight to the track. Flip for the dense, delay heavy afrobeat burner "Bounce And Pull Up" which features some devilish horns from Evan Laflamme.

Review: Multi-talented artist James Alexander Bright unveils soulful anthem 'Fall For You' and funky track 'Viper Flames' in the superb Athens of the North, all as a tease his forthcoming third solo album on the label in mid-2024. Reflecting on love's power in 'Fall For You', Bright's upcoming release follows his acclaimed debut album 'Headroom' and contributions to Groove Armada's 'Edge Of The Horizon'. His second album, 'Float', garnered praise for its eclectic blend of styles. These new tuns show what he is all about - sunny soul with standout keys and dreamy vocals that melt even the stoniest of hearts.

Review: Street Corner's FliP Sessions is a great source of beats for hip-hop heads and this eighth volume is no different. It's limited to just 200 copies and features five more exquisite little sketches that are loveably rough around the edges and full of laidback and dusty soul. After the busted breaks of GREENMINDZ, Toby Glider zones you out with lo-fi loops and Beaulemaire brings heavier beats. Side 2 has a more jazz cut from Elusive and star gazing cosmic melody from Shri!. All five of these are delightful little pieces.

Review: Rakim and Boombaptist join forces for this turbo-charged cut and paste job. The two short but sweet tracks on this little 7" are packed with eons of hip hop and b-boy history, all chopped up, spliced and diced into fragments that you will have plenty of fun pulling apart. First up is 'I'm Rick James Bitch'with planning bass, crisp boom bap drums and iconic vocal samples the on the flip is 'Jerry Mane' which is slightly less raw and a little more soulful and outward looking. Both are big tools for big reactions on the floor.

Review: This is a special and unique coming together that sees Turnstile join forces with the brilliant Toronto jazz ensemble and production team BADBADNOTGOOD. They have worked on reimagining songs from the former's well-received 2021 album Glow On and the results bring all new perspectives and dynamics to tunes like 'Mystery', 'Alien love Call' featuring Blood Orange and 'Underwater Boi.' Both Turnstile and BADBADNOTGOOD are untouchable in their fields right now with rave reviews for their records as well as their live shows. This is another standout project.

Review: 2017 was the year that electronic wonk-funk saw its heyday, and uncoincidentally, it was also the year that B. Bravo (Adam Mori) saw the release of his first album 'Paradise'. 2022 is the year the genre should make a comeback, after just five years. If such were to be the case, Bravo's second album 'Vizionz' would be the catalyst. Charting collaborations with rapper Def Sound and singer Sally Green, this one points towards only the best detuned sonics, synth bass licks and Miami heat-hazed vizionz.

Review: Pink Siifu and Ahwlee are the rap, neo-soul and r&b duo B. Cool-AID and this is their new album on Lex. Leather Blvd is a woozy and lo-fi late-night trip through a range of narcotic atmospheres. The raps range from slurred and drenched in reverb to more crisp and well-defined as tracks range from short and sweet to epic and sprawling. There is a real intimacy to this record as well as a borrowing from jazz as these tracks unfurl and slowly make their way into your affections. It is another great coming together of this contemporary pair.

Review: Unfairly labelled as a novel curio when they first emerged, the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is a genuine expression of Mighty Mocambos man Bjorn Wagner's love of Trinidadian steel pan music. Their tracks - often, but not always, quirky cover versions - combined authentic funk instrumentation (drums, bass, guitar, horns) with the timeless and distinctive sound of steel drums. BRSB, the combo's fourth album, is another summery and effortlessly entertaining treat. Highlights include the inspired 'Love For The Sake of Dub' (an organic interpretation of Claudja Barry's slo-mo disco classic 'Love For The Sake of Love'), the breaker-friendly cheeriness and heaviness of 'Grilled', a wonderfully woozy and dubbed out stroll through the 'Stranger Things Theme', and the summer sunshine of 'Champion's Walk'.

Review: Following a series of self released albums over the past three years which saw them expand on hip hop classics with an auspicious level of jazz virtuosity, Canadian jazz trio Badbadnotgood grace the Innovative Leisure imprint with this enlightening collection III. Consisting of Matthew Tavares on keys, Chester Hansen on bass, and Alex Sowinski on drums, it's not hard to see why Badbadnotgood have been getting the usually hushed toned Gilles Peterson all exciting after a few listens of the nine tracks here. If you dug those cover versions you will love this album.

Review: Canadian trio Badbadnotgood have made us wait for Talk Memory, their fifth album. Arriving a decade after their first full-length, and some five years since the release of their acclaimed fourth LP, it's a much more expansive and cinematic affair than its predecessors - both in scope (it includes more nods towards post-rock and jazz-rock, for example) and sound (a number of tracks feature string arrangements by Brazilian arranger Arthur Verocai). It's a dazzling affair all told, with the band's choice of improvisational composition techniques and an impressive guest list (Laraaju, Karriem Roggins, Terrace Martin and Brandee Younder all appear) resulting in a string of epic, life-affirming compositions. Picking highlights is tough, but we'd suggest checking slow-burn, constantly building epic 'Signal to the Noise' and the buzzing, psychedelic jazz-rock of 'Beside April'.

Review: Mande jazz ensemble Balimaya Project return with much anticipated second album When The Dust Settles on New Soil in partnership with Jazz re:freshed. The group has a magical big band sound that is expanded on here with plenty of personal expression running the emotional gamut from rage to love, grief to joy. Once again they combine the African rhythms of their roots with contemporary London jazz energy as they celebrate Black power and community togetherness. Composer, arranger and Djembe player Yahael Camara Onono leads the group with Afronaut Zu, Obongjayar and Fassara Sacko adding vocals over the advantageous folkloric rhythms.

Review: Two years on from the release of their fantastic debut album, Wolo So, Balimaya Project returns with more inspired fusions of polyrhythms, percussion, heady horns, "virtuosic kora styles", contemporary jazz and traditional Mande music. It's a uniquely sweet, deep and gently sun-soaked sound - all emotive vocals, tapped out tribal rhythms, frazzled solos, dreamy acoustic guitars, glistening highlife-influenced electric guitars and sultry, soulful intent. The London-based collective has long been hard-to-pigeonhole, and it's this impeccably realised but sonically adventurous approach - along with the quality of their musicianship - that's been the key to their success. When The Dust Settles will only enhance their rising reputation - it really is that good!

Review: Hailing from Salerno in Southern Italy, Bando Maje present their debut album on Four Flies Records. UFO Bar paints a picture of the pair's interests and experiences such as the local landscape, Neapolitan music, Italian soundtracks from the 70s, as well as B-movies, a passion for vinyl and cassette mixtapes, and afternoons spent watching third-division football. Peppe Maiellano (composer and keyboards) and Tonico Settanta (producer, rapper and DJ) head up the collective, featuring a revolving cast of members, all of whom are a bit like the lively port city they are from.

Review: Drawn from a soundtrack Barrott was commissioned to write for the Japanese documentary Johatsu -The Art of Evaporation, this release explores ideas of living simply and focusing on kindness, grace and gratitude. Opening track, 'Kyoto', ripples into focus, floating through a blue-sky dreamscape and punctuated by hazy choral vocals. Another standout track, 'Icarus', is a jazz-electronic fusion piano piece, merging traditional instrumentation with a softly encompassing clarinet solo. A fantastic release from Barrott, taking contemporary Balearic to the next level.

Review: Images And Anthems - Book I is an album by Lars Bartkuhn from back in 2008. The artist who is also known for his work in Passion Dance Orchestra and as Laurentius is a master of super cool jazz and laid-back lounge electronics that have hints of 80s nostalgia without being too slavish. Originally this one came only on CD and digitally and now it makes its first foray onto vinyl thanks to First on Vinyl out of Japan. Tracks like the lush 'Pulse' are gloriously airy and spring-like montages while there is a little woozy romance to 'Before It Enters My Mind'.

Review: Pierre Bastien and Michel Banabila are bonafide musical visionaries who have come totters for the first time on this debut collaborative album, Baba Soiree. They have achieved plenty over their careers in electronic music and draw on all of it here as they fuse their own idiosyncratic styles into something new. The churning and rigid mechanical loops and experimental instrumental setups come from Bastien while the sound designs and superbly chosen and assembled samples come from Banabila. Sitting somewhere between dance floor fun and avant garde invention this is a great piece of sonic alchemy.

Review: While Jim Jupp's work as the Belbury Poly has always touched on pagan imagery, clandestine atmospherics and vintage electronics - with a dash of pastoral instrumentation thrown in from time to time - it's fair to say that he's never released an album quite like The Path, his seventh full-length excursion. Recorded with the help of a band of musicians - bass, guitar, flute, clarinet and piano all feature alongside his familiar analogue and modular synth sounds - and a narrator (poet and spoken word artist Justin Hopper), the album manages to be atmospheric and alluring whilst also being loose and groovy - all re-imagined folk-rock, eyes-closed psychedelia, breezy jazz and library music chic. It will surprise some fans, for sure, but it's a genuinely fantastic album and a huge step forward from a producer who's not content to just plough the same musical furrow.

Review: Having thrown somewhat of a creative curveball with the launch of Latin and soul-centered project Sol Set, John Beltran hands over the Detroit collective's debut album Ola De Novo to a list of impressive global talent for the remix treatment. Kiko Navarro, Kaidi Tatham, Blair Frech, Ezel, Cee ElAssaad, Chris Coco and John Beltram with John Arnold all line up to do their duty, incorporating the sun kissed, percussion-heavy and exotically instrumented vibes into their more house and techno productions. Highlights include Cee ElAssaad's remix of 'Get Away', its gloriously optimistic vocal retained and re-purposed over light and nimble beats, and Chris Coco's dubby slow motion samba take on 'Linda Sau Paulo', but like the label says, it's All Good

Review: This new album from Benny Sings comes in various different formats - a blue vinyl included, while this version is a straight back wax copy. It features Amsterdam-based artist Benny Sings - who recently had his ART album reissued on Sings - returning with an all new and new eighth solo studio album. For the first time, it is one that finds him working with a single producer throughout - and that producer is the well known beatmaker Mr Kenny Beats. It was a partnership that came together after a chat over social media and the pair immediately felt comfortable with each other. Benny instructed Kenny that he wanted to make the biggest record he has to date and that's what they have done.

Review: Amsterdam-based artist Benny Sings recently had his cult classic ART album reissued on Sings and now he is back with an all new eighth album. It sees him for the first time ever working with a single producer throughout - and that is beatmaker-to-the-stars Mr Kenny Beats. It was a partnership that came together after a chat over social media and the pair immediately felt comfortable with each other. Benny instructed Kenny that he wanted to make the biggest record he has to date, Kenny obliged and that what we have here from the acclaimed singer songwriter.

Review: While writing this album, Dan Berkson was based in London, and the city's vibrant jazz and broken beat scene was been a clear influenced on the music he made in that time. Dialogues is an accomplished artistic statement filled with virtuosos musicianship, vibrant drums and jazz chords that brim with life. The grooves are all rooted in jazz with elements of the rootsy blues and ragtime of his youth, cool 60s modernism and 70s funk fusions. Magical and mystifying in equal measure, this an immediately timeless record from a contemporary great.

Review: Avant-garde supergroup Better Corners hit on a sublime stride with their atmospheric post-everything second album. Dream team trio Better Corners - Valentina Magaletti, Sarah Register and Matthew Simms - here complete a staggering new album, Continuous Miracles: Vol. 2, for The state51 Conspirace; where their debut joyfully opened the door to a brand new room, this one strides purposefully inside. Renowned drummer/percussionist Magaletti (Holy Tongue, Vanishing Twin, Moin), avant rock musician and in demand mastering engineer Register (Kim Gordon, Talk Normal) and multi-instrumentalist and modular obsessed Simms (Wire, MEMORIALS) inject an all-too-rare sense of childlike wonder and joy into their own inimitable collage of experimental rock, wonky dream pop, analog ambient, tape experimentation, avant percussion, modular electronics and noise music.

Review: Tony Simon is a hugely prolific producer from New York who serve up a dazzling array of album 20 odd years ago. He found a fine home forth on Ninja Tune who are all reissuing them now on some great looking and sounding vinyl. The Music Scene once again offers up a dazzling mix of sounds and influences from across the world. Hip hop, downtempo, broken beat, jazz and more all feature in his beguiling musical brews as you jump from hypnotic lead to bristle beats and back again.

Review: Blue & Green has turned out several well-regarded hip hop albums over the last decade-plus, all of them on Cold Busted. 'Gravity' is one of the most standout and so not gets a welcome reissue to make it available and affordable to all once more. It's a hazy collection of lovely lo-fi beats, with frayed edges and gentle grooves making for laidback listening that is imbued with great melodies. Some have a playful cosmic edge, some are stoner soundtracks and others bring shuffle samba style or gently persuade you to get up and groove.

Review: Max Guiget under his well-established Blundetto guise is one of France's more soulful producers. He dropped a great soundtrack back in February and now returns with the second volume of his superbly emotive dub work. It is infused with all sorts of knowing references from jazz funk and soul to the best of Italian Library music. 'Count Duke' opens with horizontal sounds, 'Mama Genso' is a playful and flute-led jaunt, 'Capuche' has a darker soul to its mellifluous chords and rolling drums and 'West Highland' is the most spaced out of the lot.

Review: Bo!led's Broken Time album is a superb collection of lush broken beat and jazz tunes that chime perfectly with the contemporary revival of such sounds. Each tune is a luxuriant fusion of tight drumming and splashy symbols, glowing melodies and rousing grooves that work as well in headphones, on the car stereo or in the club. Some mad playing skills are on show from the band and the dynamics within each track, and across the album as a whole, are unreal. This is up there with some of the best albums of the year for our money.

Review: The traditonal way to start a review of any Micko Westmoreland release - and with as is to point out that he's best known for playing Jack Fairey in the mock glam documentary Velvet Goldmine, but with a second strong album in his new, flanked -by-legends incarnation and some highly memorable video promos featuring a succession of alternativ ecomedy greats, that could well be changing. Expect spiky English podst-punk songwriting a la XTC or even Pulp, with recent singles 'Autosexual' and 'What's In A Name' (which includes guest vocals from Kevin Eldon numbering among the highligths.

Review: Black Sands, the eagerly anticipated fourth album from Simon Green AKA Bonobo, is no revolutionary change from his signature sound but does come with perhaps even more subtlety and complexity than his previous offerings. Having constantly instilled a degree of integrity and value back into chill out music following the influx of Cafe Del Mar and Coffeeshop compilations, Green once again displays a musicianship that sets him apart as a true artist and producer amongst a sea of downtempo and chillout DJs.
His undeniably clear understanding of composition and arrangement of live instruments has enabled Green to make an album that reaches out through diverse styles, taking influence and inspiration from wherever possible. On Black Sands, Green delves into electronic music and bass more than he did across Animal Magic, Dial "M" For Monkey or Days To Come but does so with enough subtlety and finesse to refrain from causing a radical shift in his product. Tracks like "Kiara," "We Could Forever" and "All In Forms" all utilise beats and bass in a more contemporary outlook than we are used to with Bonobo. Of course the instrumental feel is still there for all to see. Title track "Black Sands" takes this position for almost seven minutes of a horn infused waltz whereas "Kong" assumes the traditional soul-jazz Bonobo take and "Animals" lets delicate drum patterns guide us through pleasing tempo shifts.
The instrumental vibe is highlighted further in the album's approach to vocals. Unlike his last album, Days To Come which was littered with vocals, Black Sands houses only three tracks that contain vocals. The breathy vocals of Andreya Triana complete tracks like "Stay the Same" and "The Keeper" turning them in more traditional songs. Black Sands is another loving crafted offering that uses orchestral arrangements but this time merged with more of a dance aesthetic. As he continues to make chillout more credible in his experimental way, it's no wonder that Bonobo is one of the biggest artists to come from the excellent Ninja Tune.

Review: Simon Greene aka. Bonobo is set to put forth yet another album from his own personal ether; 'Fragments' was born from actual sonic 'fragments' that were later repurposed into twelve full 'sonic affirmations'. A later escape into the wilds of California's deserts formed the bulk of this album's downtempo magnum opi; watch out for collabs with a foray of world-downtempo electronica acts including Jamila Woods, O'Flynn and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. One of his most heartfelt albums, expect all from lilting future garage ('Rosewood') to rave-nostalgic slow builds.

Review: Given his impeccable downtempo credentials, you'd expect Bonobo's Late Night Tales mix to be one of the finer installments in the series (and that's saying something). Predictably, it is. Sweet, sensual and atmospheric, with plenty of unlikely gems and forgotten classics for the heads to enjoy, it surprises and impresses with each successive track. This vinyl edition features 17 of the tracks unmixed (naturally) and lifts out many highlights. His own cover of Donovan's "Get Thy Bearings" is particularly revelatory - string drenched, hazy, atmospheric and, of course, immaculately produced - but there are many other gems. Check Darondo's classic heart breaker "Didn't I," the smoky reggae-soul of Nina Simone's "Baltimore", and the enveloping intimacy of Shlohmo's "Places". Do seek out Benny Cumberbatch's spoken word turn at the end too! (mp3 download code for the full release included).

Review: Originally released at a time when Kruder & Dorfmeister reigned supreme and Germany and Austria boasted some of the finest dub-fired downtempo producers around, Bozoo Bajou's debut album, Satta, was something a sleeper hit. As this 25th anniversary reissue proves, it remains a deliciously languid, laidback and glassy-eyed affair that mixes subtly jazzy instrumentation (Rhodes, jazz guitar etc), dubby bass and luscious string arrangements with slow-motion trip-hop beats and dusty samples. The plentiful highlights include 'Night Over Manaus', a samba-soaked shuffler, luscious opener 'YMA', jazzy head-nodder 'Under Mi Sensi' and the exotic, G-Stone style stoned haziness of 'Bakar'.

Review: Aziza Brahim's fantastic new album Mawja is a blend of Sahrawi roots music, folk, and contemporary sounds that reflect on the resilience and spirit of her homeland. Through haunting vocals and poetic lyrics, Brahim shares stories of displacement, longing, and hope, drawing from her experiences as a Sahrawi refugee. Backed by hypnotic rhythms, intricate melodies, and soul-stirring instrumentation, each track creates a rich tapestry of sound which means the record is more than just an album; it's a powerful testament to the human spirit and a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice. Brahim's music resonates deeply, transcending borders and connecting hearts across the globe.

Review: Mansur Brown is just 24 years old and is already a revered multi-instrumentalist and composer from London. Heiwa is his new album after 2018's Shiroi and impressive 2020 EP Tesuto. It coe son his own new label Amai Records and the title translates as 'Peace.' It is inspired by 'the journey of life' and all the emotions that come with that and takes you into a thoughtful world of classy, jazz tinged ambient, rolling broken beats and pensive afro rhythms that are cosmic and deep at the same time. It's utterly fresh and another standout work from this young talent.

Review: Master keys man Byron The Aquarius started out making hip-hop then in the last few years moved into house music and dropped some super deep and classy jams. Now he gets back to his roots with this new project from Birmingham, Alabama, alongside Shurlock, who started way back in 1990. The album takes its title from the fact both men were always told they would never make it out of their hometown. "Well this project is for those that stop dreaming, and believed that Shurlock, and Byron would never make it in the world of music," they say. It's a superb record with some fine guest bars to boot.