Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Colin Curtis - an early purveyor of rare groove and jazzdance whose credo rings far and wide - has been helming his own label of originals for some time now. Presently focusing on the best live-feel broken beat, house and jazz in his orbit, his latest curation, Cengiz and Ishfaq's 'Vibrations', is no break from this general rule. Each artist helming one side respectively, Cengiz' 'Motf' and its remix work a steadily built progression around faint jeers, metallic percs, filterpassed tom fills and space-age risers, the latter of which is much more skeletal than the former; while Ishfaq's 'Wonderjazz' moves impressively somewhere in the lost interregnum between speed garage and techfunk.

Review: Ltd B's good recent run of form continues with another dive into lush deep house realms courtesy of ICTV. First off the mark is 'Hit The Floor' with its US garage-inspired drums and some old school hip-house vocals. 'Orange Mood' is a steamy one with romantic melodies soothing the soul and some smart vocals adding a tough of firey soul. 'Adrift' then picks up the pace with some high-speed jungle breakbeats and 'Dazzling' sinks back into loved-up late-night sounds with expressive vocal yelps. Last of all, 'Sunset Recall' takes things down into blissed out realms with dusty drums and wispy pads.

Review: Detroit native Ideeyah is a singer, songwriter and performer whose soulful vocals and lyrical storytelling touch the heart. Born LaKeisha Johnson, who you may remember from featuring on Theo Parrish's superb DJ-kicks mix. Here she steps up to his Sound Signature label with a new solo EP produced by Meftah. It begins with praise-giving spoken words and cosmic synths on 'Invocation (feat Maimunah Baqui)' then takes in deep and jazzy broken beats on 'Align', heavenly keys and vocal coos on 'Light' and slow motion grooves on '2020' where Ideeyah's effortless smooth and seductive tones melt the heart. 'Eat The Plants' and 'Sweet Chariot' are two more magnificent vocal pieces with gentle live drums and meaningful pads.

Review: The Frosted label is back with more brilliance from Inland Knights in the form of this newly remastered version of the classic 'Figure It Out.' It was first put out back in 2013 as the first release on the label and remains a vital tune from the British pair. On the flip, Mark Farina is one of those hallowed producers who always has his own unique sonic signature, most famously under his Mushroom Jazz alias. His edit brings plenty of depth and broken beat lushness with noodling guitar riffs and spoken words making it a backroom gem.

Review: Miami-based label Terrestrial Funk revives the sound of early 90s house with a long-overdue return from Insight, their first new material in over 30 years. Originally emerging from the UK scene and known for their 1993 output on Strictly Rhythm, the group reappear here with three fresh house tracks and one unreleased downtempo dub, all steeped in the warmth and spirit of that golden era. 'Starry Eyed' and 'Spring' combine tactile keys with swinging, classic drums, while Ashaye's vocal lines weave emotional clarity through each groove. The previously unheard 'Na Mix' of 'What Is This World Coming To?' flips the tempo, stretching things into a dubbed-out meditation that slows the pulse without losing intensity. 'Here We Go Again' rounds things off with a shuffling rhythm that lands somewhere between warehouse and sun-drenched terrace. Nostalgic yet agile, this is a quietly triumphant return that reaffirms Insight's place in UK house history.

Review: Established in the UK in 2009 as master-builders of disco-house builds in the late naughty noughties, Instruments Of Rapture first cut the red tape with Ilija Rudman's 'Part Four' and lasted for just three years until 2012. And while the early axing was a shame, we think real works of art are those which are short-lived but profuse in quality. Now kicking back into gear after almost 15 years, the label now return to double up as both label and moniker, humorously titled 'You're Cured Mate'. Described as a "soundtrack more hypnotic and deadly than ever", this new one follows 'The Formula' of cut-short, hypno-loop lyrics and carnal felid whispers (especially in '7 Grams Of Funk'), marking an EPs' worth of subtle libertinage in 2025, the year of the snake.

Review: Space Echo returns with a bold funk-fuelled trip here that is powered by irresistible rhythms built on downtempo grooves. The track reflects on war-driven forces destabilising communities and Gianluca Petrella's trombone work channels pure Fred Wesley-esque funk energy while 1970s-inspired choral arrangements amplify its introspective message. Alongside this, Agosta's remix of 'Mother Forgive Us' from The Invisible Session's Echoes Of Africa transforms the track into a futuristic Afro-funk odyssey with tribal percussion tubing up next to pulsating electronics. A great package with a message of climate urgency that calls for a reconnection to nature.

Review: Prolific producer Inkswel becomes Inxxxwel for this new outing on 7" via the always excellent GAMM label. It's a two-tracker that is packed with hip hop, funk, soul and opens with 'Chill' - a Space Funk rework alongside Leonard Charles - which echoes the work of the great J Dilla as well as having some lush 90s r&b overtones. On the B-side, things get pitched down into New Jersey house territory with more sultry r&b tones on the excellent 'Hanna-Mi-Dia' (Inkswel Jazz Cigarette Mash Up) which features vocals from Blu & Ta'Raach. Two red hot jams, for sure.

Review: While the Melodeum label is based in Chicago, many of its releases take cues from rubbery tech-house, minimal techno and early 2000s style German 'digital disco'. There's a flavour of the latter sound, pioneered by the Force Inc label, on 'New Chapter', the lead cut from Iron1's first EP for the imprint. All elastic beats, jazzy synth-bass, playful samples and dreamy chords, it's tech-house-funk for the nu-disco generation. The Argentinian producer opts for a spot of tech-house/synth-jazz fusion on flipside opener 'Gossip', before going deeper and woozier on the sample-rich deep house funk of 'Jameson'. As debuts go, it's impressively assured and genuinely ear-catching.

Review: Ilija Rudman shows his class here with two edits for the always-on-point Brooklyn Highs label. He turns his hand to an original by Soul Men aka Black Moses and Part 1 will her you lost in a reverie. The meandering, stoned, slow-motion funk licks, gentle drums and wallowing chords all wash over you like a soothing breeze. The Higher Ground mix part II introduces buttery male vocals that drip with eroticism and soul. This one should come with a pregnancy warning.

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: 'Off Days in London' is a collaborative EP by Detroit's Illa J and London-based Ash Walker. Their serendipitous meeting in London in 2023 during Illa J's break from touring led to the creation of four fresh tracks that blend hip-hop and jazz. Despite busy schedules, the two artists found time to bond over shared influences, like featuring Detroit legend Amp Fiddler on their albums, and turned their studio sessions into soulful, genre-blurring music. With Illa J effortlessly switching between singing and rapping, the EP showcases organic collaboration and leaves listeners eager for a full-length project from the pair.

Review: Eiko Ishibashi, best known for her acclaimed soundtrack work, returns to original composition with this album named in honour of the feminist-facing, heroine from ancient Greek tragedelian Sophocles' Oedipus Trilogy. It's a world of shimmering jazz harmonies, pulsating electronica and ghostly musique concrete, 'October' opening with a haunting, alluring melody and the disjointed rhythms of 'Coma' creating a sense of disorientation. 'Antigone', the centerpiece, builds to a powerful and unsettling climax, but there's more than chilling soundscapes as Ishibashi injects moments of surprising warmth and beauty, like the delicate interplay between acoustic and electronic elements in 'Nothing As'. Comparisons with her soundtrack work will be made, but - not unlike Antigone herself - this stands alone as a work of bravery and strength.

Review: Bristol's Ishmael Ensemble returns with Visions of Light, an album that nicely shows the evolution of this experimental jazz collective led by producer and saxophonist Pete Cunningham. Following their acclaimed 2019 debut, A State of Flow, this record pushes boundaries further, blending lush, cinematic jazz with Bristol's signature dub and electronic influences. The album begins with the delicate harp glissandos of 'Feather,' drawing the listener into a serene yet deceptive calm. This tranquility is shattered by the high-energy, chaotic 'Wax Werk,' where the music takes on a darker, more intense character. Throughout Visions of Light, Cunningham's saxophone performances are bold and assured, layered over the dynamic contributions of collaborators like guitarist Stephen Mullins, drummer Rory O'Gorman, and synth maestro Jake Spurgeon. Side-2 offers a shift in tone, beginning with the vibrant 'Looking Glass,' featuring enchanting vocals and strings. The nostalgic 'Morning Chorus' and the ethereal 'The Gift' build towards the hopeful resolution of 'January.' This album is deliver's an emotionally resonant journey that transcends traditional jazz boundaries. Visions of Light is both a bold statement and a beacon of hope in challenging times.

Review: Ishmael Ensemble's third album, Rituals, marks a major evolution for the Bristol-based group. While often associated with the 'new UK jazz' scene, their fusion of live instrumentation and electronic elements extends far beyond that label in truth and now this release pushes their sound further than ever. It blends spiritual jazz, dub, experimental, and electronic styles into powerful, swirling soundscapes that work as well on the head as they do heel. The tracks are more notably song-focused and accessible but still deal in a psychedelic mix of textures, colours, and moods. Rituals is a truly boundary-pushing work of great ambition and is this vital group's best work to date.

Review: We find ourselves lost in kosmische textures, dark jazz motifs and brushup drums, as Ivan The Tolerable (Oli Heffernan) edges us ever deeper into his singular sonic world with An Orphan Form, where wide scapes and underbrushed moodiness leaves us in an identifiable yet not entirely placeable place. There's a sense of constant movementicircular rather than linearias the music unfurls like a dream slipping just out of reach. Synth lines wobble and stretch, field recordings emerge from the mist, and the sounds of nature act as subtle anchors amid the abstraction. It's a spiritual detour after the cheekier tonalities of his various earlier cassette albums for the likes of Cruel Nature and Ack! Ack! Ack!.