Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: The new album by Quantic - aka. multi instrumentalist, DJ, composer and producer Will Holland - is in many ways an evolution. Now twenty years into his career, Dancing While Falling is the British-born, New York-based artist's most live sounding, euphoric and, in his own words, grown-up release to date. Capturing the beginnings of every good person's revelatory movement from an individual to a collective spirit, Holland originally began the album in his Brooklyn studio, before realising that he didn't just want to make a record that reflected his 'singular pandemic wormhole', but rather one that tapped into the essential togetherness of the human condition. So too does this record explore themes of connection felt through, and made more intense by, the antagonistic bouts of loneliness that characterised COVID-19. Influenced by legendary artists in the scene like Bohannon and Larry Levan, Quantic wanted to make a disco -eaning album at first; "I'm really interested in Latin music and Afro Caribbean rhythms and I think there's a really amazing point in history where the emergence of those rhythms and its combination with American soul sparked what we now know as disco," he says. This PIAS extended edition comes one year on from its initial 2023 release, Quantic here expands on his work by adding a ream of extended versions.

Review: This clear wax edition feels like an invitation into Worcestershire-born global traveller Will Holland's inner circle i not just as a selector but as a connector of people, scenes and sonic microhistories. Across the two LPs, his DJing reveals the subtle hand of a musician: textured, tempo-flexible, deeply in tune with the artists he features. JJ Whitefield's 'The Mind Is A Palace' and Alfa Mist's slow-burner 'In My Defence' lay the introspective groundwork, while The Heliocentrics and Dialect bring fuzz and abstraction into view. Side B pivots to percussive warmth, from JKriv's whistle-led 'Pifeiro Malandro' to Holland's own dusty 'Twang', before the humid swagger of Frente Cumbiero and a tripped-out remix of 'Theme From Selva' usher in Side C. Things then spiral toward the club, with 'Eko Eko', 'Throw Dat Azz' and 'Scintille' all bringing punch and release. The final stretch, featuring The Maghreban, Meridian Brothers and Sobredosis, casts a glowing ambiguity over the mix i just like Holland's sets, it ends not in resolution, but in feeling.

Review: Stretching across four sides of vinyl, this double LP from Worcestershire-born producer, bandleader and serial collaborator Will Holland traces his journey through transcontinental rhythms and dusty dancefloors. The carefully spaced tracklist opens with JJ Whitefield's deep-thinking 'The Mind Is A Palace', before the record quickly dips into London fusion with The Heliocentrics and Alfa Mist's 'In My Defence'. Dialect's fragmented ambient textures play the foil to Holland's own 'Twang', while JKriv's 'Pifeiro Malandro' evokes smoky Rio funk as filtered through downtown New York. Later on, Frente Cumbiero and a rework of 'Theme From Selva' provide a humid middle section before things sharpen up. Club-leaning selections like 'Eko Eko', 'Scintille' and Anna Morgan's 'Throw Dat Azz' burst across the later sides, pushed by bass pressure and broken-beat finesse. Meridian Brothers' 'Un Grande Nubarron Se Alza En El Cielo' and Sobredosis's 'No Llores Por Mi' bring an eerie sweetness to the close i a reminder that for Holland, emotion and groove are always entwined.

Review: Quiet Dawn's latest offering, Celebrate, is an 11-track testament to the eclectic talent that has made him a cornerstone of the First Word family for a decade. Following in the footsteps of his previous ventures, particularly the Movements EP, this album seamlessly blends broken beat flavors with a diverse range of influences. Featuring luminaries like Bembe Segue, LyricL, and Oliver Night, Celebrate is a terrific drift through soulful grooves, lively bars and infectious rhythms. From uplifting jazz samba vibes to downtempo boom bap, Quiet Dawn effortlessly melds organic and electronic elements, creating a good dose of positivity and good vibes. Tracks like 'Celebrate,' composed with his son on his lap, and collaborations with talents like Bembe Segue and Oliver Night, highlight Quiet Dawn's ability to translate personal moments into universal celebrations of life, love and cultural diversity. With infectious energy and a message of turning negativity into positivity, Celebrate invites listeners to dance, reflect and embrace the richness of our individual journeys.

Review: Recorded at Fish Factory Studios in London in April 2021, Abbreviations by Qwalia reflects meticulous editing and post-production that condenses raw recordings into seven intricate tracks. Featuring collaborators Ernesto Marichales (percussion), Miryam Solomon (vocals), and Valeria Pozzo (violin, viola), the album expands on the success of "Sound & Reason," which was championed by Gilles Peterson and Mary Anne Hobbs. Tracks like 'Elevator Company' transform jam sessions around Tal Janes' guitar into lounge grooves with Solomon's ethereal vocals blurring ambient and improvised music. Meanwhile, 'The Spin' dives into trance-like intensity, capturing the band's energy after exhaustive recording sessions.