Back in stock: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Brazilian producer Zopelar is a real wizard when at work in the studio. He has done disco-tinged full lengths, synth-laced house sounds, deeper than deep grooves and now steps up to Sudd Wax with another brilliantly musical EP. It opens with the shimmering pads and free-flowing keys of 'Papaia' which then gets a Byron The Aquarius Jazz Twist mix that cuts even more free and gets even more cosmic. 'Jazz Class' is a funky one with golden chords and astral pads and the flip brings three more house gems laced up with the sort of meaningful melodies you don't often hear in this genre.

Review: More gold from the always in the know and on point 5 Boroughs label. Again here it digs into the vast annals of hip-hop history to come up with some still relevant gems in the form of Rakim and DJ Premier's staple 'It's Been a Long Time.' It is a classic boom-bap joint with lush strings and horns, some old-school scratching and cool bars. As walls, the label serves it up alongside the original sample source on the flip which is Cecil Holmes's languid soul slow burner 'Call Me, Come Back Home'. These plays shift in quick time so do not snooze if you want a slice.

Review: Unstoppable Munich label Ilian Tape has another entry in its fine ITX Series here and this one is called 'Biospore Farmers' from Fields of Mist, describing it as "Sunrise Beams Through Orbital Mist." In less abstract terms, it is a gorgeously hazy and lo-fi electro-exploration. The first two cuts are slow, doleful and reflective with grainy pads and deep space ambiance swirling around nice rough-edged broken beats. The B-side picks up the pace with the brilliantly kinetic bounce of 'Astral Projection Spores' and then the skittish and celestial trip that is 'Orbital Mist'. A high-class EP once again.

Review: Multi-instrumentalist and composer Isaiah Collier connects with divine ancestors on a transcendent Direct-To-Disc session, Parallel Universe. The Chicago-based innovator and educator is heard to open up new dimensions in the jazzwise continuum on this LP; a saxophonist by trade, his multi-instrumental talents and compositional prowess have thus far stretched the limits of the form, and Parallel Universe once again embraces the risk and vulnerability that is oh-so-native to the live process he knows all too well. Featuring gospel soul singer Jimetta Rose, AACM and former Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpet player Corey Wilkes, blues-rooted guitarist Michael Damani, regular collaborators Julian Davis Reid, James Russell Sims and Micah Collier, the eight-track album bristles with a sense of love and understanding between players at the top of their game.

Review: Be.Lanuit is bringing Ibiza back to its roots as a bohemian nexus in everything he does. As a DJ, artist and fashion designer, he's been projecting good vibes absolutely drenched in Balearic wholesomeness and so it's no surprise to see him linking up with that most chill of Danish labels, Music For Dreams. Lanuit's debut album is a gorgeous sunburst of the softest grooves accentuated by tender fingerpicked guitar playing. It's got just the right amount of thump in the low end to keep your head nodding even as the melodies intertwine with your mind and carry you far away. If you need a dose of Ibiza magic in your day, this album is a fast track ticket to the White Isle.