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

Review: After the success of the first Alessandroni Proibito box set, which sold out in pre-sale before it even hit the stores, Four Flies is proudly back with Volume 2 of the compilation. This new release too features five exclusive 7" singles, housing a total of ten seriously rare tunes. All previously unreleased in physical format, the tracks have been carefully selected from the soundtracks of five obscure Italian films from the late 70s - sexy flicks that flirted with the line between erotic and explicit, and which are now largely forgotten, having been out of circulation for decades. As was the case with the previous volume of the compilation, Alessandroni's music rises above the films' flimsy plots, improvised actors, and amateurish production, exuding his distinctive touch thanks to the (typically Italian) artisanal approach he took to his musical craft. The composer let his creativity run free, playing with his instruments at home as if he were in his own little amusement park; trying to have fun and produce something entertaining and captivating with just the few means at his disposal.

Review: African Spirits is the coming together of musician and producer Nicola Conte with his friend and colleague Gianluca Petrella, who is an ECM and Blue Note associate and internationally renowned talent who emerged from the Italian jazz scene. Their recent album found them exploring a wide range of music in our globalised world with nods to Detroit, disco, house, and jazz. Now Berlin-based New York don Fred P offers up two of his reinterpretations. They are of course long, deep, spiritual and moving in both physical and emotional ways.

Review: Though his career has taken many turns over the last decade, DJ Koze has remained that most illusive of creatures: a minimal-minded producer with an ear for a melody. This fourth full-length, packed to the rafters with big-name collaborations (Apparat, Caribou, Ada and Matthew Dear all feature), continues his move towards the home-listening sphere. So, while many of the heady rhythms and shuffling grooves hark back to his stripped-back past, Amygdala impresses with its woozy songs, genre-straddling fusions (see the modern soul meets deep house of "Homesick" or the steppy, tropical vibes of "Marilyn Whirlwind") and homely atmosphere.

Review: Dresden label Cold Diggin has been a consistent outlet for the work of The Duke Ya Love To Hate, which is one of several different aliases that Stefan Senf choses to work under. Usually they serve up just one of his special 7" outings per year but in 2023 two are arriving in December. This one comes on a hand-numbered 7" in screen-printed sleeve and is limited to just 150 copies. A-side jam 'Cold Wire' is a lively mix of breaks, jazzy chord stabs and plunging bass, then 'Cold Strut' slows things down and builds on a familiar funk break and top line melody in alluring new ways.

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: Guitarist, composer and skateboarder Tommy Guerrero hears several of his earliest albums reissued now via Be With, of which 2008's Return Of The Bastard was his fifth. Still evidently deep in the throes of recording for the pure fun of it, this fifteen-track album reflects a pure lyricless enjoyment that few other of Guerrero's contemporaries could ever hope to share. Perhaps it's the meditative truck of his earlier skate career that course-corrected his frame of mind to pure creative meditativeness; here driving noisy drum machines, lightly-amped two-tones, the occasional kalimba and faint vocals all collide for the perfect accompaniment to an implied visual narrative.

Review: Some expansive, cinematic, orchestral spiritual jazz for you here, from the trio of talents that Fumio Itabashi, Kuniyiki and Henrik Schwarz. While the latter two are generally better-known for their deep and sometimes tech-tinged house and ambient productions, the original mix of 'Watarese' (featured here on side B) is a dense, immersive jazz soundscape laden with evocative Japanese vocals, improvised piano, moody orchestration and definite nods towards vintage free-jazz. Spiritual Life supremo Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell provides the remix and, somewhat predictably, steals the show. His take is gently rhythmic, sun-splashed spiritual jazz full of hand percussion, fluid piano motifs and rubbery double bass.

Review: For the very first time on vinyl comes Presents The Light Programme, Jah Wobble's extraordinary 1997 descent into downtempo and beat science. Released on his now-defunct 30 Hertz label, The Light Programme showcased an excellent cast of musicians, including Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, Wire's Clive Bell, conga player Neville Murray, guitarist and synthesist Mark Ferda and the harpist Zi-lan Liao. The Light Programme is an intensely effulgent but at times vitreous record, with Wobble seemingly embracing the worldbeat vogue of the time with a keen, albeit naive fervour. When the tracks aren't so clear cut or obviously mixed, things get more interesting; 'One In 7' is the oddball of choice here.

Review: Earlier this month, First Word Records dropped an epic, digital-only compilation in which members of the label's large family of artists either collaborated with or remixed each other. This 12" boasts four of the collection's undoubted highlights. The EP begins with a simply stunning Kaidi Tatham remix of Allysha Joy's soul-jazz treat 'Better' - think deep broken beat meets liquid jazz-funk and sultry neo-soul - and ends with a fiercely sub-heavy and surprisingly spaced out K15 broken beat rework of Teotima's 'But I Can't'. Sandwiched in between you'll find a jazz-funk-goes-bruk re-wire of Takuya Kuroda's 'Fade' by KEARL (that's K15 and Darkhouse Family's Earl Jeffers) and a wonderful fusion of squelchy synth-jazz and broken beat courtesy of Quiet Dawn and Sarah Williams White.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Across a run of three outstanding EPs since 2017, Yazmin Lacey has slowly and steadily brought her cool and assured strain of neo soul into earshot, regularly popping up on festival line-ups and aligned with a resurgent UK jazz scene. Now we finally get to hear her stretch out on an album which takes its inspiration from the raw honesty of voice notes as a means of communication. Teaming up with the likes of Craigie Dodds, JD.REID, Melo-Zed and executive producer Dave Okumu, she's more than delivered on her promise with an outstanding, deep and nuanced album that hits true from the first beat to the last breath.

Review: As far as timeless deep house classics go, Loose Ends's 'Cheap Talk' is right up there. It is a mid-tempo cut with some steamy overtones and has all the key elements from warm and dusty groove to soulful atmospheres. The track's smooth bassline, lush chords, and hypnotic vocals all draw you in deep and invite you to lose yourself on the dancefloor in the same way now that they did back in 1991. This MCA reissue features the extended remixed version as well as a B-side Bad Boy mix that gets more raw and heavy.

Review: Do not hang about not his one because it is super limited and super good. It's a new 7" from Messin About with some golden old, rare yet vibrant modern soul and rare groove. On the A-side is the masterpiece 'It'll All Come Around' from the great Patsy Gallant and it is one that will swell the heart with its luxurious sound, while the B-side enchants with the funky and cinematic soul of Love Unlimited Orchestra and their superb 'Strange Games & Things'. This waxy treasure promises to elevate your vinyl collection to new heights.

Review: Camae Ayewa AKA Moor Mother has long talked about wanting to work with an orchestra, applying her verbal Afro-futurism and free-jazz experimentation to the classical domain. She recently did just that, delivering a grandiose live interpretation of her ninth album, The Great Bailout, alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra. It makes perfect sense: while the album itself is not fully orchestrated, it's a conceptual work dissecting the British slave trade, slavery and colonialism. Musically, there are two central focal points: her spoken word vocals and the beautiful singing of Lonnie Haley. These two vital voices weave in and out of sound worlds rooted in dark ambient, lo-fi hip-hop beats, free jazz instrumentation, out-there samples and clandestine aural textures. It's naturally raw, moody and weighty, but more importantly it's also a genuine masterpiece that deserves your attention.

Review: Despite selling out instantly on first press back in November 2018, it is only now that Nujabes' first solo album "Metaphorical Music" makes it to wax once more. This most spiritual of hip hop records - first released in 2003 - brings together downtempo, trip hop, instrumental, classic era boom bap, neo soul and funk into an accomplished collection of tunes that pack a dance floor as well as heartfelt punch. The album showcases some of the best music that the hip hop genre is capable of. Do not miss this, as it won't be around for long.

Review: The late legendary Japanese beatmaker Nujabes was a musical genius, this we know to be true. His constant resurgence on social media throughout the years affirms this, with 'Modal Soul', his second full-length album in 2005, blowing up time and time again online. It comes as no surprise, his meticulous devotion to hip-hop-jazz was unlike any before him, or since. 'Other Side of Phase' is a 12" three track record, with its title track being the instrumental for the famous anime 'Samurai Champloo', originally featuring one of Japan's most prolific MCs to ever hold the mic. A standout is 'Rainyway Back Home', a fly song combining the keys from an old Jeru the Damaga cut and the drums from a Power of Zeus track. Nujabes will never - ever - go out of style.

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: The mysterious Sault troupe is back with a call to action and revolutionary soul soundtrack that really bangs the box. "Ain't nothing gunna keep us silent" the lead singer yelps on 'Stop Der', which is an immediate banger after the soothing ambience and closely mic-ed whispers of the opener, which muse on what it means to be black. The rest of the record is a hard hitting mix of crisp drums and empowering vocals, with elements of classic soul as well as contemporary jazz colouring the grooves. This is powerful music with an even more powerful message.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks ***


This album is one of the greatest r&b records ever. That's just a fact. Jill Scott herself has never even managed to surpass what she lay down on this stone-cold classic all the way back in 2002. The production is stylish and warm, seductive and sensual throughout, with jazz, neo soul, funk, r&b and hip hop all carefully infusing each track. The lyrics are empowering as they celebrate blackness and female strength, but also at times witty and playful. It's a go-to date night album for people all over the world and how it missed out on a Grammy for Best Album or Best Vocal Performance when it was first nominated we will never know.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Sons of Kemet had already made themselves into stars before they released their debut album. They did so with electrifying live shows all around the UK with each member of the supergroup which is led by clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Shabaka Hutchings with Oren Marshall on tuba and Tom Skinner and Seb Rochford on drums, all coming together to create fresh jazz fusions. When Burn landed a decade ago it took things up a notch. It has addictive melodies that work for both heart and mind and now gets a special anniversary reissue.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Kaidi Tatham back on 2000BLACK needs little explanation really, does it? Anyone who takes broken beat and neo soul seriously should already be slipping this on in their cart, but for the uninitiated this is one of the grandmasters of the sound in full flight. 'Galaxy' is a beautiful, uplifting soul-boogie jam with a stunning vocal turn from Lola Violet, and it comes in two different twists depending on the energy you need to bring to your set - for us the 'Uptempo Mix' is a perfect shot of joy in the arm. 'A Message From Above' cools things down with gorgeous keys, a characteristically snagging beat and sultry horns, and 'Ergonomic Structures' slinks into the sweetest of downtempo funks that'll have you head nodding hard and keeping you chill all in the same beat.

Review: After a two-decade interlude, Jim O'Rourke's Moikai returns with Spectral Evolution, a major new work by Rafael Toral. Making his name in the mid-1990s with influential guitar drone platters like Sound Mind Sound Body and Wave Field (both reissued by Drag City in recent years), Toral has never been one to rest on his laurels repeating past glories. In the early years of the 21st century, Toral began his "Space Program", a 13 year investigation of the performance possibilities of an ever-expanding set of custom electronic instruments, played with a fluid phrasing and rhythmic flexibility inspired by jazz. Dedicated to honing his skills on these idiosyncratic instruments, Toral founded his Space Quartet, where his mini-amplifier feedback integrates seamlessly into the frontline of a classic post-free jazz quartet rounded out with saxophone, double bass, and drums. Since 2017, Toral's work has been entering a new phase, often still centred around the arsenal of self-built instruments developed in the Space Program, but with a renewed interest in the long tones and almost static textures of his earlier work; he has also, after more than a decade, returned to the electric guitar. Spectral Evolution is undoubtedly Toral's most sophisticated work to date, bringing together seemingly incompatible threads from his entire career into a powerful new synthesis, both wildly experimental and emotionally affecting.

Review: Tour-Maubourg has been receiving quite a bit of press since their very first release. Often, their records quickly become sought after for their amazing beauty and genre-washing abilities. 'The Panorama Sessions' aims to continue the strong promotion and deliver another home run. Like the name suggests, these are alternate versions of other treasured Tour-Maubourg tracks that were featured on different releases, with this 12" bringing in the talents of the Ismael Ndir on saxophone. 'The Opening' gives us At Les vibes with the brilliant melodic touch, a smoothed out Balearic track that is nothing short of sublime, while 'Ode to Love' is another goosebump creator. These sunset styled interludes expanding into a feeling of light jazz and pseudo house, really work well on our mood receptors. 'Saint The A La Menthe (Panorama version)' is perhaps the most soulful track here, making it a perfect way to close things out. All and all, four unique, terrific new versions of classic Tour-Maubourg material to enjoy.

Review: Yussef Days, a virtuoso drummer, has injected fresh energy into contemporary jazz and broken beat genres through multiple innovative projects, each showcasing his remarkable talent. One of them is The Yussef Dayes Experience which recently dropped its Live At Joshua Tree Presented By Soulection album and now follows it up with another live album, this time from Malibu, on Gilles Peterson's revered Brownswood label. It features music from his critically acclaimed debut solo album, Black Classical Music, and plenty of other gems on limited vinyl with features from his usual longtime collaborators Rocco Palladino, Venna, Elijah Fox, and Alexander Bourt.

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.