Brokenbeat / Nu Jazz Recommendation June 2013

Review: Theo Parrish and Tony Allen together on a record? What a combo! Fusing the souls of Detroit and Laos, the unlikely but neatly fitting duo has created two absolutely beautiful soul workouts here. "Day Like This" is a staccato soul roller with emphatic swooping drums, sultry washed-out vocals and big warm organs. "Feel Loved" is a jazzier, more upbeat affair. Again the drums sit at the very forefront of the mix while the rest of the rich, warm instrumentation fits in around them in a soft, dreamy state. The debut release on Theo's new Wildheart label, expect more goodies like this very very soon.

Review: What began as a Diesler remix of The Jazzinvaders several years back has now turned into a collaborative project in its own right. Hectic, percussion heavy and charged with jazzy, sunkissed samba flavours it's the perfect unity of The Jazzinvaders live spirit and Diesler's heavier dancefloor swing. For balance, Neil Cowley takes us deep into the realms of psychedelic house with his remix of Asterion's "I See". With rusty Rhodes and a bassline that morphs into an utter beast, it's the perfect foil to the crazy fusion of the main A-side.

Review: Make way for a jazzy new sister imprint from Phil Weeks' well respected stable! Robsoul Jazz launches with a serious statement of laidback intent courtesy of French instrumentalist Around 7. Sitting at a cool seven cuts, it's a humble affair that nods heavily to the creative beat baking of Dilla and the soothing, left-sided jazz soul of Brubeck or Davis. Think grooves rather than entire songs, each one captures the mind and leaves the body to relax. The perfect head-nodding foil to Robsoul's standard body-jacking beats.

Review: Having long since made enough money to retire, Louie Vega has spent the last few years developing his Elements of Life project - a kind of all-star band that blends global rhythms with elements of soul, disco, jazz and, of course, house. While early releases on his own Vega Records imprint were a touch ham-fisted and noodlesome, this second full-length oozes laidback spirituality - like the Masters at Work Nu Yorican Soul project taken to its logical conclusion. There are some joyous moments amongst the Latin percussion and treacle-thick soul vocals, from the Rotary Connection-goes-jazz of "Barbara Ann", to the Afro-Cuban soul-jazz of "Love is You".

Review: Two song based highlights from Si 'Bonobo' Green's fifth studio album are paired on this 12" from Ninja Tune, with "First Fire" joined by the illustrious Badu collab "Heaven For The Sinner". As opening track for The North Borders, there should be few Bonobo fans unfamiliar with the ethereal delights of "First Fires" which musically harks back to Green's early output albeit married to a beat template more palatable to contemporary ears, whilst still demonstrating his obvious talent for crafting songs thanks to the vocal contribution of Brooklyn based Cinematic Orchestra affiliate Grey Reverend. It's no disservice to say it's overwhelmed by the B Side presence of Erykah Badu who is neo-soul incarnate on "Heaven For The Sinner" with Green's towering production sounding inspired by the mere thought of working with her.

Review: Ndagga Versions is the second of two long players that collate the Jeri-Jeri material released across a series of five 12"s by Mark Ernestus. The Hardwax owner is already renowned for widening public awareness in niche African sounds thanks to his stellar curatorial role in Shangaan Electro, the compilation of South African music released through Honest Jon's a few years back, yet the Jeri-Jeri project is the result of Ernestus further ensconcing himself in the continent's musical heritage. He decamped to Dakar in 2011 to record the Ndagga material with a clutch of Sabar drummers as well as Senegal's most famous sons Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal. This being Ndagga Versions, the nine track set draws from the pool of instrumental cuts from the series.