Far Out レコード& CD

Review: Since emerging in their home country a decade ago, Caixa Cubo have flitted between labels (most notably Heavenly Recordings and Jazz 'N' Milk) while establishing trademark sound that expands on the jazz-funk-meets-samba-jazz template created by fellow countrymen Azymuth (like that band, they're a trio based around drums, bass and organ/electric piano). Unsurprisingly, they've now found a home on Joe Davis's Brazil-focused Far Out Recordings, a stable that has done much to champion Azymuth in the UK. Modo Avia (air mode) is typically warm, breezy and gently tropical, fusing killer grooves and infectious, off-kilter rhythms with brilliant solos, infectious riffs and far-sighted musical flourishes. It feels like the sort of set that will be talked about in hushed tones in 30 or 40 years, and we can think of no greater praise than that.

Review: Francisco Mora Catlett is a Mexican drummer, composer and educator. He began his musical career in Mexico City where he worked as a session musician for Capitol Records between 1968-1970. He left with Sun Ra in 1973 and worked with him until 1980. While in Detroit in 1987, he released his first album as a leader, the Pan-Afro project "Mora!". Mora II continues the concept of the first album, with wife Teresa Mora on vocals and trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave, This follow up album has finally been given a high quality vinyl reissue by London's Far Out Recordings.

Review: It's not often that jazz guitarists and bandleaders double up as DJs and producers, but neither is Nicola Conte the kind of person one often encounters. Here the Italian multi-talent proffers a new version of his latest spiritual jazz-house opus, Umoja. This record first came to be as a full-length 4x4 dance LP of serene, danceable tropicalias and sports-whistly whorls. They now come reincarnated, karmically re-endowed with the thermal force of an eagle, by way of an album's worth of reworks by the veteran producer's vim of fellow spiritual house height-scaler and abseiler, Joaquin Claussell. Whether invoking the exquisite voices of Stefania Dipierro or channelling the patent inspirations of Lonnie Liston Smith of Gary Bartz, Conte Conte-nues to propose endless Conte-nuations of his sound; all it takes is a little help from one's friends to evoke a sacred dance, a sonic world-spirit.

Review: The worldly wide Far Our label turns its attention to some fascinating house sounds from Ivan Mamao Conti. "Katmandu" is all bendy bass and tropical drums, steamy humidity and sensuous synths. Pablo Valentino flips it into warm and jazzy number for cosy basement clubs that harks back to the 90s, and Jazzanova then layer in plenty of the golden instrumentals and key playing that makes the music come alive. The closing remix is all Moodymann vibes with its rough kicks and claps, funk bass and lived-in aesthetic. This is classy house music from front to back.

Review: Joe Claussell is a proper legend of the scene and New York powerhouse who has a sound so emotionally intense it brings people to tears. Here, he breathes new life into the Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra with a powerful remix of 'Black Sun' that arrives exclusively for Record Store Day 2025. Since debuting in 2014, the Orchestra, which features Azymuth's Jose Roberto Bertrami and Alex Malheiros, has attracted top remixers like Theo Parrish and DJ Spinna, and Claussell now joins that esteemed list by infusing the original with his signature spiritual energy and rawness. The result is a euphoric journey towards pure ecstasy driven by Heidi Vogel's soaring vocals as classic disco and grooves collide in pure magic.

Review: Lau Ro's debut album Cabana is a poignant and introspective look on memory, self-discovery, and imagination, rooted in their upbringing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and their later experiences in Europe. Recorded in a small wood cabin at the bottom of their garden, the album traverses dreamy bossa, ambient folk, fuzzy tropicalia, and majestic MPB, enveloped in masterful string arrangements and trippy electronics. Lau Ro's delicate yet confident vocals, sung in both English and Portuguese, navigate themes of urban pollution and utopian dreams rich with nature and wildlife - a journey of rediscovery, as Lau Ro reconnect with their roots while embracing their European experiences. The result is music that feels like it belongs to a parallel universe Brazil, offering a glimpse into Lau Ro's multifaceted identity and artistic vision.