Here’s another beautifully packed CD. Attention to detail makes all the difference and you even get a free CD-R in there as well. Riovolt is a real mixed bag of Funk, Jazz, Drum & Bass, Samba and Electronica. The killer track for me, and the reason you need to buy this album, is ‘Starjive’, a brilliant Brazilian flavour jazz funk bomb brought up to date for 2005 and not a million miles away from Azymuth. Norbert Küpper, the producer and composer behind Riovolt, grew up with Soul, Fusion and Funk, and these influences shine throughout ‘Sambarama’. Vocals are provided by Zuco 103’s Lilian Vieira and Ju Cassou, which completes the package perfectly.

Simon Harrison

Kirk Degiorgio’s New Religion has been releasing some of the best UK Techno and Electronica for over five years, and Kirk has never been restrained by any musical boundaries in his DJ sets or productions. Here we have New Religion’s latest offering with a whole host of artists doing what they do best – producing quality music. The single with Domu’s ‘Quarantine’ and Stacy Kidd’s ‘Liquid Letter’ has been getting some serious attention over the last month. Other artists include: Kirk’s very own As One project, plus Blue Binary, Beetlejuice, 69 and Balil, who haven’t released anything in over ten years. Fans of Sheffield’s Warp Records will love this to bits.

Simon Harrison

Milwaukee’s Jason Todd, Lunaversol9 and Epicenter are back with their second Def Harmonic album which of course features more mad, yet damn funky beats and quality vocals. Jason’s voice is not only unique but he switches between rapping and singing seamlessly and works a treat with Lunaversol9’s verse. As with all their previous work there is a real fun factor to their lyrics, and the track this style peaks with is the 2005 anthem ‘Spaced Out’, a track I’ve been hammering for months. Having checked these guys live at Cargo earlier this year, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with over the coming years. With ‘All These Worldz’ being the sound of now, why on earth haven’t these guys been signed to a major?

Simon Harrison

This is one debut that I’ve been waiting for ever since I first heard the now classic ‘Wesley Music’, which rocked just about every dancefloor back in 2003. Some three years later and a few more singles in the shops ‘Every Preston Guild’ sees the light of day. The three man team that make up RSL create a nice mix of old and new, fusing Jazz, Latin, House and Soul into the pot. If you already have the singles, the main reason for buying this album is certainly what should be their next single, ‘Every Preston Guild’, another anthem in the making.

Simon Harrison

One thing for sure, you can never go wrong when purchasing any of Joyce’s albums and believe me there’s a lot out there. This time Joyce has brought in guest Dori Caymmi who plays guitar and sings on most of the tracks, which works beautifully with Joyce’s vocals. The whole album is truly something special, with every single track worth its weight in gold. If you’re a vinyl junkie, keep an eye out for the very limited 7” featuring “Rio Bahia” and “The Colours of Joy”.

Simon Harrison

Those in the know may have checked out Corbett’s “Corbenova” album that was released in 2003 but I have to admit he was unknown to me until Woodland released the excellent three track EP at the end of 2004. All three tracks from the EP are featured here and still sound as good as ever. The rest of the album is a real mix of Nu-Jazz, where Corbett plays flugelhorn and trumpet, over some beautiful breaks and beats. Not only that but also featured are the lovely vocals of Lizzy Parks, a name you really need to watch out for in 2006.

Simon Harrison

It’s been quite some time since we heard from Bukky Leo, so top marks to Mr Bongo for getting him back in the studio. Having worked with a number of the greats- Tony Allen and of course Fela- he has also been flying the flag for the British jazz scene for a number of years. Ben Mitchell has been brought in to produce and has given Afro Funk a more dancefloor feel but still keeping an old skool feel to all the tracks. Mixing Afro beat and electronic beats exactly how it should sound.

Simon Harrison

What strikes you first about “Better Luck Next Time” is the attention to detail in the press release and packaging; this is top quality. Doctor L has been a very busy man over the years working with the likes of Tony Allen, James Blood Ulmer and Nicolas Baby (Kaktus Hunters). This time he teams up with French vocalist Dom Farkas under his new Broken alias. Mixing up the deepest house grooves with soul, jazz and, yes, rock, is a bit of a shock at first but just like when you first heard Mos Def’s “Rock N Roll” it works a treat.

Keep your eyes peeled for the 12” with four more tasty tunes.

Simon Harrison

When is comes to compilations BBE are at the top of their game. Pete Adarkwah is of course back at the controls and digging out even more Soul, Funk and Jazz in a similar vain to the previous three volumes as compiled by Pete and Kenny Dope. Here are 15 wonderful sought after tracks, which have been sampled by a numerous Hip Hop and R&B artists. Highlights for me are Barbara Mason ‘Give Me Your Love’, Bill Conti ‘Reflections’, American Gypsy ‘Inside Out’, Jay Dee ‘Strange Funky Games and Things’ and that’s just for starters.

Simon Harrison

Orgatronics is the debut album from producers Sam Bell and Rich Arthurs, who’ve made quite a name for themselves on the Latin Jazz scene with bands such as The New Mastersounds and Saudade. Here they mix electronica with Latin and Flamenco instrumentals to create some really classy and catchy numbers. There is definitely some Zero 7 and Air influences mixed in the pot, which is certainly no bad thing.

Simon Harrison