Nostalgia 77 founder Ben Lamdin celebrates fifteen years of glorious music with “Fifteen”. Lamdin along with the Tru Thoughts family collaborated in selecting some of their timeless ethereal compositions from their deep vault for this release. One can only imagine the challenge they had in picking just nineteen tunes. In the end it looks as though they did a fabulous job. Evidence of that comes from the opening track “Quiet Dawn”, a haunting tune featuring Beth Rowley on vocals. Alice Russell, whose powerful soulful vocals has received worldwide acclaim shines on “Seven Nation Army”. Other highlights include “Stars”, a gem that was recorded with the Nostalgia 77 Octet and the folk inspired “Beautiful Lie”. The Ambassadeurs trippy remix of “Sleepwalker” is a downtempo delight and captures the groups varied musical range. If you’re a bit late to Ben Lamdim’s body of work then this would be a great place to start. If you’ve been riding with him all along then this is a great reminder of the quality of music he has given us over the years.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina form the group known as Nu Guinea. The last time we heard from them was on the impressive “Tony Allen Experiments”. With their sophomore lp “Nuova Napoli”, they capture the vibe of Napoli and the foundation of 70s funk and 80s dance rhythms in their music. Massimo and Lucio enlisted many of Naples talented musicians to blend live instrumentation with voices drenched in Neapolitan dialect. “Nuova Napoli” is a laid back sun drench soul with a twisted bass line and synths. “A Voce E Napule” is filled with lively percussion and sweet vocal harmonies. “Ddoje Facce” is a funky synth laden dance track and overall feel good tune. In fact the mood throughout the disc evokes images of crowded streets filled with people dancing to the drummers beat. This is a music journey through Naples that is worthy of repeated trips and another triumph for the talented duo.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

Ever since their first compilation in 2014 The Far Out Monster Orchestra has delighted us with invigorating dance tracks remixed by some of today’s acclaimed DJs. With three members of Azymuth, including Arthur Verocai and Jose Roberto Bertrami plus fellow Rio funk legends Banda Black Rio are back to deliver another fabulous collection of original compositions. On the title track we’re delighted by the vocals of Heidi Vogel over a bass driven dance friendly groove. “The Two Of Us” with Mia Mendes on lead vocals is another winner that’s filled with blissful orchestral arrangements and gorgeous vocal harmonies. This album comes with six vocal recordings and an instrumental of each track as well. It’s quality disco stripped down where the focus is on groove, melody and lush arrangements. These musicians have quite the resume when it comes to Jazz, Brazilian and funk compositions. With this release they’ve proven to be equally adept at infectious dance tracks as well.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

Hailing from Ann Arbor Michigan, Tadd Mullinix aka Dabrye wasn’t sure if or when he would create another record. Twelve years since the release of “Two/Three” A case of writers block and family matters put his projects on ice. So it was a cause for celebration to discover he was back in the studio wrapping up his long awaited follow up. “Three/Three” fuses laid back electronic beats as well as gritty boom bap joints that made “Two/Three” such a highlight. Detroit is represented well by Guilty Simpson on “Tunnel Vision” while Kadence along with Intricate Dialect & Silas Green trade verses on the spacey beats of “Culture Shuffle”. Shigeto, another Detroit Alum brings his diverse electronic sound with the funk deluxe “Sunset”. Dabrye’s connections extend well beyond Detroit with premiere rappers such as Ghostface Killah, Doom and Jonwayne jumping on board. “Three/Three” has a little bit of everything to keep your head on a constant nod. It’s a huge gap between albums but Dabrye has picked up from where he left off and that’s a boon for everyone.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

“Ruthless Day” is the second full length lp from Giselle Smith. Formely the front woman for the Mighty Mocambos Giselle has arranged a collection of high powered funk that allow her vocals to soar. Among the highlights are “Sweet Memories”, a mid-tempo track oozing with wah-wah guitar funk. “Hero” is a bluesy duet with Eric Boss. “Around again” is infectious funk with tasty piano arrangements. A potent release filled with emotive lyrics, Giselle is a welcome addition to the funk and soul scene.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

“Reverie”, the debut from London based singer songwriter Rhi is a ten track assortment of dreamy explorative electronica filled with haunting mellow beats. Among the highlights are the ambient downtempo “Cherry Glow”. “Romance” is a passionate tune filled with warm keys and sensual phrasings. Blissful vocals and miminal production is the theme throughout here. Rhi has created an album filled with mystique and romanticism which makes for an enchanting listen.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

Brixton’s own veteran rapper Ty returns with his fifth LP entitled “A Work Of Heart”. Ty’s effortless wordplay is on full display as he weaves through a number of personal topics. In addition he’s enlisted some of his ultra talented friends to spread his message. On “Brixton Baby” featuring vocalist and fellow Brixton resident Mpho he pays homage to his hometown. The track strikes a resemblance to the Roy Ayers classic “We Live In Brooklyn”. On “Somehow Somewhere Someway” Ty is joined by the legendary Umar Bin Hassan of the Last Poets to address some of the injustices within our communities. “Eyes Open” featuring Rootz & Deborah Jordan is another thought provoking track about interpreting fact from fiction from the news we receive. “World Of Flaws” featuring underrated rapper John Robinson speaks to our imperfections and how we judge each other. Ty seamlessly delivers his razor sharp bars on top of head nodding beats and live instrumentation. As he states on “Somehow Somewhere Someday”, “You won’t hear an empty song from me”. As you listen with pure satisfaction there’s no doubt about that.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

With their fifth LP, The Submotion Orchestra return to their roots with jazz infused electronica combined with live instrumentation. “Kites” maintains the atmospheric soundscapes that we fell in love with from their debut “Finest Hour”. Each member drew inspiration from photographic images they brought to the recording. They transformed those images into a splendid collection of emotive compositions. “Variations” is a elegant slow burning tune with blissful keys and hypnotic beats. “Own” is another winner filled with warm strings and blissful horns. Ruby Woods angelic vocals, missing for most of their previous lp shines throughout here. The disc wraps up with “Alone”, a haunting orchestral gem where Woods weaves images of space and open skies around her soft vocals. This is a gorgeous release that is simply sublime. Loyal fans will be more than pleased while new fans will realize what they’ve been missing.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

“UnequiVocal” is an aptly title, for there may be no equal for the lyrical dexterity of poet and hip-hop lyricist Nkechi da LyricL (aka Lyric L). LyricL has performed with everyone from Mark De Clive Lowe, Bugz In The Attic and Aroop Roy just to name a few. “UnequiVocal” is her follow up to her smash debut “Amazed”. Although that record dropped over six years ago she has seamlessly picked up where she left off. That means there’s a myriad of rhythms tailored to her exceptional rhyming skills enhanced by a number of talented guests as well. On “Dreamstate” LyricL is joined by rapper 3rd Person and Breakplus to trade verses over a laid back boom bap beat. “Juxtapose” is an intoxicating Afro house number featuring Rachel Huggins and Shaun Ashby. “Expected To” featuring Daz-I-Kue is a wicked bruk beat track reminiscent of her work from the London broken beat scene from over a decade ago. That’s just a sampling of the amount of gems spread across this record. I can easily go on but you need to listen for yourself, you won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

Penya is a percussion driven quartet led by producer and multi-instrumentalist Magnus PI. “Super Liminal” is their debut LP and the follow up to their impressive “Acelere” EP. They’re woven a myriad of influences ranging from Cuba to Tanzania to assemble a tantalizing stew of compositions. “Search It Out” is driven by Jim Lem’s bata drumming and enhanced by lead vocalist Lilli Elina, whose vocals shine throughout this disc. Lem shines throughout as well, specifically on “Iyesa” and “Kirachi”. The latter is a pulsating track with tribal overtones due in part to the futuristic synths with ancient chants. Magnus PI’s production has created a lo-fi analog sound that befits the nature of the music. You feel as though you are in the midst of a live performance. The energy this quartet exudes is certain to lift your spirits and move your hips. There’s no use trying to fight it, just release yourself and enjoy it.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy