Glasgow native Ray Harris has been fusing Latin grooves with Disco rhythms for a minute now. His new release "The Transitions" follows up the huge success of the Latin Dance hit "Scaramunga" and features a new set of tasty tunes to savor. Among the highlights is "Deep Down Inside", an infectious Disco tune with a catchy hook and blissful vocal arrangements. "Time Of Night" is a Latin dance track filled with live percussion and Harris applying tasty keyboard riffs. "Lose And Find Yourself" is an another winner that starts out as a down-tempo instrumental with Harris providing jazzy synths and closes with warm melodic vocal harmonies. Although only eight tracks, "The Transitions" lush arrangements and engaging rhythms solidifies him as one of the premier Latin dance producers on the scene today.

Reg Dancy

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Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart has built quite a diverse resume over the years. He  has collaborated to projects like Mr President, The Dynamics and many more. He returns under the title of Patchworks Galactic Project. With his latest release entitled "Space" he has composed a collection of spaced out boogie tunes with a nod towards seventies Disco soul as well. Patchwork’s fascination with the outer limits is apparent from the outset with the opening track "Cosmic Tripping", a slow burning soul tune with spacey synths. "Cruising Through Space" is a soulful Disco tune with sweet string arrangements. "Dancing Among The Stars" is atmospheric space funk. Patchworks succeeds in transporting the listener into his musical galaxy. With these polished arrangements it’s a trip worth repeated visits.

Reg Dancy

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Bassist Ross McHenry may be familiar to some from his work as a member of the Shaolin Afronauts. As a result he has been on the radar for some time now so it’s great to experience his debut entitled "Distant Oceans" for First Word Records. McHenry shows that he isn’t messing around by enlisting an impressive roster of musicians. Keyboardist Mark De Clive Lowe needs no introduction and Drummer Myele Manzanza’s career has soared since emerging with Electric Wire Hustle. Ross has wrote all but one track here and has served up a fusion of rhythmic spacey experimental jazz. His compositions provide a perfect canvas for Adam Page’s Tenor Sax and flute phrasings, not to mention Luca Spiler hearty Trombone riffs. Manzanza’s drumming sets the foundation for everyone to improvise and they do so in grand fashion. There are many highlights to savor but let’s start with "Intercosmos". Page and Spiler combine for a soaring ethereal intro that eases intro Ross’s laid back bass groove. On "Griffith Park" Ross’s rhythmic bass licks complement Page’s hearty solos. "Malmsbury Shale" and "Prayers" are spirited excursions into celestial territory, particularly on the latter. MDCL sprinkles in some tasty Rhodes alongside the explosive horn section of Page, Spiler and Jon Hunt on Bass Clarinet. Normally you would be concerned that a lineup this impressive would give in to excessive soloing but this group sticks to the script by playing their roles well and taking these compositions to another level. This is simply a superb record that certainly merits your attention. Here’s hoping this is the first of many releases from Mr McHenry.

Reg Dancy

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The aptly titled "Orquesta Bossa" by Trumpeter Jukka Eskola is a soothing atmospheric bossa with strings. Recorded live on a 8-track recorder, Eskola captures the essence of sixties bossa effortlessly. Highlights include the uplifting "Bolly Beat". "Chester-Le-Street" is a funky string laden Bossa  that ends with beautiful vamp. "And The Days Passed By" is one of many gentle recordings that demonstrate Eskola’s gift of creating adoring melodies. "Wien" is the only vocal recording here and it features the beautiful vocals of Chihiro. This is an intimate recording filled with strong performances from the string quartet as well as Eskola’s Quintet. For his part Eskola handles his solos with warmth and tenderness and the result is an engaging record worthy of repeated listens.

Reg Dancy

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"Reunion" the new release from Alex Barck is a triumphant return after a break from the music scene. Indeed "Reunion" is filled with an assortment of uplifting dance tracks filled with Soul, Pop and African rhythms. It’s obvious that the hiatus was good to Barck for the superb writing and arrangements is only surpassed by the spirited collaborations from an array of talented vocalists filtered throughout this disc. Among the many highlights is "Oh Africa", a soulful house track features the deep husky vocals of Christine Salem, a native of La Reunion, located in the Indian Ocean where Barck sought repose. "Don’t Hold Back" is another pulsating track that features the powerful vocals of Sweden’s own Jonathan Backelie. Backelie also shines on "We Get High" and the moving "Doubter". Vocalist Pete Josef, one half of The White Lamp blesses two other tunes, "Reset" and "Spinning Around". With other notable contributions from Stee Downes and Fetsum "Reunion" is highly recommended dance music at it’s best.

Reg Dancy

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"Burn", the aptly titled debut from the quartet known as Sons Of Kemit doesn’t just burn, it scorches. The ten track debut is a fusion of African, folk and spiritual Jazz rhythms that is engaging, intense and defies categories. Clarinetist/Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings apprenticeship with Courtney Pine and Tomorrow’s Warriors has served him well here. His explosive playing and ambitious compositions is complimented by the dual drumming of Tom Skinner and Seb Rochford. On "Inner Babylon" Hutchings and Tuba player Oren Marshall rhythmic explorations and lyrical content extend into Afro-Caribbean ancestry. "Adonia’s Lullaby" evokes deep passion and emotions highlighted by Hutching’s melodic clarinet rhythms. Each member is a leader in their own right yet they come together focused on their take on the movement of the African Diaspora and the result is one of the best records of the year.

Reg Dancy

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"The Cuban Tapes" is a moody collection of dark seductive Afro-Cuban rhythms that captures the essence of mid-sixties soul and jazz. In addition the lineup of legendary vocalists take these compositions to greater heights. For starters there’s Bessie Smith laying down her powerful vocals to "Moaners". Spanky Wilson contributes to the organ grinding soul-jazz number "I Warned You Baby". Other notables include Blues stalwart Ruthie Foster on the simmering "Grinning In Your Face" and the melodic piano driven "Tiki Suite pt1". This seventeen track release is an exciting adventure into the overlooked Cuban night club scene. I suggest you pull up a chair and enjoy.

Reg Dancy

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Hartley & Wolfe is the alias for Dj Vadim and singer Greg Blackman. "Bespoke Future" is filled with tasty electro soul and edgy funk grooves. You may be familiar with Blackmon from Vadim’s previous lp "Don’t Be Scared". While he only appeared on just a couple of  tracks on that disc his rugged vocals are on display throughout here. Among the highlights are "You’ve Got Nothing", a mid-tempo soul groover. "Room To Breathe" is a gritty funk tasty treat. "Turn Up The Volume" and "Lady Sunshine" are soulful grooves with funky synths. "Bespoke Future" is reminiscent of the eighties funk and synth era and Vadim skillfully taps into that sound. Greg and Vadim combine tight production and cutting edge vocals for an entertaining disc.

Reg Dancy

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It’s safe to say that China hasn’t been a hotbed for hip-hop but Wordy Soulspeak are out to change that. DJ Wordy provides catchy electronic beats, clever scratching and synths while Jeff Soulspeak provides tight production on their debut "Let The Rhythm Hit". The title track symbolizes their sound with clever synth arrangements and wicked break-beats. "Smokeout" is a nice laid back tune filled with warm keys and synths. WordySoulspeak cite many hip-hop influences and that’s quite evident. I would bet that they heard a few Dam Funk recordings since several tracks have a 80’s electro funk flavor as well. Wherever the inspiration came from the result is a promising debut from the duo from the Far East.

Reg Dancy

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Reggie-B has been sprinkling eps and singles showcasing his brand of electro-funk for several years now. With his full length debut on Tokyo Dawn, he’s poised to strike a chord with funk enthusiasts past and present with the aptly titled "DNA". Reggie’s rich vocals serve as the main ingredient within a deep dish of bass heavy up-tempo gems featuring an impressive collection of contributors like DJ Spinna, Dam Funk and many more. There are many highlights here to ignite your funk groove like "Light Horizon" featuring Onra and Ubiquitous. "Her Own Way" is a smooth mid-tempo soul funk groove. In addition there are a number of gentle ballads that are treated with a delicate touch as well.  "Just enough" features a romantic verse from D-Lok. "Love The Way" is another soothing track that features the Moog and synth wizardry of Kan Sano. With seventeen tracks in total I was afraid there might be some filler tracks but not to worry. This is a superb album with an assortment of contributors fully committed to bringing the funk. Along with emerging artists like Dam Funk, B-Bravo and Teeko, Reggie-B is spearheading a renaissance of deep funk with wicked hooks. With an album this good it’s assured that the future of the funk is in good hands

Reg Dancy

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