Category Archives: Reviews

Martin Iveson AKA Atjazz has always been right on point with his productions and ‘Full Circle’ is no different. Released on his own Mantis label it combines elements of deep house, broken-beat and digital soul and features a variety of guest vocalists including Robert Owens and Ernesto. There’s also Vancouver’s finest Amalia who graces the head-nodder ‘One’, Mr J of Phuturistix who appears on ‘Together’, Dawne B on the techy ‘Parralels’, Clara Hill on the bass heavy groove ‘Before’ and Sarah Jane Morris who fronts the feel-good vibe of ‘Fantasy’, all of which are nothing short of brilliant. Do not miss this one!

Andy Allen

Formed in Iran in 1991 by Hamid Motebassam this CD has lyrics from the poems of Attar, Rumi, Hafiz and Sayeh beautifully sung by Salar Aghili. This is classical Persian music that’s spiritual, sensitive and enveloping in it’s warmth and beauty. Superb.

Graham Radley

Third album and he just keeps getting better. Brazil provides the source with the mix bringing in a varied selection of dance friendly influences . Behind this infectious dance music though DJ Delores addresses issues like capitalism (Proletariado) and idealism (Cala Cala) as well as on a lighter note looking at relationship. Regulars joining him include Maestro Forró, Gabriel Melo, Fernando Catatau, vocalists Isaar and Maciel Salu, and guest appearances by Silvério Pessoa and by Marion. Excellent.

Graham Radley

Big band samba is back and oh yes it sounds sweet, the driving force is producer Alexandre Kassin, plus percussionist Domenico Lancellotti and singer/guitarist Moreno Veloso (son of Caetano) who started Orquestra Imperial as a side project, Listen out too for veteran samba star Wilson das Neves, cool tasty and vibrant.

Graham Radley

Featuring Shuggie Otis, Moreno + 2, Domenico +2, Kassin + 2, Eddie, Os Mutantes, Jim White and Los de Abajo, plus exclusive unreleased tracks from the Godfather of Brazilian soul Tim Maia (Que Beleza and Bom Senso) this is Luaka Bop doing what they do so well, mixing it up and making it special. Great.

Graham Radley

How to classify ? it’s a folked up jazz, fired by dubby brass meets electro type thingy really. Formed by three members of Bellowhead, plus Japanese musicians and the Bon dancers, it’s a wildly different sound that’s often challenging but if we wanted safe we can find enough cans of mediocrity on the shelves can’t we ? Terrific.

Graham Radley

An amazing guitarist who Dave Grohl has rightly been championing, her voice is lighter and by nature takes the tracks in a different direction but there’s a diversity going on that’s refreshing and honest.  Also includes full length CD of her debut ‘Everybody Loves You’.

Graham Radley

Australian duo Confection (Josh Beagley and Juanita Tippins) follow up their debut single with a very tasty long player. Although this is all brand new material you’d swear it was a long lost soul set from around 1984. Both ‘Fantasisin’’, a killer down-tempo groove very much in the vein of Juicy’s classic ‘Sugar Free’ and the mid-tempo boogie outing ‘I Choose You’ from the 12” are present  plus other boogie bombs in the shape of ‘I’ve Gotta Thing (4U)’ and ‘You Got The Love’. If you’re a fan of Paul Laurence, Lillo Thomas, Kashif etc then you’re going to love this album.

Andy Allen

The third release in a series of mixing compilations from the Jazzanova label. Dego of 4Hero takes us on a musical journey with an assortment of funk, soul and hip-hop classics from the seventies to the present. Classics like Patrice Rushen’s “Message In The Music” fit nicely along side Georgia Anne Muldrow’s “Blackman”. Dego takes it back to the electronic synth era of the eighties with Two Sisters “High Noon”. He follows that up with a track he produced himself, Face’s “Act Like All Is Right”. Other highlights is the sound of Detroit that is sprinkled throughout this disc by the likes Dabrye, Wajeed and the late J. Dilla. The one downside to this disc is that the total time of forty two minutes feels like a tease when it comes to the end. This is one minor quibble to an otherwise entertaining cd. A disc that manages to relive many moments in the evolution of black music.

Reg Dancy

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Will Holland, aka Quantic has been exploring the world of deep funk for some time now to critical acclaim. With this project he dusts off some obscure funk 45’s from back in the day to give them new life. There are a few moments that merit your attention. The disc starts off with “Clap Your Hands” by Reginald Milton and the Soul Jets. A deep funk track with heavy drums, a thumping rhythm guitar and nice horns to match, the youngsters on the vocals don’t do the song justice however. The vocals on “Baby Don’t Cry” by “The Third Guitar” are a lot better. Armed with a tight groove that could easily be placed on a James Brown record, this is easily one of the best cuts on the disc. This was also the track sampled by Large Professor for the Main Source classic “Looking At The Front Door”. The problem with this disc is that hardly any of the tracks stand out from the pack. I kept waiting for something to knock me off my feet and never found it. That being said, this is still a solid disc that should please fans of the rare groove sound. Quantic has done a nice job of assembling a collection of songs you would have a difficult time finding on your own. Certainly worth your time checking out.

Reg Dancy

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Matt Smooth and Rob Mac are back with their second album under the alias Speeka and it makes me wonder how they have time with all the other projects they’ve got under their belt. With the guys known more for their hip-hop roots than their jazz or funk, they take all those influences and turn them into a wonderful folk style album. This is a beautiful album that will have you wanting more after each play. My copy arrived in the middle of the postal strike, so I was able to give this album the attention it deserves. One of the catchiest tracks I’ve heard this year is "Better Inside", which has all the elements of a hit, if only the nation wasn’t so obsessed with reality TV music shows. With a good balance of instrumentals and vocal productions, this will more than keep you happy through the dark winter months. Yet another excellent release from Wah Wah 45s.

Simon Harrison

This seems like it’s taken ages to be released but I think that is due to hearing that Aaron was signed to BBE such a long time ago. I’ve been really looking forward to hearing it. Aaron has been around for a while now and has been producing some ace tracks/remixes over the last few years. Next year should see his profile explode with this cracking debut album. Some of the vocalists maybe unknown to the masses but most people in the scene will know all about Bajka, Kathrin deBoer from Belleruche, Mozez, Andreya Triana, Yungun and Simphiwe Dana, and boy do they sound good on all their tracks. There is no real point in highlighting any one tune because they are all something special and fans of the Cinematic Orchestra and 4Hero will enjoy Aaron taking things to another level. Essential!!

Simon Harrison

There have an abundance of broken beat hits (and misses) this year. This is one of the hits that should have lots of staying power. In addition, there are a couple of highlights that stand out about the new Flowriders cd “R.U.E.D.Y”. One is the live instrumentation that gives the music a fresh sound every time I play it. The other highlight is the guest vocalists such as Tanya Saw, Spoonface and the dynamic blue-eyed soul man himself, Colonel Red. On the cosmic “Looking Deep” the Colonel provides well placed background scats to complement the vocals of Tanya Saw. “I Think I Know” is a nice mid-tempo gem that is enhanced by the drum work by Richard Spaven (Mark De Clive Lowe, 4Hero). “President” is an energetic broken beat track with vocals by Spoonface, who on this track, sounds a little like Omar to me. “Visualize” also features Colonel Red and has a haunting deep groove that begs for the volume to be turned up. Chances are you feel compelled to do that the minute this track starts. Thanks to the tight production by Vincent Helbers (aka Flowriders), this disc will provide definite satisfaction to fans of the bruk beat, broken soul. Recommended.

Reg Dancy

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I’m having a hard time deciding which version I like most. Nicole Willis and The Soul investigators dropped “Keep Reachin Up” over a year ago. To worldwide critical acclaim. This was throwback soul music that took you back to an era of folks playing 45’s on the stereo. Brooklyn borned Nicole Willis and Finland’s The Soul Investigators are taking soul music back to its purest form. Except this time around they have some of the hottest DJ’s dropping by to put their stamp on already quality soul. On “Feeling Free” Aaron Jerome adds nice chords to an already bumpin track. Mr Scruff adds banging drums to “If this Ain’t Love”. And the Dynamics’s remix on “My 4 Leaf Clover” gives the track a dubstep feel to it. From a purist’s standpoint, you might want to pick up the original, if you don’t have it already. However this is one of the rare remixed cd’s that don’t disappoint. Definitely worth checking out.

Reg Dancy

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Raw, uncut soul at it’s best. Take one look at the Dap Kings and you’d ask yourself, can these guys really bring the funk? Yes! They really, really can! The third release for Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings is a little milder than their previous release “Naturally”. However, they still come at you hard nonetheless. There’s really no track that stands out more than the other as the entire disc just flows at a crisp pace. The disc begins with the title track. A semi-slow burner that has everything that you loved about soul music, live instrumentation, warm harmonies and a lead voice that packs a punch. Midway through the song, Sharon pauses for a second, slows down the pace and reasserts herself while the Dap Kings break it down to another level. “Nobody’s Baby” has a funky mid-tempo beat that will surely have your head noddin’, albeit a bit short at just over two minutes. That’s a minor quibble that you can deal with. What’s more important is serenading yourself with ten tracks of soul music in it’s purest form. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also bonus cd that features music from various artists from the Daptone label titled Binky Griptite’s Ghetto Funk Power Hour. Hosted by Daptone guitarist Binky Griptite, this disc burns for sixty minutes. If this isn’t money well spent I don’t know what is.

Reg Dancy

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