Many folks may be familiar with drummer/producer Julien Dyne from his work with the group Opensouls. Their signature sound is rooted in raw soul and funk but you won’t find anything like that here. Instead we have an organic collection of soulful hip-hop beats blended with jazz tinged vibes. Among the highlights are “Layer”, a mid-tempo track with a funky bass line and “Stained glass fresh Frozen”, a soulful electronic joint with horns. Both tracks feature Mara tk who provides vocals and additional beat arrangements. “Falling” is a laid back ethereal gem with heavy beats and earthy chords that features Julien on vocals. This is the type of track you could picture someone like Dwele singing over it. Although there are fourteen tracks, three or four barely exceeded 2 minutes but they still manage to keep your attention. That said, “Pins and Digits” is an impressive debut by an emerging talent. Julien successfully merges live instrumentation with electronica and creates futuristic soul that you don’t want to miss.

Reg Dancy

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Impossible Ark is a record label created by Nostalgia 77’s Ben Lamdin, Hugo Mendez and Riaan Vosloo. The idea was to create a home for some of the finest Jazz artists performing in the UK today and given the quality recordings presented here, it was a great idea. The style varies from 60’s bebop to soulful folk compositions and it all comes together in the end. Among the highlights are “African Mailman” by the Rhythmagic Orchestra, a collective made by members of the Nostalgia Octet, the Alex Wilson Band, Jazz Jamaica and many others. Together they create a spirited mix of Afro-Cuban rhythms with an infectious groove and ear splitting percussion. The Fiction Trio are clicking on all cylinders with “Haitian Fight Song”, reminding us how entertaining the trio can be. Now while I don’t know who the musicians are, I do know that the drummer creates plenty of space for the piano player’s intense but beautiful playing. Jeb Loy Nichols shines on the relaxing and peaceful “Day that never came”. “Orange Gold” is a wonderful cinematic ballad that takes you through many levels, a gorgeous brass section one minute, superb piano playing the next and lush strings throughout that builds to a crescendo. The Nostalgia 77 team continues to bless us with quality jazz music of the highest order. This is an exceptional record that belongs in your collection. Highly recommended.

Reg Dancy

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Homecut is a six member ensemble that is the creation of rapper/vocalist Testament delivering soulful hip-hop with live instrumentation. The results are a refreshing blend of laidback grooves with jazzy overtones that bring to mind the early days of the Brand New Heavies while Testament’s rhymes’ evoke memories of the native tongues. The first single “I don’t even know” features Corrine Bailey Rae and Soweto Kinch. Corrine sings the chorus over a laidback piano riff with Testament and Soweto dropping verses lamenting the struggles of a hard knock life. “Not too far to go” showcases a funky baseline and finds Testament singing over a soothing keys and flute collaboration. “Time difference” is a laidback jazzy tune that Testament sharing the stage with J-Live. You won’t find any sampling on this disc, just soulful bangers with thought provoking lyrics that will move your feet and stir your soul. When you add contributors like Andreya Triana and Lee Sun to the mix, you have one record that definitely deserves a place in your collection.

Reg Dancy

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Ever since he burst onto the with his solo project “A New beginning”, DJ Mitsu has made a name for himself not only as one of the premiere dj’s in Japan but worldwide. His latest full length release, “A Word to the Wise” offers a little bit of everything that adds up to an outstanding record. DJ Mitsu features some of hip-hop’s most sought after rappers like the underrated Maspyke on “Playing with Crime”, complete with clever wordplay and dope beats. One rapper whose stock continues to rise is Detroit’s own Elzhi. On “Get’em Up” he displays his lyrical prowess over a neck snapping beat. Jose James drops by to add his warm velvet voice to the wonderful “Promise In Love”. Other highlights include the funky “The Game Changer” by Wildchild and Georgia Anne Muldrow. “Dim Skyline” is an instrumental bamger that features Mark De Clive Lowe on keys. “A Word To The Wise” is that rare recording where there is nary a weak track amongst eighteen selections. As good as “A New Beginning” was, this one is significantly better. It would be very wise would be to pick this up, you won’t be disappointed.

Reg Dancy

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After an impressive debut with “Scheme for thought” on the Brownswood label, Elan Mehler returns with the gorgeous “The After Suite”. Elan’s sophomore release reaches higher degrees of sublimity than the first disc. Each composition is rich in harmony and is augmented by the inclusion of vocalists, particularly Becca Stevens. Her phrasing is so soothing on tracks like “Factory” and “The 54th Leap” and each is simply superb. “The After Suite Part 2” is another tune that strikes that delicate balance between powerful and tenderness. “Strange Bird” is a stirring solo that is a glorious display of Elan’s supreme talents. I could go on about but you need to experience the sheer beauty of this record for yourself. Quite simply, this is an absolute gem that you shouldn’t miss.

Reg Dancy

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The fact that the Cinematic Orchestra’s latest release is on the Disney Nature label might be cause for alarm for die-hard fans who might think they sacrificed their eclectic sound for commercial success. While “Les Ailes Pourpres” doesn’t possess any of the electronic jazz stylings of “The Man with a movie camera” or “La Fleur”, there is still plenty to like about this soundtrack. Jason Swinscoe adeptly composes a new score for Disney about the lives of Flamingos on Northern Tanzania and creates a peaceful and elegant composition that flows from one track to the next. Each track plays like a suite so there isn’t much in the arrangements that distinguishes one from the other but there are a few standouts like “Arrival of the birds” and “Marabou”, the latter starts out with a haunting bass clarinet riff that draws you deeper into the melody. “Crimson Skies”, sung by Luo Rhodes is a nice record and is the only vocal track on the album. Overall this is a nice, relaxing soundtrack. Pour yourself a good glass of wine and enjoy this fine piece of work.

Reg Dancy

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There have been many groups that have come through and displayed the ability lay down the funk. Very few have shown the potential to create the cosmic slop like Sa Ra Creative Partners. Since they emerged on the scene back in 2000, Sa Ra has teased us with a single here and there, most notably the underground hit “Glorious” before finally releasing their debut in 2007. Their latest release, “Nuclear Evolution” fulfills some of the promise that has been long associated with the group. With their trademark psychedelic funk spread across 23 tracks, Sa Ra waxes poetic on tales of partying and all night sexual encounters. Some of the highlights include “Dirty Beauty”, which features Erykah Badu. “Melodee N Mynor” and “Gemini’s Rising featuring Rozzie Daime”. “Traffika” depicts a wild night of chaos in New York City. They slow things down for a moment to enter the galaxy of love on “Love Today”. Each track features their trademark spacey synths, funky basslines and soulful production. Sa Ra’s stylish compositions have been sought after for many hip-hop and soul artists alike. “Nuclear” demonstrates a definitive progression from their debut and will satisfy the legion of fans who like their funk to stretch out beyond the outer limits. Simply put, this is one of the most creative and enjoyable records of 2009.

Reg Dancy

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Ancient Astronauts are Kabanjak and Dogu from Cologne, they are heavily influenced by funky hip-hop from the nineties but they add in Afro, reggae and dope beats mixed into a spacebeats shake up. There really is a big mixture going on here with favourites including Tippa Irie toasting on ‘All Of The Things You Do’ and The Pharcyde breezing through ‘Classic’. Great stuff. 

Graham Radley

African dub blending Ethiopian traditional with afro jazz and Jamaican dub recorded in Ethiopia & the UK  from this new band  formed by Transglobal Underground founder member Count Dubullah (aka Nick Page) . The recording features several amazing vocalists including  Sintayehu Zenebe (the "Ethiopian Edith Piaf) Tsedenia Gebremarkos,. Bahta Gerbrehiwot and Teremage Woretaw, listen out to for some superb piano from Samuel Yirga and brilliant saxophonist Feleke Hailu. This really is a wonderful album.

Graham Radley

This might well upset the purists but Baaba Maal has always been adventurous and here he brings in a strong pop element to a Senagalese core heavily featuring  Sabina Sciubba and Didi Gutman from the New York electronica outfit the Brazilian Girls . This is his first new release for about 8 years and my only real gripe would be that I’d love to hear even more of the great man featured. I think maybe the purists will retreat to the traditional albums like ‘Missing You’ but hopefully this release will bring in a whole new audience who will also go on to savour his back catalogue . I love it.

Graham Radley