27th September 2021
Ten City – That’s The Way Love Is (Acieed Mix/Extended Version) [Atlantic Records]
Tryangle Man – Train Of Thought [Atjazz Record Company]
Ajda Pekkan – Sen Mutlu Ol (Fattish & Ahmet Atakan Edit)
OYOBI feat. Qvln – Me Voy [Atjazz Record Company]
Soulparlor feat. Colonel Red – To Be More [Inner Tribe Records]
El Payo – Frequency [Stay True Sounds]
Freeez – Stay [Far Out Recordings]
Delfonic & Kapote – Surface Scratch [Illegal Jazz Recordings]
Basement Membrane – Banana [Inner Tribe Records]
Machinedrum feat. Angelica Bess – Only One [Ninja Tune]
sUb_modU – I Am Thousands [Tru Thoughts Recordings]
40 Winks – tried so harddd [Project Mooncircle]
Summer Sons – Out The Blue [Melting Pot Music]
Maspyke – Lost In Belief [Jazzy Sport Records]
Jordan Rakei – What We Call Life [Ninja Tune]
Feiertag – Ceylon [Sonar Kollektiv]
Kondi Band – Nor Follow Sweetness [Strut Records]
Agustin Pereyra Lucena Quartet – La Rana [Far Out Recordings]
Emanative feat. Collocutor & Finn Peters – Fire [Brownswood Recordings]
Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble – Strauss [Jazz Room Records]
Lloyd McNeill – O Mercado (Brazilian Market) [Soul Jazz Records]
Sean Khan – Azawala [BBE Music]
John Carroll Kirby – Sensing Not Seeing [Stones Throw Records]
20th September 2021
José Mauro – Talismã [Far Out Recordings]
Orquestra Afro-Brasileira – Saudação ao Rei Nagô [Day Dreamer]
Cláudio Bocca – Marsupial [Notes On A Journey]
Opa – Malísimo [Milestone]
Esperanto – Caucaguita [Favorite Recordings]
Ken Hoon – Dreamland
Ill Considered – Loosed [Ill Considered]
Jus feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow – Else [Inner Tribe Records]
Inkswel feat. Tableek – Spread Love (Inkswel Remix) [Inner Tribe Records]
De La Soul – Dinninit [Tommy Boy Records]
Jeru The Damaja – Mental Stamina [Payday/FFrr]
Taggy Matcher feat. Birdy Nixon – Little Things [Stix Records]
Rhi & Telemachus – No One Wants A Nihilist [Tru Thoughts Recordings]
Steve Spacek & Yazmin Lacey – Another Like This [Boomerang Records]
CoralL – Caravanka [La Boocle]
Mike Lundy – The Rhythm Of Life [Aloha Got Soul]
Dego feat. Samii – Recovered Memories [2000 Black]
Bright & Findley – Slow Dance [Athens Of The North]
Butch Haynes – Sonata Intestellar (Night Mix) [Apparel Music]
Secret Witness – More For Us [Bienvenue Recordings]
Blaze feat. Alexander Hope – Wonderland (Original Mix) [Slide ‘N’ Slide]
Passion Social Club – The Walk (Tom Findlay Sunset Remix) [Sonar Kollektiv]
Taster’s Choice – Instant Coco (Slezzysmoothe Mix) [Prescription Records]
Minus & MRDolly – The Break [Jazzego]
Mark de Clive-Lowe – Crush Velvet (for Phlash) [Mother Tongue]
Kofi The Unknown – Waves [Wicked Wax]
Magic Music – Feel The Funk [Past Due Records]
13th September 2021
Jerome Thomas – That [Rhythm Section]
Planetself feat. Zion I, John Robinson, Yarah Bravo – High Tide (Inkswel’s REST IN POWER Remix) [Inner Tribe Records]
Dabrye feat. Jon Wayne – Pretty [Ghostly International]
Jeru The Damaja – Come Clean (Dirty Rotten Scoundrel Mix) [Payday/FFrr]
Budamunk & TSuggs feat. Patriq Moody – Kozmic Question [Jazzy Sport Records]
Chick Corea & Return To Forever – Light As A Feather [Polydor]
Spirits Rejoice – Joy [Matsuli Music]
The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine – Little Lady [MPS Records]
Luiz Morais – Scorpio [LM Music]
Bonbon Vodou – De Colère Un Cas D’école [Heavenly Sweetness]
Eparapo feat. Dele Sosimi – From London To Lagos [Wah Wah 45s]
JK Group – Kempton (Phil Stroud Remix) [La Sape Records]
Myele Manzanza – Back In The Days [DeepMatter]
Al Wootton – Baccata [Trule]
EVM128 – Desert Island Bruk [CoOp Presents]
Arnheim feat. Johannes Sahmland-Bowling – Your Effect On The Day [ANMA Records]
Makèz – Orbit [Heist Recordings]
KVRVBO feat. OKay God – O Flopo [Stay True Sounds]
Jermaine Jackson – You Like Me Don’t You [Motown]
Sampology – Ten Foot Flowers [Middle Name Records]
T.Roy & Msafiri Zawose – Furaha [Broadcite]
Jon Dixon feat. Britt Frappier & Ian Fink – Words Can’t Express [4EVR 4WRD]
Leroy Burgess & LOGG – Dance Till U Can’t [Omniverse Records]
Eduard0 – House Smoke [Apparel Music]
The Sounds Of Blackness – Optimistic [Perspective Records]
6th September 2021
Hiromasa Suzuki – Out Of Focus [Columbia]
Foat, Heinola, Åkerblom – Feline Fantasy [Jazzaggression Records]
Timo Lassy – Foreign Routes [We Jazz Records]
Web Web x Max Herre – Whirlin’ [Compost Records]
Anthony Joseph – Who Will Save The World? [Heavenly Sweetness]
Alemayehu Eshete – Alteleyeshegnem [Heavenly Sweetness]
Jembaa Groove – Bassa Bassa [Agogo Records]
Scrimshire feat. Cleveland Watkiss – The Pile [Albert’s Favourites]
Georgie Sweet – Circled [Futuristica Music]
Mista Monk feat. Elf Tranzporter & Naked eYe – How We Living (Dr Drumah Remix) [Inner Tribe Records]
Czarface & MF DOOM – This Is Canon Now [Silver Age]
Dizz1 – Konotakosuke Yaro [Rush Hour]
EESKRA – Belong [Ramrock Records]
Bubbha Thomas and The Lightmen – Boogie Down (PT. 2) [Pressure Makes Diamonds]
Netwerk – Hard To Give It Up [Past Due]
OYOBI feat. Qvln & Ahyko – Rey Xango ( [Atjazz Record Company]
Axis Choir – I See The Sun [Newborn Records Inc.]
Kuna Maze – Bill [Tru Thoughts Recordings]
Cassius Select – Mess Mutual [BRUK]
Soulparlor feat. Colonel Red – To Be More [Inner Tribe Records]
sUb_modU – All Around [Tru Thoughts Recordings]
The Pleasure Principle feat. Heidi Vogel – Coral Drive Hustler [Expressive Records]
Portico Quartet – Impressions [Gondwana Records]
Ce Ce Rogers – Someday [Atlantic]
Inkswel: Mind Beats Vol.1 [Inner Tribe]
It has been a busy year for Austrailian producer Jules Habib aka InksWel. He dropped the deeply satisfying “Astral Love” earlier this year. Now he returns with the intergalactic beat tape “Mind Beats Vol.1”. Inkswel chops up an array of dark and moody beats surrounded with outtakes of interviews of Sun Ra. Among the highlights are “Journey For All Men” filled with spacey chords and thick beats. “War” is another banger laced with cosmic synths and features rapper Social Change. “One For Doom” is a fitting tribute to the late iconic rapper. In fact if you’re fans of Doom or beatmakers such as Madlib then you’ll certainly vibe to this.
Jerome Thomas: That Special Sauce [Rhythm Section]
Hackney based vocalist Jerome Thomas has been building a reputation as soul singer to keep an eye on for a number of years. Various projects over the have offered a tease of his velvet falsetto. Once you caught a listen you were left wondering when are we gonna get more? Well, the wait is over. “That special Sauce”, Thomas’s full length debut on Rhythm Section International is filled with hot buttered soul gems dripping with sensuality and romanticism. Thomas ecshews electronics in favor of a six piece band and the result is an organic session that provides the canvas for his passionate lyrics. On the slow burning “Secret” Thomas’s subdued yet seductive vocals sets the mood for an intimate connection. “Settle Down” is fueled by the subtle yet poignant bass licks. The laidback drumming is in the pocket and tailor made for Kwesi Mcintosh’s melodic bass grooves sprinkled throughout the disc. Despite the fact there’s only seven tracks here you’ll get caught up in the rapture nonetheless. Simply stated this is blue lights in the basement music from a rising star in UK soul.
The Fantastics: Take A Shot [BBE]
Hard to believe it’s been nine years since The Fantastics last full length release. The band turned over their roster and only two members remain from the original lineup. Recently they have gone out on the road to try out their new material and based on this new release, the audience gave marks. “Take Another Shot”, their third lp is filled with high energy funk and soul jazz compositions that have become their trademark. Keyboardist Greg Boraman, one of the original members has tapped into new blood to push the band’s music forward. Guitarist James Byron brings an open minded approach to genre bending compositions resonating throughout the recording. Vocalist Selene Fleming’s resume includes appearances with Incognito and Leroy Hutson. She punctuates a number of tunes here like “Say You Will” and “Can’t Decide”. The latter is an organ fueled psychedelic tune with rip roaring guitars. Mark Norton’s melodic flute is front and center on the mellow soul jazz tunes “Better Than Dead” and “Oblique”. Overall it’s a strong ten track album that will certainly satisfy your soul jazz palette.
Balimaya Project: Wolo So [Jazz Re:freshed]
The Balimaya project is a collective of Uk musicians collaborating on Mande music. Mande is a family of ethnic groups from West Africa. Led by UK based Djembe musician Yahael Camara Onono, the group consists of members of burgeoning bands Kokoroko and Seed Ensemble. “Soninka Patronba” begins with warm percussions and a brimming horn section. The tune shifts tempos from mellow to spirited high energy grooves. “City Of God” is a meditative blend of Kora, trumpet and Trombone rhythms. “Dakan” is another polyrhythmnic tune bursting with hypnotic percussions, soothing keys and sublime horn arrangements. A marvelous record that flows with spirited energy and enthusiasm. This is a showcase of the abundance of talented UK musicians with a foundation of Jazz and their pulse on the Mande culture.
The Kondi Band: We Famous [Strut]
“We Famous”, the sophomore release from Sierra Leonean native Sorie Kondi, DJ/Producer Chief Boima and Will LV better known as The Kondi Band. The ten track disc are filled with West African rhythms, specifically Freetown Sierra Leone. Boima discovered Kondi through a youtube video and eventually arranged for him to travel to the States. During that visit the duo scheduled five live dates and eventually made their way to the studio. “We Famous”, four years in the making is the follow up to their 2016 debut. “Don’t Follow Sweetness” is an infectious tune highlighting Kondi’s vocals as well as his mastery of the thumb piano. “She Doesn’t Love You” is enhanced by Boima’s use of electronics and features guest vocals from fellow Sierra Leone native Mariama Jalloh. “It’s God’s World” is another dance floor filler with an infectious groove that features Sweatson Klank. This is another winner from Strut records who have a knack for finding hidden gems. None any bigger than Kondi.
30th August 2021
Samael Senja feat. Donna Odain – Some Fun
EVM128 – Dance Don’t Sleep [CoOp Presents]
Tommy Rawson – Ads Mood [Bergerac]
Blakai feat. Lady Alma – Work It Out [Ten50]
Myele Manzanza – Quinnies For The Boys [DeepMatter Records]
Sunbear – Let Love Flow for Peace [Soul Train]
Jonathon Hansen – What Its Meant To Me [Favorite Recordings]
Break Reform – Perfect Season [Abstract Blue Recordings]
Aru-2 & Kzyboost – Shooby Dooby [Bastard Jazz Recordings]
Silent Titan feat. Anthony OKS – How Life Won [Low Key Source]
MMYYKK – Bout Dat [Rhythm Section]
G’emma – Water [Sonar Kollektiv]
Ishmael Ensemble – Feather [Severn Songs]
Awkward Corners feat. Kitty Whitelaw – Marshland Lullaby [Shapes Of Rhythm]
Sven Wunder – Pentimento [Piano Piano Records]
Foat, Heinola, Åkerblom – Valley Of The Black Cats [Jazzaggression Records]
Spirits Rejoice – Makes Me Wonder Why [Matsuli Music]
Lloyd McNeill – Tzigane [Soul Jazz Records]
Kansas Smitty – Bump [7K!]
On Our Own Clock – Dune Dance [Mushroom Hour Half Hour]
Gabrielito Gonzalez & La Verdad – Bacalao Con Pan
Hawa feat. Rosemary Martins – Risin’ To The Top [Stix Records]
Tryangle Man – Night Jazz [Atjazz Record Company]
Park Ave. feat. Tony Jenkins – Don’t Turn Your Love (Dangerous Mix) [Movin’ Records]
Sean McCabe & Karmasound feat. Erik Rico – A New Day [Phuture Shock Musik]
Sir Shina Peters – Yabis (Deep Space Orchestra’s Low Down McDuff Edit)