30 April 2018
Moodymann – Pitch Black City Reunion [Mahogani Music]
Pletnev – Daywalker [Fleeting Wax]
Maajo – Defo [Queen Nanny]
Modified Man – Croydon Rooftop Cafe Culture [Albert’s Favourites]
Glenn Astro & Hodini – RND ARP [Apollo Records]
Shahrokh Dini – Yomaha (Karim Sahraoui Eternity Vision) [Compost Black Label]
Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra feat. Arthur Verocai – Step Into My Life (M&M Mix) [Far Out Recordings]
Mr. Fingers – Full Moon [Alleviated]
Carl Craig – The Melody (Ishmael Ensemble Remix) [InFiné Music]
Letherette feat. Olivier St Louis – Love Lust [Wulf Records]
Sola Rosa feat. Kevin Mark Trail and L.A. Mitchell – Leave A Light On
Malphino – The Sleep Tree [Lex Records]
Dave Grusin – Clean Cut [We Want Sounds]
Luiz Melodia – Veleiro Azul [Som Livre]
Andre Solomko – Le Deltaplane [Favorite Recordings]
Nikitch & Kuna Maze – Random Synth Jam #136 [Cascade Records]
Pan Amsterdam – Hunan Garden Takeout [Def Pressé]
Alphabets Heaven – Dopé 1 [Dopé]
Chip Wickham – Snake Eyes [Love Monk]
Don Cheery – Bamako Love [We Want Sounds]
Jay Phelps – L.S.G (Love So Good)
Ira Sullivan – The Girl From Ipanema [Flying Fish Records]
23 April 2018
Nathan Davis – New Orleans [Universal Jazz]
Nathan Davis – African Boogie [Universal Jazz]
Takeo Moriyama – Watarase [Jazzman Records]
Sean Khan feat. Heidi Vogel – Moment of Collapse [Far Out Recordings]
The New Mastersounds – Tantalus [One Note Records]
Jimi Tenor – My Mind Will Travel (Teen Party Edit) [Philophon]
Charly Kingson – Nimele Bolo [Africa Seven]
Pat Thomas Introduces Marijata – My Love Will Shine [Mr Bongo]
Toshio Matsuura Group – Brown Paper Bag [Brownswood Recordings]
Jessica Lauren – Chichourlette [Freestyle Records]
Nubya Garcia – Once [Brownswood Recordings]
Waves – Feelin’ The Sunshine [Tramp Records]
Andre Solomko – Aquaplane [Favorite Recordings]
Kutiman – Lucid Dream [Siyal Music]
Brainwaltzera – Vodiga [Monkeytown Records x Ninja Tune]
The Goods – Faster [Bastard Jazz Recordings]
Amp Fiddler – Good Vibes [Mahogani Music]
Cotonete – Earth Overshoot Day (Hugo LX remix) [BBE Records]
Dabrye feat. Nolan The Ninja – Nova [Ghostly International]
CZARFACE & MF Doom – Badness Of Madness [Silver Age]
The Herbaliser feat. Rodney P & 28Luchi – Like Shaft [BBE Records]
The Herbaliser – Tripwire [BBE Records]
Daykoda feat. Han – DreamYoga [Orikami Records]
DJ Simon S feat. Oz – Stop The Rain [Futuristica Music]
Smokey Robinson – A Quiet Storm [Tamla Motown]
16 April 2018
Uniting Of Opposites – Vortex Number 9 [Tru Thoughts Recordings]
Uji – Jenga [Zzk Records]
Jazzanova feat. Rachel Sermanni – Rain Makes The River [Sonar Kollektiv]
Potatohead People feat. Nanna.B – Morning Sun [Bastard Jazz Recordings]
Paul White – Set The Tone [R&S Records]
Alemayehu éshété – A Tashamanaletch [Heavenly Sweetness]
Cuasares – Ancestral [Pharaway Sounds]
Catch Up – Onkel Joe [Sommor]
Wvr Bvby – BSP [Plug Seven Records]
Shawn Phillips – I Don’t Want To Leave You, I Just Came To Say Good-Bye [A&M Records]
Charles Sullivan feat. DeeDee Bridgewater – Now I’ll Sleep [Inner City Records]
Goya – House At The Sea [Espacial Discos]
Majik – Dance, Dance, Dance [Melodies International]
Freeez – Stay [BBE Records]
Demuja – Born Funky [Lost Palms]
Project Pablo – Remind Me Tomorrow [Technicolour]
Andy Compton & Shamrock – Bunny Chow [Lumberjacks In Hell]
Laolu & Mr Raoul K feat. Ahmed Sosso – Djougou Yah (Perk Mix) [Compost Records]
DJ 3000 – Lawless [Motech Records]
Metropolitan Soul Museum – Autumn 5 [Dionysian Mysteries]
Christian Jay – Del’s Kicks [Idle Hands]
9 April 2018
Carl Craig – The Melody (Ishmael Ensemble Remix) [InFiné Music]
Heavy – Wonderlove [Kindred Spirits]
Bill Summers & Summers Heat – Don’t Fade Away [Prestige]
The Dells – You Don’t Care [Cadet]
Kenny Rankin – Groovin’ [Little David Records]
Dabrye – Vert-Horiz [Ghostly International]
DJ Simon S – Lately (Marc Rapson Remix) [Futuristica Music]
DJ Simon S feat. Deborah Jordan & Jack Jones – The Game [Futuristica Music]
Essa – The Middleman (Tall Black Guy Remix) [First Word Records]
Kero One – Its A New Day [Plug Label]
Modern Sound Quartet – Narciso [Fonovideo]
The Lightmen Plus One – Song of Praise [Now-Again Records]
Joe Henderson – Blue Bossa [Milestone Records]
Serge Gainsbourg & Michel Colombier – No, No, Yes, Yes [We Want Sounds]
Chip Wickham – Barrio 71 [Lovemonk]
University Of Utah Jazz Quintet – Blue Rue [Now-Again Records]
Earth Trax & Newborn Jr. – Maze [Dopeness Galore]
Greymatter – Last Lift [Fate And Fiction Recordings]
String Theory – Dirty High [Rhythm Section]
Global Communication – The Groove (Dego’s 2000 Black Reinterpretation) [Dedicated]
Groove Collective – I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (Eric Kupper Remix) [Giant Step Records]
Working Week – Venceremos – We Will Win (Jazz Dance Special 12″ Edition) [Virgin]
2 April 2018
Dabrye feat. feat. Guilty Simpson – Tunnel Vision [Ghostly International]
Dabrye feat. feat. Ghostface Killah – Emancipated [Ghostly International]
Grooveman Spot – Rudolph [Jazzy Sport]
Rhi – Night Driving (Ivy Lab Remix) [Tru Thoughts Recordings]
Space Ghost – Eyes Closed [Tartelet Records]
Paul White – Set The Tone [R&S Records]
Robert Watson – A Second Party [Roulette Records]
Jessica Lauren – Amalfi [Freestyle Records]
Shungo Sawada – Footprint [Jazzman Records]
Tony Dagradi – Whirl [Gramavision Inc.]
Florian Pellissier Quintet – Coup de Foudre a Thessalonique [Heavenly Sweetness]
Grupo X – Something Going On (Chip Wickham Remix) [Loft Records]
Nu Guinea – Nuova Napoli [NG Records]
Revbjelde – The Weeping Tree (Zyklus Remix) [Buried Treasure]
Glenn Astro & Hodini feat. Ajnascent – Viktor And The Quasar [Apollo Records]
Melissa Manchester – Shine Like You Should [Arista Records]
The Pendletons – Telling Lies (Buscrates Remix) [Bastard Jazz Recordings]
Bob Welch – Don’t Let Me Fall [Capitol Records]
L.T.D. – Love To The World [A&M Records]
Human Movement feat. Eliot Porter – Run It By Me [Defected Records]
Guy Gibbons – Amadilo [Phat Elephant Recordings]
Clap! Clap! – Ode Io The Pleiades (Photay Remix) [Black Acre]
Karim Sahraoui – Spy of the Desert [R&S Records]
J. M. Tim And Foty – Funky Bafoussam [Africa Seven]
Lee Dodou & The Polyversal Souls – Basa Basa [Philophon]
Basa Basa – Black Light [Vintage Voudou]
Sons And Daughters Of Lite – A Real Thing [Luv N’ Haight]
The Expansions: Murmuration [Albert’s Favourites]
The Expansions are a quartet hailing from South London. They made quite an impression with their debut EP “Lavender”. Their latest release “Murmuration” builds on their debut with more funk infused jazz and soul rhythms. “Pocket 5” is fueled by spirited drumming from Jonny Drop and a thumping groove courtesy of bassist Matt Summerfield. On “Cannonball” Dave Koor’s mellow earthy synths along with James O’Keefe’s guitar provide plenty of warm vibes. “Ivory Mountain” is an uptempo fusion highlight driven by spacey synths and a pulsating groove. The Expansions breathe new life into the 70s fusion period with this engaging record. They’ve learned well from their influences while creating a sound all their own.
Nostalgia 77: Fifteen [Tru Thoughts]
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.
Nu Guinea: Nuova Napoli [NG Records]
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.
Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra: Black Sun [Far Out Recordings]
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.
Dabrye: Three/Three [Ghostly International]
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.