Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Any Omar S release is worth checking, but when it also features Detroit funk godfather and Motor City legend Amp Fiddler, as well as Andre Foxxe of Parliament-Funkadelic, then it's pretty much buy on sight. You never know what you're gaping to get with the FXHE boss, and never was that more true than here on this sweet little 7". A-side 'The First One Hundred' is a loop of Omar S's trademark dusty drums and a deeply buried bass guitar riff that is super funky, and 'Dance Your Blues Away (feat Amp Fiddler)' sounds like Prince making house music in Omar S's studio. They are short, but oh so sweet.

Review: Building on more than 20 years in the game, recent times have seen London-based junglist Opius exploring album formats and deeper strains within d&b and jungle on labels like Silent Force, Time Tunnel and his own Ballpark. Now he arrives on AGN7 Audio with a blistering exercise in experimental d&b that takes a broader look at what a breakbeat can be. The emphasis here is on jazz, as blasts of post bop drumming get sliced and diced into head-rushing constructions that feel as fresh as the first time you heard someone getting busy with an amen.

Review: There's not a huge amount we can say with certainty about O$VMV$M. The act is based in Bristol, UK, and certainly reinforce preconceptions of the city as a hotbed for leftfield stuff. Whether that's politics, art, or, in this case, music. Or perhaps all three. Beach Road is as much an exercise in sound-as-art as it is music per se, and as such is a strong statement about the lack of vision and imagination stalking streaming services and record shops alike in 2023.

None of which is to say that O$VMV$M's six-track EP isn't packed with incredible music. 'Diablo', one of the wildest, strangest efforts here, is disjointed mutant pop-electronica that seems like someone is warming up for an MPC showcase, and exemplifies our point. It's pleasurable to hear, but fascinating to take apart. Similar points can be made about the sparse, glitchy percussion of 'Beach Road' and 'Follow', making this one for the deep dive enthusiasts.

Review: Vocalist Pale Jay and producer/instrumentalist Okonski now freshly join the Karma Chief roster - a sub-label of Colemine focusing on modern funk and soul. In collaboration, the artists demonstrate mastery over their select brand of smooth neo-soul, with Okonski slaying on the keys (building on their talents accrued as part of the acclaimed band Durand Jones and the Indications) and Jay slaughtering it on the vocals. 'By The Lake' is the result of an organic and spontaneous process, where Pale Jay sampled Okonski's piano track Runner Up and wrote lyrics inspired by a conversation with a friend who was dealing with a love dilemma.