Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Proh Mic delivers his best work with this new single which sets the stage for an upcoming album that is sure to once more invite us deep into his unique disco-funk world. 'Special Request' is a dance floor anthem but also a tribute to the DJ that is sure to become a Modern funk classic. Produced by Liquid Pegasus, it's a party starter with funky-ass drums and big, irresistible claps under a retro-future vocal. The B-side, 'Free To Be', features Proh Mic singing and rapping about staying authentic in a world that tries to dull our shine. With soulful production by Vitamin D, the track blends fun with deep, life-affirming lyrics and has a truly timeless edge.

Review: U Know Me present a fresh, modern object of intrigue, with Balance Remixed, which takes Pepe's 2023 album of the same time and makes it over into another full-length vinyl only release, throwing back to the days of vinyl only DJ sets, which were necessitated by technological limitation alone. DJ BLIK, Envee, Molehead, Riffz, Tropiki, true.dat, and TVB top up Pepe's original house, funk and disco blend with a brasher bass bisque, mastered and masterminded by cyborgish music titan Eprom. Spanning ever bassy tempo-set from 87 bpm to 164, we've a thrilling range of momentums here.

Review: French house DJ and record producer Stephane Pompougnac adds another tranche of slick, DJ-able downtempo to the Hotel Costes series, which has carried on strong on Wagram Music since 1999. The lounge compilation series is named after the Paris hotel in which Pompougnac first cut his teeth, and this sixth edition was released way back in 2017, albeit with a different front cover (though swapping the exact image out, Pompougnac has kept consistent in his penchant for featuring nubile young feminine visages on his front covers). 'The Brazilian Hipster' and 'Work That Body' kick off this edits comp with a fiery steeze-before-sleaze, emphasising slung downtempos and unbuckled grooves.

Review: Helping define the sound of luxury lounge music in the late 90s and 2000s, Stephane Pompougnac's Hotel Costes series merged downtempo, house, and chillout music with blase sophistication. Synonymysing his sound with the Paris venue's opulent yet intimate atmosphere, the Place Vendome adjacent venue proved a hit for its chic bar-lounge a and stylish international crowd, offering an indulgent escape into dimly lit, decorous elegance. Arresting and pinning the historic tail on the works of such artists as Thievery Corporation and Gatan Project, the series, started in 1999, was instrumental for the apres-coup recognition of a sound. Highlights on the ninth edition including the minimal swing hop of 'One' and the brass-led dub derelictions of 'Con Mi Sombra'.

Review: Munich-based trio Prepared craft a hypnotic and high-energy journey that blurs the lines between chamber music, jazz and minimal dance. The trio i Chris Gall on prepared piano, Flo Riedl on bass clarinet and Christoph Holzhauser on drums i merges cyclical motifs and layered patterns into a trance-inducing soundscape. Drawing comparisons to Steve Reich, Jonny Greenwood and Dawn of Midi, their music pulses with rhythm and repetition, creating a hypnotic Gesamtkunstwerk that feels both innovative and timeless. Recorded live in a single room without overdubs, Module is a state-of-the-art production. Utilizing advanced 3D miking techniques for Dolby Atmos, the recording captures the raw interplay between instruments with breathtaking clarity. Across four expansive tracks divided into ten parts, the album flows through moods and textures. 'Modul Eins' opens with a downtempo introduction before evolving into an upbeat, swinging groove. 'Modul Zwei' offers a cinematic, film noir feel, while 'Modul Drei' dips into hip-hop beats with introspective breaks. The 15-minute opus 'Modul Vier' swells through four sections like changing seasons, showcasing the trio's virtuosity and cohesion. With Module, Prepared prove that repetition can be a riveting genre-defying experience that's impossible to forget.