Brokenbeat / Nu Jazz Recommendation February 2014

Review: Swiss Afro-futurists Bruk Boogie Kru return from their extensive global shows to cook up three new unique fusions: "Do Me Right" bumps and bashes with bass-riddled naughtiness. Not dissimilar to a Bugz In The Attic's floor-focussed material around the early 2000s, there's a hedonistic carnival attitude coded deep into the party-minded blend. "Kubana", meanwhile, shows a trippier, more techno textured flavoured to the collective as they tease us with loop science and head-bending polyrhythms. Finally we hit "Rubala", a slow and steady stomper laced with a deep chant, deep house synths and a rich meditative groove. Essential for all boundary smelting DJs... If it ain't Bruk - don't fix it!

Review: Tightening her grip on the reputation as 'Queen Bee of Brownswood' Zara McFarlane issues her second, keenly anticipated LP If You Know Her. Across the eleven tracks, there is a clear sense of artistic progression from McFarlane's debut LP Until Tomorrow, with a stronger lyrical narrative at play that's complemented by the beautifully arranged, yet quite stripped back music. A smattering of cover versions are slipped in amidst eight original songs from Zara that, in her own words, "collectively explore emotive stories of beauty, passion, love, vulnerability, empathy, boldness, directness and sensuality." Of the cover versions, the jazz reworking of Junior Murvin classic "Police & Thieves" stands out.

Review: The second section of Around 7's sophomore album Soul On Fire, this one comes complete with an air of untitled mystery. Who needs track titles when the music's as rich as this, though? From the dreamy harp loop and heavenly vocal textures of "Track 7" to the punchy electronic beats and wonky jazz flourishes of "Track 4", Around 7 has showcased a very special skill set... And an incredible wealth of original sample source material. One for beat heads and jazz lovers alike, Around 7 has something for everyone.

Review: Man like Drew Lustman returns to Ninja Tune for an excellent slab of forward thinking beat science under his universally acclaimed FaltyDL guise. It's nice to see FaltyDL back on the label after a stint overseeing the rise of his own Blueberry Records operation - expect much more from them in 2014 - and once again Ninja house Lustman's work in the classy throwback original Ninja Tune yellow and black housebag. The A Side title track to Danger expertly rolls in the crawlspace between contemporary juke and early millennial broken beat with subtle hints of classic 60s spy cinema. It's complemented well by "King Brute," a collaboration with the superbly named Shanghai Den which spills with creeping atmospherics.

Review: Robsoul Jazz's poster boy Around 7 established himself as a promising digger and sampler in the summer 2013 with his Back To Basics LP. Here he returns with a brand new extended album project. Hand-stamped and super limited, it showcases his range with more detail and demonstrative sampling knowledge than ever before. Highlights on this first part piece include the gangster b-boy vibes of "Strictly Business", the warped trippy processes buried deep in the groove of "Wired Vibe" and the emotive expressions throughout "Lou 007". Beautiful... And this is just the half of it!

Review: Moderat return with a third single shaped offering from their 'overwhelmingly successful sophomore album II' and is centred around "Last Time", a track previously only available on the limited deluxe CD edition. One of the more downtrodden moments in the Moderat canon, Sascha Ring's capacity for wringing every last drop of emotion out of his voice is on full effect in "Last Time" which is only heightened by the pared down musical backing. Present here in original, instrumental and alternate versions, those looking for a lift will find it in the final quite epic remix from Jon Hopkins, which sounds like it should be played with a vast strobe light accompaniment.

Review: As with previous albums from Parov Stelar, The Art of Sampling offers an action-packed through trawl through his many influences. So, we get smoky, string-laden downtempo grooves ("Matilda"), Daft Punk-ish disco-pop (the "Get Lucky" goes deep flex of "Love (Remix)"), jaunty electro-swing (the cut-up madness of "Jimmy's Gang (radio edit)"), sinewy disco-house (the excellent "Keep On Dancing") and sweet, revivalist soul ("Josephine") - all served with more than a smattering of choice samples and unlikely vocals. This expanded edition also features a second CD packed with floor-friendly new reinterpretations of the original tracks from Stelar and friends.

Review: Glastonbury favourites Copperdollar have been impressing with their curious and entertaining shows - a mix of "carny-folk", quirky lounge music, ghostly cabaret and flambouyant decor - since 2008. Here, they present their first compilation, a lively mix of Balkan beats, skittering electro-swing, party-minded slacker hip-hop (see Renegades of Jazz's "Moo Juice", as remixed by Benji Boko and Boycom), crusty skank (Solo Moderna's silly but enjoyable "The Scatterer"), Cuban beats (Quantic & Anita Tijoux) and low-slung Latin jazz-funk (Una Mass Trio). As you'd expect, it's an enjoyable blend, getting just the right balance between authentic global grooves and party-starting goodness.

Review: Glasgow-based beat conjurer Jon Phonics sits somewhere between Jamie Grind, Flume and Ambassadeurs with his stunning, spacious star-gazing spells. Showcasing the alluring vocals of Tabanca,"Domino Effect" is, without argument, his biggest release to date. Highlights include the jazzed out soul and finger clicks of "Domino Effect", the tight balance of sultriness, soul and grit on "With Direction" and the smoky come-to-bed request "Mind Games". Comes complete with killer remixes from Slugabed (slinky, bouncy and bass-bitten), Pedestrian (sweet, shoe-gazing, shuffling D&B) and U (dreamy euphoric neo-soul). No messing around: Everything about this is gorgeous.