Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Many Hands is a fresh label helmed by Jona Jefferies and Kava that here kicks out an eclectic EP with four tracks from various members of its musical family. Dan Aikido opens with '0800 TXT4 Herb,' a smooth fusion piece that builds a laid-back groove, blending fretless bass, jazzy keys and soulful vocals all reminiscent of Rare Silk's 'Storm.' Ernie Ruso's 'Stroke It' offers slow, sensual r&b infused with P-funky wah-wah effects while DJ Nomad's 'African Boy' brings upbeat pop house next to funky organ and a female reggae MC.Jefferies' closer 'A Change Will Come' samples Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a rave-inspired beat and soulful piano. Cracking stuff.

Review: Following a surprisingly extended hiatus of three years, the admirable Earthly Measures imprint is ready to unleash the fourth volume in their Earthly Tapes series. This time round, they've not only chosen to showcase the work of more female artists, but also producers and musicians with "native roots connected to five countries in South America and Europe". Musically, it furthers the label's "electronica plus nature" ethos, flitting between deliciously dubbed-out ambient chuggers (Manu Ela), Latin-tinged slow motion dub disco (Barda), percussion-rich wooziness (Shigara), locked-in low-slung house hypnotism (Sahale & Samarana), tropical house sunshine (Carla Velenti) and chugging Balearic dreaminess (NoN Project).

Review: Nadah El Shazly returns with her second album and first on One Little Independent and Backward Music. The Egyptian-born, Montreal-based artist blends experimental sonics with Arabic roots and improvisation on Laini Tani, and crafts music that slips between worlds and takes you with it. The whole record pulses like a hot night stretching into morning. It's sweaty, surreal, and endlessly alive and each track is a vivid fragment: defiant, euphoric or quietly raw. El Shazly's lush vocals and layered metaphors weave a dreamstate of meaning and mystery that bold and chaotic yet controlled so is a record to get lost in, then hit repeat as you try to decode its hidden truths.

Review: Southwind from Hachijo is a rare gem from 1990s Japan dug out delightfully by Forest Jams and written by E.S. Island. This reissue of it dives deeper into ambient terrain while embracing tribal and spiritual tones unlike previous works. It was recorded on the remote Hachijo Island and is awash with organic textures and traditional Japanese instruments that effortlessly make for a meditative soundscape. The music is largely performed by the late Eisuke Takahashi and Nene Sanae, whose chemistry channels the island's raw, natural energy into its ever-shifting tones and timbres. It's a deeply personal and atmospheric listen and an ode to place and spirit that takes you there in an instant

Review: Since turning his hand to music production midway through the last decade, XL Recordings owner Richard Russell has delivered a couple of predictably hard to pigeonhole, guest-packed albums as Everything is Recorded. Russell, of course, has an admirably bulging contacts book and as deep a knowledge of British music - be it hip-hop, grime, rave, jazz, experimental electronica or otherwise - as anyone. The depth of both is naturally evident on third album Temporary, with Russell and a dizzying list of guests delivering atmospheric, sample-rich fusions of head-nodding, hip-hop leaning grooves, field recordings-heavy sample collages, woozy dream pop, sub-heavy nods to UK bass, slow-motion neo-folk, blunted trip-hop, contemporary UK jazz, hazy Americana and much more besides. That it works as a coherent and sonically adventurous album is testament to Russell's increasing skill as a producer and standalone musical artist.