Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: This early gem - in fact, it was the maestro's first ever 12" record - shows a masterful command of space and melody, spotlighting a warm, muted trumpet tone alongside a pared-down ensemble. Without a saxophone, the spotlight remains squarely on the lead, providing ample room for expansive solos and lyrical interpretations. Anchored by a stellar rhythm section featuring a buoyant bassist, impeccable pianist and dynamic drummer, the performances exude a relaxed yet precise energy. Highlights include a fresh, distinctive take on the Dizzy Gillespie classic 'A Night in Tunisia', where the group reimagines the piece with effortless ingenuity. Original compositions add further depth, with a witty riposte to a well-known standard and a contemplative piece that lingers in the listener's mind. A transitional moment for one of the all time greats, hinting at the greatness to come all the way back in 1955.

Review: Neo soul singer and producer Lynda Dawn follows up her 2019 debut At First Light with the sophomoric sopor 11th Hour. Prompted by the trauma of the global pandemic, which stunted the momentum garnered by her first LP, 11th Hour was made after Dawn found a defiant space of resilience and took up a music production course. Thus flaunting a newly strung skill, the record is a consumptive blend of emotions, with moods of both criticality and soothing. The subtlety of Dawn's ear in the company of producers Jackum and Blake Rhein is astounding, the likes of 'Love Is Callin'' and 'Do You Dream' exemplarily working down a slow-jammed, psych-soul sensitivity; Dawn's vocals also play out like gauzy mists, seemingly ungraspable and palpable at the same time.

Review: Although he initially broke through decades ago as a talented keyboardist- a role he still performs alongside his work as a solo producer - Mark de Clive-Lowe has always been much more than a prodigious musician-for-hire. That was particularly evident on 2021's Hotel San Claudio album, a musical meeting of minds with Shigeto and Melanie Charles. It shines through loud and clear on Past Present (Tone Poems Through Time)', an inspired collection of 'tone poems' - musical pieces that draw direct inspiration from the landscape - created using an electric piano, an enormous list of mostly vintage synthesisers, and field recordings captured on a trip to his father's native Japan. Sitting somewhere between ambient jazz, the epic synth-scapes of Tangerine Dream and the most vivid movie soundtracks, Past Present is emotive, immersive and effortlessly evocative.