Review: After years of silence following the loss of Sonny Knight in 2017, former Lakers members Blair Krivanek and Cy Pierpont return with their new project, Ace Box Shift. The duo have made plenty of standout contributions to the soul revival scene before now and here they debut on Secret Stash Records with another pair of fiery instrumental cuts that work exceptionally well for DJs and dancefloors alike. They find Krivanek's jazz-infused guitar work meeting Pierpont's pounding rhythms with raw, funk-driven results that make for a bold, high-energy comeback that pays tribute to their roots while also moving things onwards.
Review: Bristol beatmsiths and remixing duo The Allergies have been hot since '16, quietly pushing the buttons, twisting the dials and raising the throw levers on their resident soul console, Jalapeno Records. This time, though they've not revealed their sources, the boys have once again delivered on their promise to scour the waxen depths of Philly filler-upper funk, with 'Bye Bye Baby' panning a mammoth breaksoul gold rush, and 'Heartbreaker' offering a counterpoint in longing body percussions and "please don't leave me"s.
Review: This orange 7" is a miniature monument to one of soul's most quietly influential figures. Roy AyersiLos Angeles-born, jazz-schooled, funk-mindedicrafted 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' not to dazzle but to dissolve. It moves with a drowsy clarity: shimmering synth, near-whispered vocals, and a lazily tumbling bassline that never quite lands. Released during a golden run of Ayers' mid-70s material, the track has since become shorthand for warm-weather introspection, equal parts ease and ache. The instrumental version on the reverse keeps the spirit intact, offering a meditative glide through the same terrain. Limited to 300 copies, this orange pressing pairs a low-lit groove with a deepening sense of legacyiAyers' influence isn't just heard, it's felt in the space he leaves behind.
Review: Few recordings capture the easy intensity of a summer afternoon like 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine'. Released in 1976 and wrapped in slow-drifting synths and soft falsettos, the track became a touchstone not just for Roy Ayers, but for 70s soul and beyond. Born in Los Angeles, Ayers helped define the jazz-funk crossover, placing the vibraphone at the centre of a sound both hazy and sharply detailed. The original vocal take on the A-side still melts under its own warmth; the instrumental on the flip uncovers the careful architecture beneath. Issued here on 7" black wax following Ayers' recent passing, this reissue feels like both a keepsake and a quiet honouring of an artist who shaped a whole way of listening.
Review: The Blassics is a creative crew from Scandinavia featuring the likes of Hanna Lotti, Joona Venalainen, Juha Sarkkola, Ville-Pekka Jarvinen and several more musicians. They have turned out several brilliant instrumental albums over the last decade and show their chops again ion this new 7" via Funk Night. 'Addis Hop (part 1)' collides funk, jazz, spy theme soundtracks and hip-hop into a storytelling sound with a driving bassline and shimmering chords and keys. It comes in two parts, and both are effortlessly evocative and mesmerising.
Review: There are tens of members of The Blassics crew from Scandinavia, including Joona Venalainen, Juha Sarkkola, Ville-Pekka Jarvinen and several more, and they are expert genre-fusionists who draw on funk, soul, jazz, hip-hop and more to cook up their brilliant instrumental sounds. They have been doing it for more than a decade and have plenty of great albums to their name. Here they return to Funk Night with another red-hot 45 rpm. 'Fishing Break (45 mix)' is powered by raw drum breaks with brassy horns and cowbells for company, then 'Nokova' slows things down and allows a more sultry trumpet to take the lead. 'Lunki Mood' slows it down even further for late-night and loved-up jazz-funk introspection.
Review: The Milanese outfit dive headlong into cinematic Afro-disco on this limited 7", reworking two cult dancefloor staples with characteristic flair. On the A-side, their version of Piero Umiliani's 'Discomania' hits with tightened syncopation and swirling synth arrangements, turning the cosmic Italo-disco cut into a hypnotic afrobeat strut. Flip it over for a rich reimagining of Azymuth's 'Jazz Carnival'iCalibro 35 boost the groove with deep-bottomed funk and crisp horns, pushing the original's samba swing into widescreen. Known for their work at the intersection of funk, soundtrack and psych, the band bring sharp musicianship and warm analogue heat to both sides of this essential 45.
Review: Brazilian talent Rafael Cancian has grown in stature thanks to solid outings on the tasteful likes of Razor-N-Tape and Hot Pot Records. Now with that profile established, he heads out with a new label of his own in the form of About Disco. He inaugurates it with a quartet of edits that he has already been deploying to great effect on various dancefloors around the world. 'Sounds Chicago' does indeed with raw drums and great keys dancing over the beats. 'Ti Amo' has a more funky undercarriage and disco percussion, 'D'Afrique' again brings a funky bass riff to the fore with some psyched-out sounds for company and 'Opera' shuts down with some late-night and soul-drenched synths over intimate and stripped back house drums.
Review: This newly formed and already brilliant label is back with more previously unreleased instrumentals that bring a different twist and dancefloor edge to classic sounds from the rock and indie world. First up we get a subtle edit of 'Sound and Vision' which has a nice fat and funky bassline bouncing beneath the splashy drums as nice acoustic guitar melodies ring out next to glistening retro-future pads. It's a cosmic trip that oozes soul then things slow down on the flip with 'Young Americans'. This one is a nice go-slow instrumental with funky and expressive horn work taking the lead over the fat-bottomed drums and bass.
Review: The Treasure team keeps up the momentum of its early release with another fruitful dive into the annals of house history. This time, they have dug up more nuggets from FR and have refined them for contemporary floors. 'ET Is Coming Home' (vocal) is a slow and dubby cut with percolating live bass and muted horns next to some Ubiquity style vocal soul. The instrumental allows the superbly loose-limbed and live drums room to really shine, and then comes an epic, 10-minute-plus jazz-drenched house odyssey that's alive with swirling cosmic radiance and busy chords and synths. A real trip for proper music heads.
Something New (extended Smooth version By Philip Ward) (5:21)
Review: Texas-based jazz harpist Cindy Horstman quietly released Fretless in 1995, a self-assured exploration of jazz textures and instrumental elegance. Tucked among its originals is 'Something New', a standout soul jazz cut that drifts with mid-tempo grace, elevated by James Kings', well, fret-free vocal perforations. Horstman's harp is hardly heard here on this album salvaging; instead, she procured 'Something New', steeped in street and smooth soul, with tuned claves and electronic triangles abounding. Pressed on clear vinyl and limited to 300 copies, this small-batch reissue offers a welcome return for a quietly majestic moment in 90s jazz-soul fusion.
Review: Detroit native Ideeyah is a singer, songwriter and performer whose soulful vocals and lyrical storytelling touch the heart. Born LaKeisha Johnson, who you may remember from featuring on Theo Parrish's superb DJ-kicks mix. Here she steps up to his Sound Signature label with a new solo EP produced by Meftah. It begins with praise-giving spoken words and cosmic synths on 'Invocation (feat Maimunah Baqui)' then takes in deep and jazzy broken beats on 'Align', heavenly keys and vocal coos on 'Light' and slow motion grooves on '2020' where Ideeyah's effortless smooth and seductive tones melt the heart. 'Eat The Plants' and 'Sweet Chariot' are two more magnificent vocal pieces with gentle live drums and meaningful pads.
Review: The cultured creative minds of James Simonson and Blair French reunite for this new Realities Remix EP on MotorCity Wine which was, in original form, recorded by Simonson in hotel rooms across Europe and the Americas while touring with soul legend Bettye LaVette. As such it takes in myriad global influences as well as evocative field recordings which get reworked in style. Blair French adds his touch with three remixes, firstly the anthemic 'Realities (Projector Remix),' then the more dance-driven 'Elektronolux Overture (Sunday Remix)' and the lush and downtempo 'Hannah (Remix)' featuring violinist Sonia Lee. Two originals 'Realities' and 'Elektronolux Overture' also appear on vinyl for the first time and sound superb.
Review: At legendary jazzdance hubs like London's Horseshoe and Camden's Electric Ballroom, one track ruled the floor: Hino Terumasa's 'Merry-Go-Round', pulled from the Japanese trumpeter's 'Double Rainbow' album. A bass-driven jass fusion storm, it sent dancers into a frenzy, tending fast down a psychedelic jazz mountain. A staple of BBE's J Jazz compilation, 'Merry-Go-Round' was Paul Murphy's top pick for a fresh rework, heard here from Niknak. Rising to the challenge, Takumi assembled top-tier musicians to craft an electrifying tribute; eight minutes of unrelenting, steam-hammer funk, pushing jazz dance energy to its limits.
Review: South London's Trambeat return with a double punch of funk and soul on LRK Records 13 years after first being formed by Graham Potter and Des James. The Croydon-based band brings classic Northern Soul energy with sharp modern flair to their latest 7", featuring 'Blow Up The Groove' and 'All Killer, No Filler'. Both channel dancefloor euphoria with turbocharged horns, breakneck grooves and bold vocals over strutting basslines and all-nighter anthems. Trambeat's shift from DIY collective to stage-commanding soul machine is great, and if their debut 'Don't Hold Back' teased their potential, this release kicks the doors wide open.
Ella Andall - "My Spirit Is Music" (Luke Una Machine Soul Tops Off edit) (7:16)
Slick Mission - "Time's Up" (Luke Una 5am Shabeen Proto House edit) (7:13)
Manu Dibango - "Jingo" (feat King Sunny Ade - Luke Una Dancing In Outer Space edit) (5:51)
Review: While he's not put out many re-edits of late, Luke Una has serious scalpel-job pedigree. Back in the 2000s, he and then DJ partner Justin Crawford released a series of largely disco-focused edit EPs on the hush-hush Electrik Souls series. Here he returns to the format with the first in a series of reworks focused on his popular, dusty-fingered E Soul Cultura project. He begins by teasing out and lightly toughening up a killer Caribbean cut from the 1990s, Ella Andall's 'My Spirit Is Music' - an insanely rare and hard to find number that the Sheffield-born DJ has naturally tweaked sensitively. Elsewhere, he emphasises the 'proto-house dub' feel of Slick Mission's early UK house number 'Time's Up', before going even dubbed-out and more percussive on Manu Dibango's lesser-known cover of Latin disco classic 'Jingo'.
Review: London-based DJ and composer/producer Phil Mison revisits his Ambala project with a fresh collection of immersive, sun-drenched soundscapes, weaving together breezy rhythms and luminous synth work. A defining force in Balearic music, Mison has long explored the genre in various guises, including Reverso 68 and Cantoma, the latter earning a place in chillout's informal "most revered albums" section. On this second Ambala release, he refines his approach, balancing crisp electronic foundations with warmer organics. A cast of collaborators from the Music For Dreams label join, including guitarist Santino Surfers (Jonas Krag), whose fluid solos range from sultry noir to Mediterranean reverie, composer Troels Hammer, and ambient producer The Swan And The Lake. The result is a dreamlike blend of melody and plunge-texture, perfect for late night reflection or hazy afternoons by the sea.
Review: Hailing from Atlanta, Andre 3000 continues to redefine the contours of musical experimentation with his latest sonic offerings. On 'Moving Day', a piece first showcased in last year's short film documenting his recent work, the OutKast veteran trades in his usual genre-defying flow for the smooth, ambient tones of a cosmic flute. The track unfolds like a slow-motion dream, where the melodies drift in and out of focus, capturing the disorienting yet soothing experience of moving through transitions. Then comes the reversed version, 'Day Moving', which inverts the gentle flow of the original, adding an unsettling, almost ghostly quality as the music warps and loops. The third track, 'Tunnels of Egypt', brings in an unexpectedly grounded yet still vast atmosphere, with its deep, resonant percussion and sparse instrumentation evoking a journey through both time and space. Andre's recent forays into the abstract have seen him abandon his commercial past in favour of an introspective exploration that challenges both him and his audience. Across these three tracks, he once again demonstrates his ability to balance complexity with restraint, creating something both otherworldly and deeply personal.
Review: Born in Kent and central to the UK's 70s jazz modernism, Neil Ardley composed with the precision of a scientist and the vision of a cosmic philosopher. This long-overdue reissue from Analogue October captures a project that translates planetary orbits into a nine-note harmonic systemitoo vast for acoustic instruments, brought to life instead through early synthesisers. 'Arcturus' and 'Spiral Nebula' interlace fluid sax work from Barbara Thompson with John Martyn's signature reverb-drenched guitar, while Geoff Castle's synths evoke deep-space drift. 'Rainbow Four' channels modal funk, and 'Neptune' floats into ambient abstraction. Produced at Morgan Studios with a full ensemble of jazz heavyweightsiTony Coe, Ian Carr, Billy Kristian, Richard Burgess, and Trevor Tomkinsithis is a record that swings between science fiction and symphonic elegance. For all its high concept, it remains rooted in groove and human touch. A meticulous AAA cut from the Decca master tapes seals the experience: a bold and beautiful reminder of how far British jazz once dared to travel.
Review: Craft Latino celebrates the 50th anniversary of the landmark 1975 salsa album by Ray Barretto with a deluxe reissue. This remastered edition of Barretto features the debut of Ruben Blades and Tito Gomez and includes iconic tracks like 'Guarare,' 'Ban Ban Quere' and 'Canto Abacua.' It has long been considered a cornerstone of the genre in which Barretto blends rich Afro-Cuban rhythms with lyrical depth and masterful musicianship from legends like Sly & Robbie and Augustus Pablo. It's a real bit of Latin music history that shines bright and is packed with shuffling rhythms and the sort of expressive percussion and horns that take you to a different continent in an instant.
Review: Prolific Italian maestro Black Loops returns to Freerange with Always Moving, a debut album steeped in high-grade dance heritage. Drawing on over a decade of production, he moves beyond club tools to something more personal and musical, with guest appearances from Harvey Sutherland, Byron the Aquarius and Marlena Dae. Rooted in funk, soul and 90s grooves, these are rich, warm tracks with fully authentic swing i with much of the percussion played live by the artist himself. The result is fluid and human, from the broken beats of 'CDMX' to the shimmering chords of 'Detroit Love Letter'. Marlena Dae adds her touch to several standouts, including the disco-leaning 'Electrical' and hazy deep house of 'Pleasure Ride'. Even at its most downtempo, like the closing 'Good Bye Berlin', the album stays focused and melodic. A confident and expressive full-length that shows how far Black Loops has come while hinting at where he might head next.
Review: Black Loops directs a welters' worth of experience into Always Moving, his debut full-length for Freerange. Far beyond club tools, this is a sensitive elusion of watery neo soul instrumentation and distant broken beat jazz, and we're not surprised in this breath to learn of Black Loops' own background as a drummer. Nor is it any wonder either that such auteur's disco house regals such as Harvey Sutherland, Byron The Aquarius and Berlin vocalist Marlena Dae all appear on the record, through 'CDMX' to the ever so eerie, Erie-downstream deep house of 'Detroit Love Letter'. 'Electrical And LSD' takes after such influences as Metro Area's disco house shimmer, while tracks like 'Pleasure Ride' and 'Good Bye Berlin' further locks down the abiding nighttime tension - that least comparable part of his sound.
Review: Originally recorded in Rome with top-tier players like Giorgio Carnini and Giovanni Tommaso, this psychedelic library session bridges modal jazz, Latin percussion, and fuzzed-out funk. This reissue restores the 1970 cut in full, swirling through ghostly organ grooves and spiralling rhythm sections with a clarity that feels startlingly fresh. 'Psichefreelico (Sostenuto)' and 'Bacharachico' glide between dreamy lounge and scorched delay-drenched oddness, while 'Africaneidico' pulses with loose Afro-Latin syncopation. Mined from Italy's golden age of library music and remastered from mono tapes, it's a masterclass in instrumental storytellingivivid, woozy and totally transportive.
Review: Candeleros is a six-member, Colombia- and Venezuela-rooted collective based in Madrid that fuse Cumbia, merengue, dub and an array of Afro-Caribbean rhythms, creating a psychedelic, postmodern celebration of Latin sound. Their music blends Andean echoes, cinematic textures and hypnotic percussion into what feels like a ritualistic dance experience and has seen them collaborating with artists like Dodosound and Carlos Talez. They always reject the usual genre boundaries while focusing on cultural activism and the power of collective expression and have performed across Europe. As this album shows, their sound is passionate, borderless and proof that Cumbia has truly rooted itself in Europe.
Review: Cassiano's Cuban Soul - 18 Kilates was first released in 1976 and is a landmark of Brazilian soul for the way it blends the groove of American r&b with native rhythms in a way few artists have matched. Long coveted by collectors, the album has achieved cult status and now returns remastered from the original tapes on 180g vinyl so it is sure to fly off the shelves. Cassiano's velvety vocals glide over lush, cinematic arrangements throughout and in doing so, evoke the grandeur of contemporaries like Tim Maia. From start to finish, this album is packed with depth, warmth and effortless cool, which makes it an essential listen for anyone who likes soul, samba and vintage Brazilian brilliance.
Maintaining My Peace (feat Novelist & Stephanie Cooke) (2:59)
Tears (feat Saucy Lady) (2:55)
Brain Gymnasium (3:28)
Wanna Tell Somebody (feat Josh Milan) (5:53)
Otaki (feat Finn Rees) (5:26)
Love Language (feat Nathan Haines) (4:35)
A Deeper Life (feat Isaac Aesili) (8:00)
More Time (feat Lee Pearson Jr Collective) (3:56)
Tongariro Crossing (feat Nathan Haines) (5:17)
Barefoot On The Tarmac (4:11)
Marlboro Sounds (6:03)
The Eternal Checkout (feat Cenk Esen) (5:36)
Review: Given that even their most dancefloor-focused tunes are remarkably deep, immersive and sonically detailed, you'd think that Chaos In The CBD's music would suit the album format - it's just that until now, they've not recorded a full-length. A Deeper Life, then, marks a big step forward in the Helliker-Hales brothers' career. Predictably, it's borderline brilliant. Made with the assistance of a cast of collaborators and guest performers (flautist Nathan Haines, boogie revivalist Saucy Lady and original NJ garage-house hero Josh Milan included), it sees the Kiwi duo sashay their way through enveloping, musically expansive cuts - many downtempo and home-listening focused - that variously mix and match elements of deep house, nu-jazz, dub, 80s soul, hip-hop, trip-hop, Latin soul and much more besides. A genuine triumph, even by their high standards.
Maintaining My Peace (feat Novelist & Stephanie Cooke) (2:59)
Tears (feat Saucy Lady) (2:59)
Brain Gymnasium (3:30)
Wanna Tell Somebody (feat Josh Milan) (5:52)
Otaki (feat Finn Rees) (5:26)
Love Language (feat Nathan Haines) (4:36)
A Deeper Life (feat Isaac Aesili) (7:59)
More Time (feat Lee Pearson Jr Collective) (3:56)
Tongariro Crossing (feat Nathan Haines) (5:17)
Barefoot On The Tarmac (4:12)
Marlboro Sounds (6:02)
The Eternal Checkout (feat Cenk Esen) (5:34)
Review: Fraternal duo Chaos In The CBD open the latest chapter on a roundly impressive musical career, calling on an ensemble cast of creative collaborators to contribute to their debut long-player, 'A Deeper Life'. Louis and Ben 'Beans' Helliker-Hales have been on a non-stop roll since they began releasing music under the Chaos In The CBD moniker just over a decade ago. Recently adding a Fabric Presents compilation to their hefty singles catalogue, the siblings step up with arguably their most outstanding work to date. The likes of Blaze's Josh Milan, saxophonist Nathan Haines, longtime collaborator Isaac Aesili, and UK grime MC Novelist are just some of those drafted to embellish productions that range from head-nodding Balearic to the duo's more familiar dusty house thrust. Vast in scope, the collection drifts through all manner of sounds and styles, held together by a coherent production aesthetic and a gorgeously limber live musicality on display throughout. Highlights include the street soul swagger of 'Tears' (featuring Beantown disco queen, Saucy Lady), the searing soul of 'Wanna Tell Somebody', and the bittersweet deep house magnetism of 'Otaki'. All told, this is nothing short of brilliant work, arguably representing a coming of age as Chaos In The CBD simultaneously pay homage to their eclectic roots and transcend the floor-focused nature of the bulk of their previous output. Highly recommended.
Maintaining My Peace (feat Novelist & Stephanie Cooke)
Tears (feat Saucy Lady)
Brain Gymnasium
I Wanna Tell Somebody (feat Josh Milan)
Otaki (feat Finn Rees)
Love Language (feat Nathan Haines)
A Deeper Life (feat Isaac Aesili)
More Time (feat Lee Pearson Jr Collective)
Tongariro Crossing (feat Nathan Haines)
Barefoot On The Tarmac
Marlboro Sounds
The Eternal Checkout (feat Cenk Esen)
Review: After a decade of swirling deep house and understated jazz flourishes, London duo Chaos In The CBD finally drop their debut full-length, A Deeper Life, via their own In Dust We Trust imprint. The 14-tracker stretches their signature dee,p cocktail party effected house palette into new terrain: live instrumentation, vocal guests, and a mellow, tactile depth, now owing as much to 90s Balearic as it does to smoky London basements. Lead single 'Love Language', with Nathan Haines on sax, strikes an effortless tone: wistful, warm, and unhurried. Guests include Josh Milan, Lee Pearson Jr., Novelist and Stephanie Cooke, but the LP is less about marquee names than a slow, wide glow: sun-kissed nostalgia cut with club heft. It no less channels their New Zealand roots (idyllic beaches, waterfalls, quiet mornings) into a drifting house sound, playful and dour in equal parts.
Review: Emanuele Cisi's Rushin' celebrates jazz in its purest form. It was recorded in just one inspired April weekend with Cisi leading a stellar quartet of Dado Moroni on piano, Nicolas Thys on bass and Jorge Rossy on drums. The full emotional range of the genre is on show here with swing, blues and spiritual depth rising up through the tracks which range from reimagined standards to soulful originals like 'Pharoah's Message'. Throughout, the album honours jazz greats such as Coltrane and Lee Morgan with Cesare Mecca guesting on trumpet and it all adds up to heartfelt performances rich in discovery and style.
Review: Quem E Quem is widely regarded as Joao Donato's finest work and a standout in the canon of Brazilian popular music, aka MPB. Blending American soul and jazz-funk influences with the gentle sway of samba and bossa nova, the album radiates warmth and subtle sophistication and Donato's tender vocals are framed by breezy flute passages, laid-back piano lines and guitar solos reminiscent of Pat Metheny. The result is a beautifully balanced collection of upbeat tracks and introspective moments with each evoking the tranquil pleasure of a sunset in a tropical paradise. Timeless and effortlessly charming, it remains a high point in Donato's enduring career.
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