Bastard Jazz US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: We've been steadily teased by Bastard Jazz with a slow flow of singles but the time has come to reveal B Bravo's whole debut album... And he hasn't disappointed. A supreme cosmic boogie experience throughout, Bravo flexes around the funk/house/hip-hop axis with sunshine synths, loose swinging drums, heavyweight talkbox action and oodles of funk and timely displays of sensitivity. Highlights that really showcase the soul spectrum B Bravo explores range from the Chromeo-style party jam "I'm For Real" to the horn-hazed tinkling "LA Nights" to the dreamy west coast house struts and wriggles of "Summer Love". Sure fire summer silver lining.

Review: 2017 was the year that electronic wonk-funk saw its heyday, and uncoincidentally, it was also the year that B. Bravo (Adam Mori) saw the release of his first album 'Paradise'. 2022 is the year the genre should make a comeback, after just five years. If such were to be the case, Bravo's second album 'Vizionz' would be the catalyst. Charting collaborations with rapper Def Sound and singer Sally Green, this one points towards only the best detuned sonics, synth bass licks and Miami heat-hazed vizionz.

Review: The latest Robohands saw a return to UK instrumentalist Andy Baxter's beloved formula of breakbeat, jazz and ambient from his breakout success with 'Green', which relied on much more jazzy leanings. Expect a wholly unique experience with Giallo however, which harnesses a much stranger energy within its ambient fortress. The sounds are tactile, yet somewhat distant at times, like being lost in dense blue fog on 'For the Different' or the soothing nu-jazz instrumental of 'Relax'. The undisputable highlight is the title track 'Giallo', a droning ambient synth with drum breaks and different synth patches gently swaying in and out of the mix as quickly as they arrived. It's a short and sweet care package from one of the greatest instrumentalists in the country.

Review: New Robohands LP Palms is the fifth album from the London based instrumentalist and producer Andy Baxter. Moving towards different genres and arrangements from his previous albums, 'Palms' features duelling harp parts, tape echo, double bass and draws inspiration from artists such as Dorothy Ashby, Azimuth, Alice Coltrane and Toquinho. In parts tropical and synth-drenched, and in others stripped-back and acoustic, Palms is a journey back in time to the saturated analog recordings of the late 60s and 70s, with a subtle modern layer of glitch FX and pitch-controlled experimentation in places. The album makes also reference to classic releases from jazz fusion that feature the legendary Arp Odyssey synthesiser, used by artists such as Herbie Hancock and George Duke.