Colin Curtis Presents Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Colin Curtis - an early purveyor of rare groove and jazzdance whose credo rings far and wide - has been helming his own label of originals for some time now. Presently focusing on the best live-feel broken beat, house and jazz in his orbit, his latest curation, Cengiz and Ishfaq's 'Vibrations', is no break from this general rule. Each artist helming one side respectively, Cengiz' 'Motf' and its remix work a steadily built progression around faint jeers, metallic percs, filterpassed tom fills and space-age risers, the latter of which is much more skeletal than the former; while Ishfaq's 'Wonderjazz' moves impressively somewhere in the lost interregnum between speed garage and techfunk.

Review: Colin Curtis Presents another superb EP here which has been put together "to enlighten the listener to the two very different sides of this project." On the A-side, Stefano De Santis showcases a vintage spiritual jazz side with Afrobeats and plenty of funk in the drums. On the flip is a more broken boogie vibe with big disco strings courtesy of The Sunlight Orchestra. It's a life-affirming sound that fills you with sunshine and then last of all comes an Eastern Bloc Extension of 'Barra Nova' that rides on lush broken-beats all lit up by lush chords.

Review: Stefano De Santis echoes purple dubstep on this live-feeled new electronic jazz dazzler, all improvised synth fusion that works well both as a danceable cut and a timeout moment. Just two tunes, 'Santos 79' and 'Moon Over Rio' come across like the morning and evening sides of De Santis' lifeworld; the former is a warm, glitzing sonic waxing, full of tweezy approach notes and Simmons drum 'pows'; the latter is a crepuscular waning, contrasting to the other by way of twinkly chime cascades and deeper chromatic blues.

Review: Big new jazzdance from Colin Curtis' new Earthsouls project, debuting for the UK's funk-soul-jazz outfit of the same name. Made up of Curtis in collaboration with Born74, ONJ and Mark Paul Norton, the Earthsouls permit an impressive range on an out-of-body leash, keeping us grounded whilst also laying down some essence, some gist, some spirit. From the opening jam of 'Cause & Effect', across which a deterministic drum daubing from Born74 takes centre stage and shines, to the mid-moment wonky-boxy disco charmer 'Desire For Hire' and the closing funk something-or-other that is 'Across The Tracks', this is a legitimately wicked new EP, one which should probably be suppressed for its propagation of such potent sonic alchemies - that is, if we lived in a more sensible world.

Review: We're not sure who GeeW is but since 2021 they have served up three super fusion EPs, one on Ten Lovers Music and two on Colin Curtis Presents, which is where they return now for the third time. Their Deeper Than Black EP is a magic one that draws on all forms of jazz, soul, Latin, bossa, funk and house to cook up broken beat explorations doused in sunshine and with one eye on the stars. The title cut is a lively and vibrant jam with layers of percussion and mad Rhodes jams, 'Alzira Vida' is a little more chill but no less expertly arranged and 'Ocean Drive' then gets more dance with its prickly broken beats and lush horns. 'Difi The Hifi' is high-paced fusion brilliance.

Review: Gee wizz, we've got a 'Supernova' on our hands. The eponymous UK-based producer Gee W has gone above and beyond on this fresh EP for Colin Curtis Presents, topping up the label's slick repertoire with four unusually improvisatory club numbers. With each track playing out as spiritual/noir jazz freakouts live-improvised over quantized club skeletons, pieces such as 'Nu Horizonz' and 'Subtonix' enchant and impress with their multifarious layers and impressive array of instrumental choices, from vibraphone ting to trumpet parp to bass lick.

Review: Plenty of class defines these cuts on Colin Curtis Presents. GEEW is the original artist behind tw of them: 'Bruk Free' is the first and arrives as a vibrant fusion of fleshy synth bass and broken beats with bright chords and florid sax notes. The other is 'Necesitas Esto' (instrumental) which is another sun-worshipping bit of freeform synth jazz-funk. The SLW Geemix is a little more club-ready with some classic Nina Simone vocals re-sung in soulful fashion. Last of all is 'Pachanga' (Be On Di Geemix) which has a cosmic feel in the inquisitive, pixel-thin synth leads.

Review: Colin Curtis Presents 'The Head Hunter' EP by GeeW, aka. Glenn Worthington, a relative new kid on the block, yet whose releases since 2021 have dealt in expert specialist wares of danceable acid jazz and nu-jazz. Such factors continue on this latest output, with the cloud nines and fluting solos of 'Head Hunter' and 'Speedball' whisking the listener away unto a quick flight, with spirited zoomings-past of electric bass and French horn, which dance astride the craft's flanks, as we shoot ever further into the abyss of jazzspace. Then B-siders 'Brazsecco Interlude' and 'How Long Has This Been Going On?' mark a migration from the cockpit through to the onboard lounge, in which Prosecco is poured and mounted speakers vibrate, curtailing anxieties with sweetly arranged vocals and carefully stacked percussion.

Review: Colin Curtis Presents is dropping some real heat this month with a pair of fine fusion EPs including one from GeeW and now this one from JuJu. This is another excellent transmission from the forefront of the contemporary British nu-jazz scene by Roderick Stewart. 'Black Samba' is one of those nimble and ass-wiggling rhythms the is punctuated by big horns, funky chords, busy percussion and a cool sense of style. 'Musa' (Cumulative Collective rework) keeps the life-affirming Roy Ayers melodies going over more effortlessly funky bass and 'Cla Samba' (feat Josue Ferriera) and 'So Da Manha' bring more Brazilian vibes to this superb EP.

Review: A veritable wave-making machine in the infinity pool of British nu-jazz, producer Tom Funk rocks up with another 12" instalment in his The Sultan's Swing Project, linking with Colin Curtis Presents for a five-track EP to complement the three LPs reeled off the top so far. The usual grift of jazz, jazz-funk and acid jazz instrumentation - plus trip-hop, downtempo, dub, Balearica, and Latinesque beats - are heard in full swing here, with an extra linseed oiling for the dancefloor. Rapid club-bound bossa nova sets the scene on 'Thinking Of You', while 'Copenhagen Connection' suggests a potential sonic espionage link between London and Denmark, as a moment of Baltic dark jazz marks the only point of downtime on the record. A closing 'As I Walk On By', replete with guest singer, redrapes the Dionne Warwick hookline in looser jazz culottes.

Review: Those who keep a keen eye on the contemporary British nu-jazz scene should already have encountered producer Tom Funk's The Sultan's Swing project. He's already released a trio of fine albums under the alias, each of which combines authentic jazz, jazz-funk and acid jazz instrumentation (provided courtesy of a rotating cast of guest musicians) with nods to trip-hop, downtempo, dub, Balearica and Latin beats. The Sultan's Swing Sessions, Funk's contribution to the Colin Curtis Presents series, takes a similar approach, with predictably excellent results. Our picks of a very strong bunch are the gently spaced-out dancefloor Latin jazz of 'Lotta Arlotto', the summery jazz-fusion of 'Hitchfunkers Slide To The Galaxy' and impeccable opener 'The New Beginning'.