Black Focus vinyl

Brownswood Recordings has high hopes for this debut album from the previously unheralded Yussef Kamaal, which brings together hyped producer Kamaal Williams (AKA Henry Wu) and fast-rising Afrobeat drummer Yussef Dayes. With such talent to draw on, you'd expect Black Focus to be rather good. Happily, it is, with the duo delivering a typically London-centric take on jazz funk. That means that they take as much inspiration from the work of Kaidi Tatham as, say, Herbie Hancock. The key to the album's success - and, yes, it is generally as special as Gilles Peterson suggests - is the fluid combination of Dayes' brilliant drumming and Williams' superb synth solos and effortlessly groovy Rhodes playing.

Owen Jay, JimmyTheTwin, Aroop Roy, Alex Attias, Manu Archeo, Tropical Fever, RUSTAM OSPANOFF., Ourra, Replika | Common Mode, M//R, Cro, Thatmanmonkz (Shadeleaf Music), Lay-Far, Lexis (Music Is My Sanctuary), Session Victim, Juno Recommends Jazz, JKriv (Razor-N-Tape), Roman Rauch, NICOLA CONTE, WotNot Music, Harvey Sutherland, Bodhi, Z Lovecraft, Ishmael, Sameed, Coeo, Tomasz Guiddo, Orphidal, Dave Aju, ReeKee (Wrong Notes), DJP (Soul Print Rec), 4004 , Long Island Sound, Francesco Rossini, Secretsundaze, Nicky Soft Touch, Neon Finger