Review: Many Hands is a fresh label helmed by Jona Jefferies and Kava that here kicks out an eclectic EP with four tracks from various members of its musical family. Dan Aikido opens with '0800 TXT4 Herb,' a smooth fusion piece that builds a laid-back groove, blending fretless bass, jazzy keys and soulful vocals all reminiscent of Rare Silk's 'Storm.' Ernie Ruso's 'Stroke It' offers slow, sensual r&b infused with P-funky wah-wah effects while DJ Nomad's 'African Boy' brings upbeat pop house next to funky organ and a female reggae MC.Jefferies' closer 'A Change Will Come' samples Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a rave-inspired beat and soulful piano. Cracking stuff.
Lost Girl (Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night rework) (3:32)
Special Technique Of Love (Jim Dunloop Shaolin Soul edit) (3:08)
Review: The mighty Dusty Donuts return to Queensbridge where they encounter a 'Lost Girl' featured on a legendary mixtape by one of QB's finest. This bouncy, choppy Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night Remix is sure to ignite any gathering. On the flipside, the vibes shift from Queensbridge to Staten Island and bring a special sound to work the crowd - this heavy soul classic arrives in true Shaolin style with choppy, dark soul chords and classic hip-hop beats. It's a track that commands attention with the drums but also locks in head and heart.
Review: In a rare backwards castling and killer checkmate, Friendly Records boldly re-press one of J Dilla's most beloved cuts, 'Geek Down', which appeared on his landmark Donuts LP. Known for its sample of the 2001 dark funk tune 'Charlies Theme' by The Jimi Entley Sound, this indelible, ringed hors d'oeuvre was essential for the critics' collective assessment that the 2005 LP was his magnum opus. Trailing pink sprinkles behind it, 'Geek Down' made Dilla's name. Sadly, the title would seem predict the artist's death just three days after the record's release. Dilla was a true productive geekazoid, and it shows in this track, with its untameable, above-the-law Western guitar wahs and tense, lilting strings keeping the goosebump hairs stood aright. The originally sampled track appears on the B, still only part-revealing the magic trick.
Review: This classic Japanese funk tune has long been adored by erudite boogie, 80s funk and soul fans in Japan but also more internationally, and for the first time here it is now available as a 7" single. Produced by Toshiki Kadomatsu, the release includes one track each from the Jadoes albums It's Friday from 1986 and Free Drink in 1987, both of which are considered iconic in the Japanese boogie canon. 'Summer Lady' is full of glossy 80s drums and sparking melodies that bring unbridled joy and 'Friday Night' is a little more paired back but the stepping drums and male-female vocal interaction is a thing of beauty.
Review: This one oozes more cool than George Clooney sat poolside and sipping on Kool-Aid. It is the seventh offering in this fine series which features the most iconic reworked, retouched and edited tracks from the legendary soundscapes of Pikes Hotel in Ibiza. There is no better place to ask up the gorgeous vibrations of 'Mata' with its steamy trumpets and genre-breaking beats than under the Mediterranean sun. The flipside 'Xiprell' captures the essence of laid-back sophistication and the warmth of Ibiza with arching prog guitars and pensive chords draped over the most go-slow live drums.
Special Occasion - "Flyin' To Santa Barbara" (6:37)
Review: Over the years, France's Favorite Recordings has been very good at sniffing out lesser-known European gems from the disco and boogie era, mostly for superb and must-check compilations. Recently, they decided to make some of these licensed obscurities available on a series of 12" singles, where a louder, club-heavy cut is preferable to DJs. The latest sees them offer-up two lesser-known Belgian gems produced in the mid 1980s by future new beat don Tony Baron. Jonathan Jr's 'Hanging On To You' is warm, shuffling and synth heavy, with the artist's soulful and jazzy lead vocal sitting alongside squelchy synth-bass, Nile Rodgers style guitars and post-electro beats. Special Occasion's 'Flying To Santa Barbara', meanwhile, sits somewhere between 80s soul, AOR synth-pop and sax-sporting B-movie soundtrack goodness.
Review: Sensory Blending hears Finnish artist Jimi Tenor and Italian group Aura Safari team up for an impromptu studio shebang in Perugia, Italy, after Tenor's storied but clandestine performance at a Hell Yeah party. Despite no prior connection, the musicians quickly found common ground, forging a vivant fusion of jazz-funk, tropicalia and soul. Tenor's psychedelic style gelled Aura Safari's faster, intuited approach, resulting in such tracks as 'Bodily Synesthesia,' 'Bewitched By The Sea' and 'Lunar Wind', each of which connect seductive grooves and ghost noted keys. Possibly performed live at select events later in the year, the record is a perfect storm of recorded "live feel" Balearica.
Review: The dynamic duo of percussionist Daniel Humair and cellist Jean-Charles Capon recorded this now super rare library album back in 1980. Humair was a key figure in Switzerland's avant-garde jazz scene and Capon was known for his work with Jef Gilson and Henri Texier, but on Apocalypse: Biorhythm Fiction Scenes Descriptive Futurist they deliver a groundbreaking performance. The album features their exceptional musical acrobatics including unexpected electric modulation which create a uniquely intense and groovy experience that was produced by Christian Bonneau, a genius in the French radio music world. This one is a real boundary pusher that often leaves you wondering just how on earth it was made.
Review: Celebrate 20 years of In Between with In Between Revisited: Jazzanova Live, a vibrant reimagining of Jazzanova's smashing debut. Recorded at Little Big Beat Studios, this intimate session fuses the original album's sample-driven roots with the real-deal energy of live musicianship. Tracks like 'That Night', 'No Use', and 'Days To Come' take on new life, blending jazz, soul, and electronic elements in a seamless, unforgettable performance. Though it was originally a studio creation, In Between helped define the genre of nu-jazz upon its 2002 release, where nu-jazz itself always invites live-lounge rejigging. With the Jazzanova Live Band, formed in 2008 and honed over 15 years of touring, the group finally brings a long-plotted album to the stage. The performance is here captured on analogue tape with stellar musicians and vocalists, reinventing, yet at the same time devoting itself to, a classic.
Review: Building on the success of his previous two full-lengths, Oscar Jerome's third solo album suggests he has not yet stopped growing as a songwriter, guitarist and producer. Following his time with Kokoroko and his acclaimed 2022 album The Spoon, this latest work delves into personal, reflective themes and was produced entirely by the man himself. It takes in folk influences from John Martyn and Joni Mitchell with the funk of Prince and early Carlos Santana as well as contemporary broken beat and jazz flair. The Fork explores self-reckoning through intimate narratives with each track offering emotionally rich storytelling and nuanced guitar work all making this his most personal and ambitious album yet.
How Do I Let A Good Man Down? (instrumental) (2:57)
Natural Born Lover (instrumental) (3:03)
Stranded In Your Love (feat Lee Fields - instrumental) (6:05)
My Man Is A Mean Man (instrumental) (3:19)
You're Gonna Get It (instrumental) (4:53)
How Long Do I Have To Wait For You? (instrumental) (2:57)
This Land Is Your Land (instrumental) (4:35)
Your Thing Is A Drag (instrumental) (3:35)
Fish In The Dish (instrumental) (3:15)
All Over Again (instrumental) (4:41)
Review: Brooklyn's Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were already underground legends by 2005, but this was the release that blew the doors wide open. Reissued here in a 20th anniversary remaster with full instrumental versions, it captures the group in peak form: tight, defiant and dripping with groove. From the snarling funk of 'My Man is a Mean Man' to the gospel-inflected ache of 'Stranded' and the rolling swagger of 'You're Gonna Get It', every track is a showcase for Jones' irrepressible power. 'How Long Do I Have to Wait For You?' and 'This Land is Your Land' still hit like soul standards, while 'Fish in My Dish' and 'Your Thing is a Drag' lean into grit and grind. The instrumentals only deepen the appreciation: pure rhythm section muscle. Recorded in Bushwick's now-legendary House of Soul, it's the record that built the Daptone soundiand lit the fuse for a soul revival that still resonates today.
Review: We don't half love a bit of Steven Julien, the artist formally known as Funkineven. And this new EP arrives just at the right time as the days brighten, the sun heats up and cruising day-time funk, house and boogie blends are all you want to pump out of your retro 3 series with the top down. 'Time' has distinctly 80s flavours with its bright chords and beats, 'Ultra' is more heavy with a contemporary rap/trap edge and 'Up' is a raw house cut with swinging kicks. 'Wraap't' is another crunchy and loved-up 80s street soul sound then 'Lil'bit' and 'Ballad' close out with more neon pads and retro-future melodic sparkle.
Review: Ekoya is the fourth album from Jupiter & Okwess and it marks a new chapter in their sound as they embrace Congolese funk, rock, Afropop and Latin influences. This record was conceived during a South American tour and recorded in Mexico so reflects a cross-cultural fusion that's deeply rooted in African history and features collaborations with artists like Flavia Coelho and Mare Advertencia. Along the way, the music tackles themes of change, resilience and the global challenges we face so tracks like 'Selele' and 'Orgillo' fuse political commentary with big rhythms. Through a great mix of languages, rich instrumentation and powerful messages, Ekoya is a wonderfully worldly celebration.
Experimental (feat Brian Smokey Williams - album vocal mix)
The Midnight Hour
Knights (Ext Time Traveler mix)
Overdrive (album mix)
The Project
Good Timing (feat Big Mel)
Spirits (album mix)
Beyond
Review: Vick Lavander is a name that has always been a byword for deep house quality. His sound is couched in a classic template but comes with subtle tweaks and plenty of its own musical character. BEYOND is a bumper collection of beats which proves just that. There are silky and cosmically minded sounds like 'Time & Time Again' next to subtly jazzy dancers like 'Sunset BLVD' and dubby, elegant grooves like the life-affirming 'Grace'. The pace picks up with joints like 'Knights' but never at the expense of atmosphere and slows right down with swab-tinged downbeat delights like 'Good Timing'. A magnificently rich work.
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