Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Eclectic Beats Music is building up a fine head of steam and the sixth outing is a tidy 7" featuring two red-hot Latin broken beat cuts. The opener is a collaborative remix from Born74 and Fradinho who do a superb job of flipping Jorge Ivan Martin's original gem 'Yo Tambien Baile La Conga' into something more contemporary with fresh broken beats, plenty of steamy Latin flavours all finished off in electric fashion with Frank Santiuste's trumpet solos. Flip this one over and you will find Fradinho unearth an easier cut and again update with some compelling broken beats and funk as well as a rich bassline and silky synth solos.

Review: The limited edition deluxe double vinyl release of 'SLO MO' is here, featuring a stunning holographic overlay that matches the album's deep, immersive sound. Freddy's latest studio album is a nine-track journey packed with bass-heavy beats, offering both redemption and resolution. Described by Fitchie, the group's beatmaker, as "Afro rhythmic soul music," 'SLO MO' explores the rich intersection of Black music through a Polynesian lens. This strictly limited pressing is a celebration of rhythm, soul and culture, making it an essential pick-up for vinyl collectors and fans of bold, genre-defying sounds.

Review: Wah Wah 45s present Sun Dogs, the debut album from composer, songwriter and producer Jamie Finlay - a unique blend of electric soul, spiritual jazz and psychedelia. A deeply layered and personal album that explores themes of love, loss, grief, and finding strength through turbulent times, this curt selection of eight tracks sports a throng of talent on both production, instrumental and vocal duties, be these contributions from Ellen Beth Abdi, Caitlin LM or Kemani Anderson. All glued together by a crisp broken beat aesthetic and ultra-crisply mixdown standard, we hear an expansively uplifting album unfurl in the continuous inspirational spaces opened in by the dialogic legacies of greats like Lonnie Liston Smith and Pharaoh Sanders.

Review: Vincent Lemieux and Guillaume Coutu Dumont are the producers who combine as Flabbergast and now they unveil their full-length debut, Consolation in Constellation. As you would expect from those two artists, it is a boundary-pushing journey through sound that is rooted in improvisation, classical training and deep electronic exploration. The album fuses jazz, acid house, breakbeatand cosmic textures into a seamless exploration that adds up to a sonic constellation-carefully composed, yet full of spontaneity. 'Binary Star' is like IDM, minimal and electro all distilled into a siren new sound, 'Orion Belt' is rich in pixel thin pads and glinting chords and 'Phaser' is a slithering, high speed electro workout from another world and with a playful charm despite its highbrow design.

Review: Greg Foat returns with The Rituals of Infinity, an eclectic jazz album inspired by both iconic sci-fi literature and Greek mythology. Featuring legendary saxophonist Art Themen and trumpeter Trevor Walker, the album is a vibrant blend of cinematic atmospheres and rich jazz traditions. Tracks like 'A Private Cosmos' and 'The World of the Red Sun' nod to sci-fi classics, while 'Minerva's Owl' reflects on the Greek legend symbolising retrospective wisdom, beautifully closing the album. Foat's ensemble, including Natcyet Wakili's fluid drumming, Jasper Osbourne's bass, and Katherine Farnden's cor anglais, creates an expansive sound. Shawn Lee's eerie waterphone touches add to the album's atmospheric depth. Recorded with a thoughtful approach to both melody and theme, The Rituals of Infinity show Foat's compositional mastery and storytelling through music. The album is set to debut live at the Worthy Earth Festival in Hampshire, offering listeners a full listen into its sci-fi and mythological inspirations. It's a richly textured journey that combines jazz's improvisational spirit with otherworldly influences.

Review: Greg Foat's The Glass Frog, released on Blue Crystal Records, is a sublime blend of smooth jazz and spacey, euphoric atmospheres. Foat shines as the lead at times, while the band complements him perfectly, setting a relaxing mood throughout the album. Highlights include 'Sea Of Tranquility,' a moody horn lullaby that embodies space jazz at its finest. 'Foals Of Epona' features a soothing jazz band with a funky drummer, creating a delightful groove. 'Clusters' brings a nostalgic 60s jazz ambiance, enveloping listeners in its rich soundscape. The standout track, 'My Love Has Green Eyes,' showcases magnificent sax work with beautiful keys, enhancing the band's intricate mixture. The Glass Frog is a fantastic album for both casual and hardcore jazz fans, offering a perfect blend of smooth, funky, and atmospheric jazz elements. Greg continues to impress.

Review: London beatsmith and "city rivims" producer Footshooter is one of a small cadre of inner city artists whose work makes a point of fusing UK jazz, West Coast-ish hip-hop and UK dance production, all tied together by an experimental bow. His latest LP, The Oasis, unveils itself as an upended jazz and broken beat finesser, all while nailing a collaborative form, with studio-mates James Mollison (Ezra Collective), Natty Wylah and Brother Portrait all in tow. Where lead track 'Cycles' evolved from a simple loop, growing in depth and space, Mollison's saxophone brought appended magic; meanwhile, tracks like 'Boomerang' and 'Surrey Canal Road' underscore a mood of hyperlocal, industrial South London poignancy.

Review: Since his debut with Schema Records in 2001, Gerardo Frisina has poured his soul into modernising styles such as Latin jazz, funk, and soul. In Sight Vol. 1 now introduces a fresh batch of such cosmo-futuristic moodsetters, continuing a trend that was first set in motion with his debut Moving Ahead (2020). Now the new album, preluded by singles 'Mindoro' and 'Desejar', hears seven tracks, including a cinematic bossa supernova 'O SoNho' as well as an exclusive cut from a rare and revered 10" deep cut from 2009. Frisina's attention to detail ensures the standout vibe of each composition, bringing a one-of-a-kind club-orientation to a rich atmospheric mantle.

Review: This double record - originally released in 2002 - is a deep dive into the duo's creative process, reimagining the 1991 classic through multiple sonic lenses. The London duo bring an album's worth of reinterpretations, starting with the evergreen original version's ethereal pads and hypnotic breakbeats. T2 merges the iconic melody with playful elements blending dreamy basslines and warm builds with subtle psychedelic hues. T3 extends the atmospherics and psych guitar wails in the final stretch triumphantly. T4 drifts into ambient psych-rock while T5 is a harsher more abrasive version. T6 is a slow, genre-blending piece with psychedelic undertones and emotional weight, gracefully building toward a euphoric blend of organ notes, complex drum patterns and smooth saxophone. Finally, T8 closes with lush downtempo elegance, layering sitars, sax and processed vocals from the original track for a mesmerising finale. Old skool fans will lap this up all over again.