Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: The fledgling hip-hop label Pibe marks its fifth release with a rather lovely 7" that packs a genuine punch. Kero Uno is the artist behind the two singles with some great bars from contemporary lyricists. Opener 'Do You Remember?' is a summery sound with a feel-good vibe and guests Blu & King Most do a fine job of adding extra colour and charm. On the reverse is a much more soulful and sentimental sound with more gentle beats and a crystal clear and clean vocal from Ace Hashimoto swirling up next to jazzy chords. Tidy stuff.

Review: Shanghai-based producer Knopha lands on Mule Musiq after picking up plaudits for his Nothing Nil EP on Eating Music. What he turns out here is some beautiful stuff inspired by Oriental New Age. 'Water Play' imperfectly blissed out and liquid ambient house and dub fused into something soul-soothing. Kuniyuki turns out a magical remix that has shimmering melodies and organic drum sounds washing over you then 'Palm Warmth' is all glistening melodies, celestial pads and delicate hang drum patterns that suspend you amongst the clouds. 'Prairie' shuts down with bubbly broken beats and warped leads peppered with soft shakes and more heavenly harmonies.

Review: Insense Music Works finished off 2024 on a high by serving up this brilliant pair of wonky jazz sounds. Noriko Kose & Haruka Nakamura's 'I Miss You' pairs pensive piano playing with alluring vocal sounds and raw beats into something heady and beguiling that almost seems to shift space and time with its smeared designs. Joachim Kuhn's 'Housewife's Song' on the flip is a busier sound with mad jazz keys, cascading piano chords and a vibrant sense of energy that flourishes ever brighter as the track unfolds.

Review: Takuya Kuroda is a highly respected trumpeter and arranger from Kobe, Japan but now based in New York City. Midnight Crisp was his seventh studio album and now First World has had a selection of cuts from it remixed. 'Choy Soda' gets superb treatment in the form of Waajeed's Hi-Tech Jazz remix which jumbles the trumpet motifs with shuffling drums and future soul. On the flip, 'Dead End Dance' gets a signature Kaidi Tatham remix that brings the broken beats and sunny sounds to the fore with more languid jazz notes adding sultriness.

Review: Four artists with a taste for classic deep house infused with more than a touch of house line on the Silver Walker label's sixth release. Following releases on the likes of Local Talk, Balance, Traxx Underground, Mate, Quintessentials and upcoming projects on Nervous and NDATL, Shaka opens proceedings with a flurry of Hammond and plenty of exotic percussion, lie Alan Hawkshaw riffing with Underground Resistance. Glenn Davis (Wolf, Yore Records, Deeper Groove and Selections Records) delivers a deeper house workout on the A2 house track, the jazzy keyboard chords, fluttering flute and restless synths working real magic. One of the masterminds behind the Silver Walker label, Diego aka DFRA, comes on all perky with the saxes and soloing Rhodes, on the second side's opener, 'Nitewax'. Then we close with Damien aka Keymono (founder of several labels including Monocturne Records and Funkyshirts) laying on the handclaps of classic disco strings, the snippets of funk guitar and vibes the cherry on top.

Review: Trash Can Lamb is the layers solo work from Akron-based multi-instrumentalist Keith Freund. With two decades of musical exploration, Freund, known for his work with Trouble Books and Lemon Quartet, crafts an eclectic blend of analogue synthesis, piano, bass, saxophone, and field recordings. This album delves into experimental realms, melding 8-bit delays with acoustic elements that give rise to great ethereal melodies. Handmade electronics coalesce with wistful piano and saxophone melodies to make for a juxtaposition of chaos and tranquillity. Freund captures the essence of a backyard at dusk, where the cacophony of nature meets the serenity of twilight.

Review: Percussionist and singer-songwriter Mami Kakudo returns with her latest album, Contact. A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts' Department of Instrumental Music, Kakudo has gained recognition in Japan and internationally for her expressive use of marimba, percussion, voice and music boxes. Four years after her debut album, Oar (featuring covers of Maki Asakawa's 'My Friday' and Fishmans' 'Ikkareta Baby'), Contact showcases her signature sound again here in all its glory. Recorded with a talented ensemble-including Mugi Furukawa on guitar, Akita Goldman on bass, Wataru Mitsunaga on drums, and Yumiko Iwao on cello-Contact highlights Kakudo's ethereal voice, poetic lyrics and whimsical arrangements.

Review: French label Good Morning Tapes welcomes Paris-born electronic innovator and 70s GRM alumni Ariel Kalma New York-based trio Asa Tone for some serious deep ambient soundscapes. The wellness movement has never been more polar than it is now but if you ask us, nothing could be better for your mental health and sense of self than sitting a dark room with this one nice and loud so you can soak up its high fidelity designs, the microscopic pads, the whimsical melodies and slowly shapeshifting sounds in all their glory. A tremendous work.

Review: Ever a treasure trove of house goodness, Toy Tonics Music is back with Para Mytho Disco, the second album by label founder and creative director Mathias Modica who is also known as Kapote. His work as Munk on Gomma Records might be his best-known stuff at the moment but this album goes a long way to redressing that with its fresh take on disco house, experimental electro, jazz fusion and Afro-American grooves. All of that is distilled through a futuristic mix of keys, bass, synths and percussion inspired by 1970s jazz and 1980s synthwave. As such this record reflects Kapote's vision of bringing diverse musical styles together to create a positive, inclusive vibe and is own that yields more rich detail with each listen.

Review: With their debut album on !K7 Records, Kassian (aka the pairing of Joe Danvers-McCabe and Warren Cummings) return to the warm, sample-based house sounds that originally brought them together. Over five years, they revisited early ideas, refining their craft to create a record that explores emotional depth beyond their club-focused tracks. The album has been, we're told, shaped by time, loss and reflection so weaves through various atmospheres with live instrumentation, field recordings and percussion that evolve over time. Featuring Joe Armon-Jones from Ezra Collective on keys and Timothy Kraemer on cello, Channels makes for a tender and introspective journey.

Review: US jazzy-hip-hop beatmaker Kero One returns with his first album in nine years. Known for popularising jazzy hip-hop in the early 2000s, the California-based rapper, DJ and producer blends his signature jazzy lo-fi beats with vintage soul, R&B, pop, progressive hip-hop and electronic music while drawing inspiration from recent travels in Asia. Fuzz Logic features artists and vocalists from diverse regions including English, Chinese and Korean with guest appearances from the likes of Ace Hashimoto on 'Airplane Mode,' plus Blu and Michael Blume all contributing to the catchy, dynamic sound Kero One is renowned for.

Review: In a quest to uncover the organic roots of life through music, trombonist Robinson Khoury delves into ancestral rhythms and sounds on this new album and blends them with electro-acoustic textures crafted by his modular synth. Drawing on jazz foundations and Middle-Eastern scales, the project centres around the evocative wordless vocals of band members and guest artists Lynn Adib and Natacha Atlas. Khoury also adds vocals with Anissa Nehari on percussions, and Leo Jassef on piano and synth. It is an expansive album with a world feel and plenty of thought-provoking sounds and intimate atmospheres.

Review: Kiefer's first live album captures the brilliant energy of his trio which features longtime collaborators Luke Titus and Pera Krstajic. This record was recorded at an intimate, secret Los Angeles show in April 2023 and includes a brand-new title track alongside selections from Kiefer's catalogue and a moving rendition of Bobby Hutcherson's 'Montara'. A GRAMMY-winning artist, Kiefer has worked with Anderson .Paak and Drake and recently performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert with Nate Smith, Carrtoons, Theo Croker and Charlie Hunter which have helped establish him on the world stage. This album is one that will resonate with fans of acts like Theo Croker, Mndsgn and Dinner Party.