New releases last four weeks: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz

Review: Was anyone ready for one of the most talked-about albums of the year to be Andre 3000 going ham on the flute? Probably not, but in a post-reality world New Blue Sun just slots right in. Of course the legions of Outkast fans are going to be split when an artist of such prominence takes a wild swerve into experimental musical pastures, but for those with an open mind or a pre-existing appreciation of ambient and leftfield music, this album is an easy sell. Teasing the tension between acoustic and electronic, ancient and hypermodern, grounded and ethereal, Andre has been bold and honest in presenting this album to the world and his gamble has paid off.

Review: Brazilian artist Lucas Arruda, is fast becoming a regarded figure in the Latin scene. 'Ominira' is his latest long player that once again, finds a home on the French label Favorite Recordings. An album full of rich sounding musical textures that cross boundaries and bridge many genres such as Latin, soul, house, jazz and pop. The vibrant summer jams 'The Bravest Heart' and 'Novos Planos' are A-side standouts that will surely excite veteran and new listeners alike, who are into World music. '4:28' and 'The Mountain' start the second side with some catchy instrumentals that give off memorable beachy 70s vibes. ' Projecoes' closes the album with one of the most soulful performances of the album. All and all, you have a wonderful sounding jazzy grooved piece that ups the expectation of what a Latin jazz album can be. Cafe Del Mar approved!

Review: This is one of those albums that is for the real heads - a deep, dark, moody mix of new soul and hip-hop from the great vocalist you might well have recognised from Roni Size/Reprazent's seminal New Forms album. Released in 1996, it showcases Bahamadia's distinctive flow and insightful lyricism with tracks like 'Uknowhowwedu' and '3 the Hard Way' effortlessly navigating intricate beats and soulful samples to deliver messages of empowerment and introspection. As such the LP embodies the essence of 90s hip-hop in the way it blends jazz-infused production with Bahamadia's smooth delivery. As a pioneer for female MCs, Bahamadia's influence should reverberate through generations.

Review: Danielle Boutet's Pieces is a mysterious artifact of Quebecois marginalia, self-released in 1985. Seeming to land squarely in the French no wave niche, yet nonetheless defying it through sinister inversions of the form, the reissued album comes as a reminder of Boutet's impressive command over atmosphere and narrative. Arabesque monologues in her native French soar over warblingly warm arpeggios, which sound ready-primed for traversals of Transylvania, while the more languid cuts make use of impressively synthetic emulations of what could otherwise sound like affectedly acoustic instruments, such as the "harmonica" on 'En attendant l'aube'. This is a welcome unearthing of an otherwise unconscious album, made in the space between REM sleep and authentic, out-of-the-limelight living.

Review: Dele Sosimi, UK Afrobeat maestro and former member of Fela Kuti's band Egypt 80, keeps the stylistic flame well alive with his new LP, The Confluence, made in collaboration with The Estuary 21 aka. Sam Duckworth. Sosimi is usually heard focusing on the more eventidal moods of Afrobeat, asking the listener to imagine the genre in a more serene state of flow, in contrast to Kuti's original hip-swaying histrionics; his hedonic rancour. Following 2023's 'The Confluence' EP, the eponymous LP follows and hears the Hackney-born hero and the prolific pop producer team up for a multi-alias exploration, with Duckworth donning his alternate Get Cape Wear Cape Fly moniker many times throughout and flaunting the absolute best of his production chops.

Review: Broken beat hero Kaidi Tatham steps forth with the first in a series of all-star remix albums of the Reel People Music back catalogue. Over an impressive ten tracks, Tatham sashays between syrupy soul slo-jams, virtuosic broken beat trips, almost UK funky-esque live jams, and acoustic boom bap beats. Percies include the sweeter-than-molasses opening flip of Sebb Junior's 'All My Life', his sassy, stripped-back version of Daz-I-Kue and Hadiya George's 'Pedigree' and a dazzlingly technical re-run of the Monkey Brothers' 'Losin my Head.' With this anthology, Tatham proves that London's broken beat scene continues to flourish, and his boundary-hopping style is as relevant as ever.