BBE Vinilo y CD

Review: Roy Ayers staked a bold claim by flaunting the fact that he had 'Reach[ed] The Highest Pleasure' back in June '77. Unfortunately for us back then, this lifetime hedonistic milestone - documented in instrumental funk form - was shelved for reasons unknown beyond simple artistic oversight. As said, this slick solo instrumental for drums, bass and vibraphone is a perfect soul-jazz, chillout trifecta, one for the rarities collectors.

Review: BBE has delivered something of a future classic here, as decorated Eastern European harpist Alinha Bzhezhinska and British tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi join forces on a picturesque full-length excursion dedicated to the memory of spiritual jazz maestro Pharoah Saunders. It's a genuinely unique and hugely evocative affair, with Kofi's meandering, mesmeric melodies and inspired improvisations snaking in and out of Bzhezhinska's dreamy harp motifs and melodic percussion instruments (think bells, marimbas, vibraphone, xylophone and so on). It's not a familiar musical palette, but it's one that consistently delivers - and then some. Our picks of a very strong bunch include lucid opener 'Tabula Rasu - Blank Slate', the exotic and psychedelic 'Audite Me - Hear Me', and the picturesque, meditative closing cut, 'Altera Vita - Another Life'.

Review: In truth, not all DJs are genuine "tastemakers", but Lefto most certainly is. Like the similarly minded - if far older and more experienced - Gilles Peterson, Lefto gets as much pleasure from introducing people to new and obscure music, as he does from rocking clubs. It's for that reason The Beauty Is Inside, a terrific, lightly blended mix of eclectic, far-sighted sounds hand-picked by the Belgian, is such essential listening. It naturally contains some slept-on tackle from the past - see the cuts by Ethiopian singer Alemayeu Eshete and South African artist Patience Africa - but even more killer contemporary fare, with highlights including the contributions of Qur'an Shaheed, Elisa Bee, fellow Belgians abrahamblue and contemporary jazz hero Makaya McCraven.

Review: Original disco remixer John Morales has spent much of the last decade delivering superb, multi-track reworks of classic cuts, in the process showcasing the sublime musicianship and vocals at the heart of these much-loved classics. He's the perfect choice, then, to dip into the immense back catalogue of leading Philadelphia Soul star Teddy Pendergrass and deliver updated versions. The resultant two-disc set is as inspired as you'd expect, with Morales delivering a blend of peak-time ready revisions of surging dancefloor anthems ('The More I Get, The More I Want', 'Don't Leave Me This Way', 'You Can't Hide From Yourself', 'Life is a Song Worth Singing'), sensitive revisions of deeper catalogue cuts and stunning reworks of jaw-dropping slow jams. Throughout, the troubled but immensely talented singer remains the undisputed star of the show.

Review: 'Folk funk and trippy troubadours' main man Paul Hillery - a dedicated crate digger and vinyl hunter whose musical knowledge is exceptional - scored a hit with his first compilation We Are The Children of The Sun. He's now curated a sequel, which once again explores a range of rare, thoroughly obscure sounds that he loosely terms 'folk funk' and 'Balearic AOR'. This is music for sunsets, sunrises and long drives through grandiose landscapes. The plentiful highlights include, but are in no way limited to, the synth-sporting cosmic AOR brilliance of Forest's 'Crazy Days', the jazz-folk brilliance of Wendy Grace's 'More Than Hope', Aria Rostami's acoustic ambient excellence ('Golden Hour') and a previously unheard cover of 'Milk & Honey' by musical polymath Greg Foat and his ever-changing backing band.