First Word Vinilo y CD

Review: Children of Zeus' sophomore LP Balance takes the blueprint of their debut and evolves it into a deeper and more refined sound. The British duo of Konny Kon and Tyler Daley hail from Manchester and incorporate soul music with hip hop, neo-soul, gospel and R&B with help from Grammy award winning producer Beat Butcha, with rising UK soul talents Akemi Fox and Georgie Sweet contributing guest vocals. The definitive sound of UK street soul in 2021.

Review: Tyler Daley is a UK hip-hop mainstay and the vice of the brilliant Children of Zeus. Here he branches out with his own solo album, Son of Zeus - see what he did there? It comes on the band's home label of First World and bares plenty of their signature sonic hallmarks - dusty, undercooked production, lazy hip hop beats, and gorgeous vocals that sit somewhere between neo soul, golden era boom-bap from Tribe and something else a little unique. It's a warm world where yearning bars, lush harmonies and hooky melodies all float around the stripped back but bumping beats. Superb stuff.

Review: Now celebrating 20 years in the music world, First Word Records unveils Love & Purpose to mark the occasion. It is a new compilation album curated by label founder Aly Giliani (AKA Gilla) that honours British soul music from the last 40 years, blending street soul, alternative r&b, neo-soul, and lovers rock. Inspired by the vinyl compilations of his DJ days, Gilla presents 12 tracks split into two sections: Disc One (Love) features pre-2000 artists, while Disc Two (Purpose) highlights newer talents. The album pairs classics like Ruth Joy's 'Feel' with modern hits like Children Of Zeus' 'Hard Work' and further contributions from Manchester, London, and beyond make Love & Purpose a nostalgic yet fresh journey through British soul.

Review: Don Leisure's last album in 2017 was a real cult classic for hip hop and beat lovers. First World Records have finally got the follow up ready, and the much anticipated Shaboo Strikes Back does not leave anyone disappointed. It stretches out over 25 tracks and each one is a balmy and heady mix of fuzzy synths, wooden drum hits and smart samples that take in everything from serene strings to old soul vocals. It's a widescreen listen with loose tambourines dangled over gypsy funk synths on 'Shaboo Strikes Back' while 'Sugar Cane Juice' is a more edgy hip-hop cut. Super stuff.

Review: Resonance is the superb new album from Essa and Pitch 92. Essa is something of a veteran who back in the early part of this millennium was putting out tunes under the name Yungun. He is a Londoner and lawyer who played a key part in the UK's golden hip-hop era and picked up props for his work from dons like Nas while also working with De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Guru, Slum Village and Pharoahe Monch. This record taps into that time with its soul-drenched, low-slung and late-night beats, specially and politically aware lyrics and gorgeous samples. A contemporary classic steeped in authenticity.

Review: Known for her solo work and as the frontwoman of 30/70, Allysha Joy's husky, soulful voice and exceptional Fender Rhodes skills make her a standout in the jazz-soul scene. She hails from Melbourne and is a singer, songwriter, producer, and keys player who has had big props by key figures like Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova and Jamie Cullum and performed alongside acts such as Kokoroko and Children of Zeus. The Making of Silk is her new album and it is packed with her captivating vocals over jazz instrumentals, organic hip-hop grooves, with hints of new-soul, r&b and spiritual jazz greats like Alice Coltrane all appearing throughout the majestic, richly realised and luxurious sounds. This is a black vinyl version, though it also comes on grey-marbled wax.

Review: First Word Records present an AA side collaboration from [ K S R ] and Konny Kon (Children of Zeus) titled 'Part of the Plan/Faded From The Jump' on 7" vinyl and digital. 'Part of the Plan' channels classic soul, echoing the timeless feel of Stax and Atlantic, with [ K S R ]'s rich vocals and Konny's laidback production. 'Faded from the Jump' explores future r&b and neo-soul, capturing their Manny street soul essence. A true showcase of modern British soul music.

Review: After her magnetic debut EP for Running Circle in 2017, Nottingham's Yazmin Lacey lands on our charts with her follow-up 12", a piece of work that sounds deeply accomplished and expansive for being her second EP to date. Largely roaming within the jazzo-sphere, When The Sun Dips 90 Degress is a beautifully seductive five-tracker, with the artist's voice reigning supreme over the cascading showers of piano keys and subtle electronics, somehow tapping into the Alice Coltrane sort of vibe. There's no harp here, but plenty of soulful charisma. Fear not thy devout jazz fanatic - this can get real deep and real smooth. It's a broken beat fan's dream some true. More from Lacey is, indeed, expected in the remainder of the year. Marvellous stuff.

Review: For those with intimate knowledge of the original West London broken beat scene of the late '90s and early 2000s, the return of IG Culture's New Sector Movements project is big news. Remarkably, 'These Times' contains the first new 'NSM' material in 15 years and sees IG Culture joined by a swathe of guest vocalists and musicians including Allysha Joy, Mike City, Natalie May, Wonky Logic and Alex Phountzi. Musically, it's as on-point as you'd expect, with IG Culture and his merry band confidently striding between rolling, horn-sporting future R&B ('These Times'), jazz-funk-flavoured breakbeat soul (the incredible 'Stand'), head-nodding, Latin-tinged 21st century street soul ('Hope'), Kaidi and Dego style business ('H.E.A.T') and hard-wired, sub-heavy, peak-time ready broken beat (the infectious 'Bless').

Review: Quiet Dawn's latest offering, Celebrate, is an 11-track testament to the eclectic talent that has made him a cornerstone of the First Word family for a decade. Following in the footsteps of his previous ventures, particularly the Movements EP, this album seamlessly blends broken beat flavors with a diverse range of influences. Featuring luminaries like Bembe Segue, LyricL, and Oliver Night, Celebrate is a terrific drift through soulful grooves, lively bars and infectious rhythms. From uplifting jazz samba vibes to downtempo boom bap, Quiet Dawn effortlessly melds organic and electronic elements, creating a good dose of positivity and good vibes. Tracks like 'Celebrate,' composed with his son on his lap, and collaborations with talents like Bembe Segue and Oliver Night, highlight Quiet Dawn's ability to translate personal moments into universal celebrations of life, love and cultural diversity. With infectious energy and a message of turning negativity into positivity, Celebrate invites listeners to dance, reflect and embrace the richness of our individual journeys.

Review: DJ Soulist and Fulgeance aka Souleance are a formidable French pair who serve up their impressive new album here on First Word Records in collaboration with Heavenly Sweetness. Beautiful is an apt title, too, because that describes their particular take on disco sounds with plenty of lush synth lines and sophisticated melodies all accompanied by a range of influences from jazz to Afro to funk. Some killer basslines define the likes of 'A Onda' and guests heighten grooves like the summery and laidback 'Out Of Touch' (feat Kit Sebastian) and shimmering broken beats of 'Lightweight' (feat Jenny Penkin).

Review: If Detroit as a collective mind knows what's good for it, it'll note 8 Miles To Moenart as one of its most prized dance albums. Tall Black Guy's debut LP hears a tenth anniversary reissue edition via First Word; the artist known personally as Terrel Wallace recalls his humble Detroit beginnings; he was raised on an early staple diet of Motown, and the phono-dubbed source material of which is here heard breezily funnelled and assembled into ten gaunt, sample-flipping house numbers. But this new edition doesn't fail to switch things up either, in fact presenting it almost as a different record; two new tracks feature, 'From Home To Work, And Back' and 'Running The Motor', on top of an alt-mix of the single 'Mon Amie De'troit', previously only available on 7" vinyl. "While it's nice to reminisce,", says Wallace, "it's important to look forwards, so I wanted to include something new here to represent my progression as an artist, so there's some new versions included, that I created with the help of some jazz musician friends of mine."

Review: Nothing Leaves The House: The Anthology brings together four talented producers who each bring their own flavour to instrumental hip-hop. Tall Black Guy kicks things off with 'One to One,' a jazzy, laid-back track with a smooth groove, followed by 'Solar Coaster For The People,' which ups the energy with its infectious rhythm. Eric Lau's 'Chop For Mr Thing' is a standout, with intricate beats and soulful layers, while Kidkanevil's 'Loopin' Ill' brings playful, quirky melodies. Mr Thing closes the collection with 'Changes,' a funky, groove-driven track that wraps things up on a high note. An essential compilation for fans of soulful hip-hop and jazzy beats.

Review: In our eyes, Kaidi Tatham can do no wrong. The long-serving keyboardist barely seems to sleep and releases a high volume of collaborations and solo records, but his quality threshold is so high that there's barely a duff track in his catalogue. Over the last few years he's developed a trademark sound that wraps Herbie Hancock style jazz-funk keys around crunchy broken beats, while also drawing influence from hip-hop, '80s electro, boogie, Latin jazz and slick deep house. An Insight Into All Minds, the veteran musician's fifth solo album, is naturally rooted in this trademark style, offering up a collection of cuts that bristle with positivity, pack plenty of punch, and are as well produced and life-affirming as you'd expect. It's a high bar, but it could well be his single best LP to date.

Review: Kaidi Tatham is a master of broken beats and a widely respected figure in the London music scene. His new 12 track album takes us on a lush and louche trip through all his myriad musical skills and styles. Boogie, gospel-tinged hip-hop, jazz-funk and more all colour the futurist grooves with contributions from The Easy Access Orchestra, and pianist Robert Mitchell. This is a fourth solo album from the man and maybe his best yet, even though it has come so quick on the heels of the release of An Insight To All Minds in 2021.

Review: After offering up EPs titled "Hard Times" and "Changing Times" in 2017, Kaidi Tatham returns to First Word to complete the trilogy with "Serious Times". Of course, the music contained within the EP's tightly packed grooves is as joyous, rich as intricate as ever. Check, for example, "Don't Cry Now", a samba-soaked, sun-kissed affair that wraps harmonic freestyle vocals, twinkling electric piano lines and darting jazz-funk bass around a seriously shuffling groove. Tatham's much-discussed jazz-funk influences are once again given an airing on "Sugar", while his fine piano work takes pride of place on instrumental hip-hop head-nodder "Zallom". Best of all, though, is opener "Cost of Living", which emphatically weaves together all of these strands and more besides.

Review: The word 'legend' gets banded about rather a lot, but it is certainly applicable to West London scene stalwart Kaidi Tatham. Further confirmation of this elevated status can be found throughout "It's A World Before You", a staggeringly good album that marks the musician-producer's first solo set for some seven years. While rooted in the kind of warm, rich and life-affirming jazz-funk-fuelled broken beat workouts with which Tatham is most readily associated (and they're naturally superb), there's plenty of killer diversions dotted throughout. These include a couple of spacey, soul-flecked ambient rubs, a sublime collaboration with hip-hop/modern soul fusionists Children of Zeus, and a fine head-nodding hip-hop jam featuring rapper Uhmeer. In a word: essential.

Review: Kaidi Thatham remains one of the truest artists in the field of broken beat and modern jazz, and his fifth album for First Word shows no signs of slowing down. There's a certain signature you know belongs to him when those nasty Moog synth lines start flexing around the groove, but there's such depth and variety to his expression at this point in time, it feels like the possibilities are endless. From rattling neo-funk get downs to blissful downtempo reveries and on to the killer hip-hop of 'The Only Way' featuring Uhmeer on mic duties, this is an album bursting with invention at every turn.

Review: When this album was initially released way back in 2008, it was Kaidi Tatham's first under his given name (previously, he'd released solo records as Afronaught and appeared on all manner of collaborative releases). Since then, he has of course gone on to greater critical and commercial success, but as this timely reissue proves, "In Search of Home" still hits home hard. Like much of his work, it deftly showcases his Herbie Hancock-like jazz and jazz-funk keyboard skills within tracks that variously join the dots between broken beat, hip-hop, deep house, Latin fusion and sumptuous slow jams. Colourful, rich, jazzy and impeccably performed throughout, the album remains one of the high points of Tatham's career and is well worth adding to your collection.

Review: The Liminality of Her is a new ten track album by Amanda Whiting, the acclaimed Welsh harpist and composer. With classical training and a unique sound reminiscent of Ashby and Coltrane, Whiting swiftly earned her place in the UK jazz scene and her journey includes collaborations with Don Leisure and features on projects like 'Shaboo Strikes Back'. Backed by Chip Wickham on flute and PEACH on vocals, this album showcases Whiting's hypnotic jazz fusion compositions, exploring themes of transition and liberation. From the cinematic 'After Dark' to the playful 'Lost in Abstraction', immerse yourself in the liminal soundscape and you won't be left disappointed.

Review: This enchanting album from Welsh jazz harpist Amanda Whiting is a heartwarming celebration of the festive season. Combining her deep love for Welsh culture, jazz, classical music and Christmas, it radiates warmth and charm throughout. Whiting's virtuosity on the harp shines as she reimagines seasonal classics by Vince Guaraldi, Bill Evans, Holst and Tchaikovsky, offering original arrangements that breathe fresh life into these beloved pieces. The 14-track collection exudes joy and nostalgia, with standout moments like the recent singles 'Peace Piece' and 'Skating'. Whiting's arrangements are both intricate and inviting, with a sound that's cozy and uplifting. Inspired by legendary artists like Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, her music is a perfect blend of jazz sophistication and classical elegance, creating a timeless atmosphere. Supported by her accomplished trio, the album is a fitting soundtrack for the holidays, bringing the spirit of Christmas to life with every note. Whether you're curled up by the fire or enjoying festive gatherings, this release offers a musical embrace that's truly comforting. A stunning work that showcases Whiting's exceptional talent and her ability to craft an unforgettable seasonal experience.

Review: With a blend of warmth and virtuosity, Amanda Whiting's latest release is a seasonal collection that effortlessly blends jazz, classical and Welsh charm. Reinterpreting classic holiday tunes from the likes of Vince Guaraldi, Bill Evans and Tchaikovsky, Amanda's arrangements shine through with her signature harp, bringing a fresh yet nostalgic spin to beloved songs. Tracks like 'Peace Piece' (a reworking of Evans' 1958 classic) capture her ability to infuse rich jazz harmonies with the tender elegance of the harp. The album also features an array of original compositions, showing Amanda's deep love for Christmas and her Welsh heritage. With influences from artists like Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, this release radiates a cosy, soulful vibe, perfect for holiday gatherings. It's a true celebration of Amanda's musical talents and passions, offering a delightful blend of festive jazz and classical influences. A perfect addition to any holiday playlist.

Review: MC Essa is also a lawyer and Londoner known for being a firm favourite of the likes of Nas and Mark Ronson. He has played with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan and this 15-track record with Yungun is considered to be one of the finest samples of its sort from back in the halcyon days of the UK's golden era. The Essance comes with production from and features by stars such as Harry Love, Mr Thing, Lewis Parker, Kyza, Devise & Ben Grymm and this reissue comes with fine liner notes from Musa Okwonga who notes the record for its range. Listening back now it has stood the test of time and remains a standout in the UK's hip-hip history.