GIANLUCA PETRELLA 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Nicola Conte is one of the central figures in the Schema story, and his nu jazz and broken beat partnership with Gianluca Petrella has yielded some golden music in recent years. Nigeria originally came out in 2018, and then last year popped up on the duo's People Need People LP, but now it's getting a proper remix treatment which sees Tall Black Guy twisting the track out as a heady disco house roller for sundown moments when you need a little jazzy flair in the proceedings. That version comes in vocal and instrumental versions, and then the mighty Andres steps up for one of his simmering groove escapades as he delivers an extended remix of 'African Spirits'.

Review: Long-established Italian producer Nicola Conte started working with jazz trombobist Gianluca Petrella back in 2017. In the years since, they've released a string of singles that fuse contemporary house sounds with the rhythms and musical styles of Africa. Here they present their collaborative debut album, People Need People, an effortlessly soulful affair that draws deeply on the pair's joint love of deep jazz-funk (see 'Hold On To Your Dreams') and the funk-fuelled goodness of Afrobeat ('Nigeria'). Throw in versions of those previously released singles (think 'African Spirits' and 'New World Shuffle' for starters), and you've got a highly entertaining full of high-quality musicianship and plenty of life-affirming melodic motifs.

Review: Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella follow up last year's beautiful "African Spirits / New World Shuffle" with two more lavish instrumentals. "Sun Song" lives up to its name with wave after wave of heated musicianship from the belting harmonies to the light-touch keys. "Nigeria" taps deep into the source too as it drives us through the heart of Lagos with full horns and sweeping keys. Spiritual, sun-splashed and vital.