Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Forget the World is a psychedelic instrumental trio led by bassist-composer Marc Decho, who is based in Toronto, Canada, and known for his work with Afro-Cuban jazz pianist Miguel de Armas. Decho brings a fresh, genre-blending sound to the scene and this group blends a real gamut of vibes - 70s soul-jazz, alternative hip-hop, cinematic textures, dreamy LA pop, UK Bruk, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, classical and experimental electronica. Joined by James Hill on Fender Rhodes and synths and Marito Marques on drums, percussion and electric kalimba, their music is immersive and imaginative. It's mixed and mastered by Grammy-winner Helik Hadar and offers a great escape into a new world of awareness.

Review: After a quiet return via Neroli, Domu comes full circle to 2000black with a final statement after 25 years of sonic highs, lows and plenty of reinvention. Haunted by the echoes of jungle's past, Domu steps away for good, he says, with this final outing, which leaves behind three deeply personal tracks. 'A Madness' brims with urgent, sample-heavy energy and signature keys. 'Not Him Again' is a jam with longtime collaborator Robert Marin that plays with tempo and hip-hop norms. 'Them Things' then seeks to capture an elusive feeling and closes an EP that is Domu at his most reflective and raw. The end of an era. Don't let it pass you by.

Review: Like a veteran striker in his final season, GAMM has really captured some top form on late and now drops a fire premiere from Chicago's Emmaculate and legendary Basement Boys producer DJ Spen. Opener 'Step Into A Black Whole' is a genre-hopping 11-minute journey that moves from deep house to a hip-hop breakdown featuring KRS-One before morphing into a jazzy Afrobeat stomper. First heard by GAMM contributor Coflo during a wild house set, the track blew the roof off and always will. On the B-side, 'Boogie On Disco Woman' delivers a gritty funk, disco and soul rework with raw drums, clavinets and soulful vocals. Two standouts.

Review: Scottish veteran Hifi Sean - once, in an ancient time, frontman of indie stars The Soup Dragons - doesn't really do half-measures. 'Waiting for the Sun' is his first 12" since rinsing out the Fire Island remix in 2021, and it lands somewhere between gospel house uplift and morning-after clarity. The original version doesn't hold back - full-bodied keys, layered vocals, and a central hook that sounds like it came to him mid-dog walk, which, in fairness, it did. It could have collapsed under its own optimism, but somehow doesn't. The acapella confirms just how tightly constructed the vocal work is - stacked, reverent, and stubbornly catchy. 'Sunset Dub' dials things down without losing shape, keeping the bassline intact while pulling most of the colour. 'Sunrise Reprise' nudges things into the kind of end-of-night territory where no one's really dancing anymore but still doesn't want to leave. Not a reinvention, but a sharp, self-contained reminder that Hifi Sean knows exactly what his lane is - and how to drive directly through it at golden hour.

Review: This new one from Stefan Ringer on his FWM Entertainment combines two distinct releases in one: 3 tracks from his 2021 Meta Music EP and his darker alias Black Sued's 'Rogue' EP. It's a yin-yang journey of sound that shows his range and quality. 'Monotone' pairs signature deep chords and soulful vocals and distorted bass with minimal drums, while 'New Plan' is a driving, rhythmic workout of persistence and groove. 'YIA' offers meditative chords and affirmations set against a thunderstorm backdrop and the flip, the title cut explores shadowy jazz textures with a mysterious groove, 'Maze' marches forward with urgency and layered rhythm, while 'Deep Dirt' closes with gritty, broken-machine chaos. Together, these EPs make for a powerful emotional and sonic contrast.

Review: Nicola Conte and Nico Lahs, both Bari-born producers pushing the boundaries of underground Afro-Latin and jazzdance, hear the warmest of intros through their friends over at Schema Italy, their sound pivoting a careful Newtonian balance between presence and nostalgia. The roomy but distant highs of 'Macumba De Oxala' contrast strongly yet subtly to the hifi plinks and percs of 'La Danse De L'Esprit', on the latter of which we hear visiting production fellow Oaklandian Lalin St Juste add an ancestral vocal magic. This first EP is only a start, with a second 12" and a resultant double LP planned.