Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Yasushi Ide has a storied career reaching back into the 80s club scene in Japan, and he's worked with many a legend in his time. He originally released 'A Place In The Sun' as a Japan-only track on his 2012 LP Late Night Blues, and now the track has been revived by NYC label Love Injection. The track which led to this release was in fact a limited dubplate mix of 'A Place In The Sun' by Kaoru Inoue, which the Love Injection founders Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele found while on tour in Japan. In this remixed form on the A-side, or the dub version of the original on the flip, it's a resplendent slice of downtempo bathed in exquisite musicianship, not least Nobuyuki Nakajima's gorgeous Rhodes and Jamaican legend Ernest Ranglin's unmistakable guitar lines.

Review: Relative newcomers Infradisco blend a Balearic sound of disco and house for the Italian label Archeo Recordings. Aqua Cheta is a blend of proper electronic examples of Balearic and chill out influences. 'Caduca' (Hear & Now remix) is ideal for the late-night scene with a blend a perfect blend of 80s and 90s but still sounding futuristic. Manu Archeo's remix of 'Dulcis' is a beautiful laid back downtempo jam that shimmers like a hazy day on the beach. We think you will like the organic and mystical 'Fluminea' as well. This EP couldn't finish any better than on the ambient tip with a soul warming float on the marina remix by Ocean Moon. Fans of Balearic, Cafe Del Mar and chill out music will treasure this EP no doubt. This 12" comes with a CD as well.

Review: A Moodymann remix is a mad rare thing. The singular Detroit producer very rarely steps out to tackle other people's music but when he does the world takes note. This time he sets to work on 2022's 'Hold On To It' by Colonel Red and Inkswel. In his hands, it becomes a distinctively low sling bit of sleazy deep house with punctured drums, off-grid pianos and his own vocal mutterings. Potatohead People offer a more lush and soulful downbeat vibe, while a Moodorama Weird Mistake is perfect for late-night back rooms and the Moodorama Deep Rise mix is all bubbly bass and melodies that provide real musical comfort.

Review: Another two club bangers from The Invisible Session's album repertoire, as remixed by the hugely influential UK DJs, Phil Asher and Faze Action (aka the Lee brothers). The two club re-works are in slick UK dance style. The appeasing feeling in the song "I Knew The Way" remains, although it is elegantly transported to the clubs' atmosphere courtesy of the touch given by veteran DJ/producer Phil Asher. Even though the bass drum is in 4/4 the result is always soulful, ever groovy and never predictable - as proved by Mr Asher’s care for details and sound effects, as well as the twiddled keys by non-other-than Mark De-Clive Lowe. This vinyl presents the vocal piece in fine soulful-house style on Side A, whereas on Side B is to be found the remix of an instrumental piece in the album "Heroes Of The Conquest". More driving and faster than the other 2 instrumentals of the album, "Invisible Blessing" and "Three For You", this re-work of it by respected dance-duo Faze Action is rich in bongos, sound effects and delays. In a smart way the powerful horn section of the original piece is here, led to impress and shake the tune to a possibly even higher extent, melting the Latin-jazz influence into a strongly rhythmic club tune. Tip!

Review: This long promised debut album from Pete Cunningham's hybrid electronic/acoustic jazz collective, Ishmael Ensemble, has already received rave reviews. Listening back, it's easy to see why. The collective specializes in inventive, slow-burn epics that fuse the producer's dance music influences with more traditional jazz and seductive songs that recall the folksy bliss of the Minnie Riperton fronted Rotary Connection. They're capable of laying down bona-fide floor-rockers - see "Siren!" and the sweaty, bass-heavy swirl of "Lapwing" - but it's often the more considered and atmospheric pieces ("The Chapel", "Yellow House (feat Yama Warashi)" and the trumpet-driven brilliance of "The River") that leave the longest lasting impression. Either way, it's a superb debut album that's well worth a listen.

Review: Pete Cunningham's hybrid electronic/acoustic jazz collective Ishmael Ensemble has been right at the forefront of innovation when it comes to those sounds. For his latest project he links up with lyricist and MC Rider Shafique. They first met some six years ago when Cunningham was struck by "his powerful way with words." As such they got in the studio, Cunningham embraced a more bass heavy sound to his style and drew on his love of the likes of dub kings King Tubby and Adrian Sherwood. Coupled with Rider's voice and you have a superb new record.

Review: Some expansive, cinematic, orchestral spiritual jazz for you here, from the trio of talents that Fumio Itabashi, Kuniyiki and Henrik Schwarz. While the latter two are generally better-known for their deep and sometimes tech-tinged house and ambient productions, the original mix of 'Watarese' (featured here on side B) is a dense, immersive jazz soundscape laden with evocative Japanese vocals, improvised piano, moody orchestration and definite nods towards vintage free-jazz. Spiritual Life supremo Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell provides the remix and, somewhat predictably, steals the show. His take is gently rhythmic, sun-splashed spiritual jazz full of hand percussion, fluid piano motifs and rubbery double bass.

Review: Oceanvs Orientalis and Ilhan Ersahin first entered each other's orbits by chance at a performance at Turkey's Cappadox Festival in 2018. Orientalis is renowned for his fusion of Eastern musical motifs and traditions with cutting-edge electronica, while Ilhan Ersahin has long plowed a unique path uniting assorted musical strains from around the world via an exploratory jazz-improv sensibility. Following two tracks ('Mesta' and 'Pire') co-written by Ilhan and OvO and released as collaborations, as well as two more Ersahin / OvO co-writes ('Revenge Of The Wankers' and 'Television') released under OvO's name alone, a fresh and exciting new song, '1980', now heralds a full-length collaboration slated to land in Spring 2024. The track's title hints at a certain nostalgic bent, all while still keeping its gaze firmly fixed on the future as it evokes sun-drenched, bygone good times. The 10" edition adds several extra versions, one of which spotlights the multi-instrumental mastery of Darkside's Dave Harrington, and the other the mesmerizing vocal stylings of Gaye Su Akyol.

Review: The Galaxy Sound Co US is now up to number 41 in their buy-on-sight 'Series: 1$ Bin Breaks'. It's another vital 45 rpm that packs a lot in with plenty of epic sound sources that you will recognise and love from some of your favourite hip-hop joints. Artists like Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Puff Daddy, De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, J Dilla, Redman and Alicia Keys have called upon the sounds you will hear here from original artists like Odessa, Milt Jackson With The Ray Brown Big Band, Issac Hayes and many more. File this one under essential breaks, library sounds and jazz nuggets.

Review: Potatohead People's classic tune 'What It Feels Like' featuring T3 (Slum Village), Kapok and Illa J, first released in 2020 alongside an unmatched live video, gets not only a reissue on vinyl here but a remix treatment from in-demand bass player Carrtoons. Switching up the order of the verses, dubbing out the horns and adding in his signature basswork, Carrtoons brings a fresh flavour to the track's already steaming, boom-bap verve. Fans of Anderson Paak, Smoove or anyone operating in the crossover of neo-soul, jazz and rap will be much pleased by this one.

Review: Last year, the Expansions label kicked off a wonderfully intriguing 10" series featuring classics from soul music's rich canon complemented by contemporary cover versions and so far it's seen Blue Note troupe Quasimode tee off against Johnny Hammond and Bembe Segue challenge Norman Connors. A third edition duly arrives and hints Expansions are really enjoying the creative challenge the concept allows them with the jazz funk classic "Zaius" from Eddie Russ joined by a cover from the celebrated UK funk veterans Incognito. Originally appearing on the 1976 LP See The Light, "Zaius" is a blinding example of why Russ is described a master of the keyboard and it's complemented well by Incognito's B Side cover which appears on vinyl for the first time. Don't sleep!

Review: Maverick Japanese producer Yasushi Ide's 2020 album Cosmic Suite was widely heralded and critically acclaimed. It now gets a welcome follow up with a second volume that features an a-list of international artists including Don Letts, Josh Milan, Japanese diva UA, Afrika Bambaataa and many more. As such all sorts of sounds from dub to house, broken beat to Afrobeat, freeform, jazz, post-punk and more feature. It is a future-facing collection of cuts all masterminded and conducted by Ide from his Grand Gallery HQ in Tokyo.

Review: First things first - the cover art for this one is exceptional if you ask us and gets you very excited about what the album will hold once you drop the needle on the record. Good news - it's just as good, as Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids return to form with a first new album in three years. This one is as epic they come, exploring all manner of jazz and Afro-future sounds with core Pyramids members Ackamoor on sax, keytar and organ joined by flutist Margaux Simmons, Sandra Poindexter on violin and Bobby Cobb on guitar. Tracks take in hard-hitting socio-political commentaries and laments for lost loved ones as well as some nice and hazy cosmic trips.

Review: The Invisible Sessions new album Echoes of Africa is the first on the newly launched Space Echo label out of Italy and is richly rooted in black music. It's been 15 years since a breakout release put this group on the map and now trombonist and multi-instrumentalist Gianluca Petrella and poet, rapper and MC Martin Thomas Paavilainen (aka Benjamin "Bentality" Paavilainen) link once more to great effect as they use jazz as a vehicle to convey their messages of cultural synergy, unity and love. Afro-beat and Ethio-jazz, funk, psychedelia, and modal music all colour the most compelling grooves.