New releases today: International

Review: Reserved for Record Store Day comes this exciting new doublet from brilliant Brazilian jazz-funkers Azymuth, in the form of both an extended mix of their enduring major hit single from 1979, 'Jazz Carnival', and a fresh remix by Yambee, the duo of Ashley Beedle and Yam Who?. The original track was a rare slice of instrumental funk music, dare say instrumental music at all, to climb the UK charts and remain in its upper echelons for a solid twenty weeks. Though its initial popularity was lengthy, it has since then gone underground, becoming a throwback favourite of the likes of Kerri Chandler, Mr. Scruff and Gilles Peterson, to name but a few icons to play it back out over the years.

Review: Naya Beat's modus operandi is to champion the OG sounds of the South Asian underground through the lenticular funnel of dance music. Their latest in this effort is a breakout wonder in V/A form, herding together three contemporary club titans for a jolly trans-national dialogue over the original stylings of an inimitable key player in proliferation of Bhangra music, Manjeet Kondal. The late great Kondal hears one original piece, 'Pyaar', reissued, alongside two exclusive versions of 'Ishkaan De Mamle' by digger extraordinaire Mr. Scruff, followed by a closing, straight-from-the-stems downtempo acid dub tribute by modern day remixers and DJs Turbotito & Ragz. This is an honorific tribute to the crossection of late 80s to early 90s Bhangra music with acid house, carefully modelled after the aesthetic sensibilities of the time.

Review: Estonian label RR Gems continues to fly the flag for the finest experimental jazz music, introducing the world to the sound of EEG Coherence. Recorded at the legendary Hotel 2 Tango studios in Montreal, their debut album is a flowing, engrossing affair which flirts with free jazz forms while keeping a certain smoky, groove-minded vibe at the centre of the rhythm section. It lopes and slopes, letting prominent guitar work needle its way around looming basslines and splashy, spaced-out drums with splashes of vocals, flutes, sax and keys darting about in the mix for good measure. If you value free jazz you can latch onto, this album is a must-check.

Review: Passarinho Urbano (Urban Bird) is the album-length result of a chance encounter between singer and musician Joyce Moreno and producer Sergio Bardotti in Rome, Italy. Thoroughly relaxed and recharged after a long break in the city, Moreno's rejuvenated state of mind lent immediately to a spur-of-the-moment reimagining of some of her favourite classical Brazilian MPB and bossa nova standards, some of whose original composers were leading lights of the underground cultural resistance during the country's military dictatorship by the Brazilian Army during the 1960s. With a soft-spoken, intimate vocal intonation by Moreno, and a composition centring on slow-building, rhythmically deft call-and-response cantos, this album deserves its longstanding status as a secret masterpiece, a status which'll surely be renewed once more by this first-time-worldwide reissue by Week-End Records.

Review: Merci Yaya Bongo: Female Animation Groups In Gabon 1982-1989 offers a spellbinding glimpse into Gabon's vibrant music scene of the 1980s. The compilation showcases the talent and creativity of several female groups and presents a diverse range of styles from Afrobeat to funk and disco. Tracks like 'Abaga Mbouga' and 'Yaya Omar Bongo' exude infectious rhythms and soulful melodies and highlight the unique sound of Gabonese music during this era. With its rare and obscure selections, this compilation serves as a valuable homage to the overlooked contributions of female artists in shaping the country's musical heritage.