Brownswood 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Kokoroko very quickly broke through with the last EP on Brownswood. The talented musical collective stuff their tunes with elements of afro, funk, soul and jazz and each one makes an indelible mark. This new EP offers two more such gems: first up, 'Baba Ayoola' has silky drumming that would make Tony Allen proud. The lead trumpets and mellifluous chords all make for a rich sonic tapestry that is ripe for dancing. On the flip is 'Carry Me Home' with more big horns and complex drum patterns, as well as some soulful vocal coos to finish it in style.

Review: Kokoroko, a London-based eight-piece featuring musicians with disparate cultural roots and a love of improvised performance, have long been tipped as future stars of British music. Could We Be More, the award-winning outfit's debut album, more than delivers on the promise of their previous singles, offering up a set shaped by their communal love of Afrobeat, dub, Highlife, percussion workouts, spiritual jazz and smooth grooves. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the deep and sun-splashed shuffle of 'Ewa Inu' and the warming, sunset-ready soul-jazz of 'Dide O', to the horn-heavy celebration that is 'We Give Thanks' and the Balearic, beat-free bliss of 'Home'.

Review: Str4ta is a project that harks back to the glory days of the vibrant British jazz-funk scene of the early 80s. Gilles Peterson and his partner in crime Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick are behind the music and the new album is the first new music they have put out in over a decade. Quick on the draw as ever is Dave Lee, fka Joey Negro, who on this 12" on Brownswood serves up two alternative mixes of one of the singles. The fist version of 'After The Rain' is all hip swinging claps, low slung funk and brightly shining, starry-eyed melodies. The second dub version is more scripted back but still with plenty of irresistible percussion and bass.