Brownswood 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Having enjoyed a help in hand courtesy of the Arts Council-funded "Future Bubblers" project and mentor Esa (whose Afro-synth band he played in), Forest Law has graduated to the Brownswood Recordings roster. The producer and multi-instrumentalist has a wide palette of influences, but is particularly interested in West African and Brazilian music. These inspirations naturally come to the fore on this inspired debut, which gathers together three tracks bristling with effervescent Latin-percussion, Afrobeat-influenced grooves, Afro-synth electronics and vocals - presumably provided by the artist himself - that sound a little like Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor. It's an alluring blend that results in three fine cuts, of which A-side "New Thoughts New Eyes" - a future dancefloor classic, we reckon - being the pick of a very strong bunch.

Review: Kokoroko have been on all world music lovers' radars since their very first and very impressive EP on Brownswood back in 2018. Now we are treated to an expansive and adventurous debut album on the same label that sees the group build on their great early start. Could We Be More has been preceded by new single 'We Give Thanks' and draws plenty of inspiration from the highlife and jazz sounds of West Africa, the Afrobeat and psych-funk sounds of the 70s and plenty of modern broken beat styles. Each tunes swells with emotion and evokes good times.

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'.