New Grooves — LPs  

Almost an underground groove supergroup – given that the set features work from Earl Zinger (Rob Gallagher of Galliano) at the helm, production from 2 Banks Of 4, vocals from Valerie Etienne, and funky rhythms from Shawn Lee! The combination of talents come together here in a very new way – with a style that's much grittier and earlier than before, although still pretty darn groovy overall – almost putting a raspy old school touch on a scene that's definitely matured on its own, and may well be old enough to lay claim to the rootsy sound of this set! Rob's songwriting has definitely matured, and at some of the best moments, there's almost a British Tom Waits-y kind of quality to the set. Titles include "Below Sea Level", "Burial Blues", "Whip Of The Wind", "Laxfield Blasphemy", "Velvets Eleven", "Margaret Catchpole", and "Foggy Dew".

A long-awaited full length set – one that finally brings together all of the amazing Tony Allen reworks done by the Honest Jon's label! These "chop up" tracks were originally issued over a range of limited 12" singles, and they're really amazing stuff – not just remixes of Tony Allen's work, but re-recordings and re-interpretations as well – a batch of music that stands amazingly well on its own, even if you're not a fan of Tony originally – and which takes his music into even more exotic territory than just Afro Funk! The choice of artists here is key to the set – as players from other Afro-influenced genres really take a new spin on Allen's music – and are allowed to strongly bring their own sounds to the set. Titles include "Ole (Cairo version)" by Salah Ragab, "Sankofa" by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, "Kilode (rmx)" by Carl Craig, "Awa Na Re (rmx)" by Bonde De Role, "Mark's Disco Dub" by Mark Ernestus, "Reggae Land Dub" by Wareika Hill Sounds, "Samba" by Son Palenque De Colombia, "Kilode (rework)" by Wajeed, "Ole (rmx)" by Moritz Von Oswald, "Fuji Ouija" by Diplo, and "One Tree (TP's spirit of unity mix)" by Terrence Parker.

One of the most soulful albums we've heard from Schema in many years – a brilliant batch of jazzy tracks from singer Andrea Balducci – served up with backing by a great lineup of players from both the Ricky Tick and Schema worlds! The core approach is jazz, but many of the songs are done with a very soulful approach – a style that's a bit like Mario Biondi, especially given Balducci's use of English throughout, and his raspy vocals – yet more 60s soul in the end, with a unified aesthetic that really holds strong over the course of the album. Players include Jukka Eskola on trumpet, Timo Lassy on tenor, Gaetano Partipilo on alto, and Luca Mannuzta on Fender Rhodes and piano – and titles include "Hurt So Bad", "Spooky", "Within Myself", "Big City", "I Just Dropped In", "Time Will Come", and "The Meaning Of Love".

The best work so far from Rosalia De Souza – a session that features production and guitar from bossa legend Roberto Menescal, and a sound that's deeper and even more classic than any of Rosalia's other work! Most of the instrumentation here is in an older acoustic mode – piano, percussion, and horns arranged by Menescal with that beautifully lighter than air style that he first pioneered in the 60s – an approach that lets Rosalia's vocals drift along on wonderfully gentle rhythms, and dominate the record even more than before. Given that the set's on Schema, there's still a nicely rhythmic component to most numbers – but overall, the record's a bold step forward even for the label – similar to the all-acoustic move made by Nicola Conte in his own recordings! Marcos Valle joins in on vocals on "Que Bandeira", and other tunes include "Onde Anda O Meu Amor", "Voz Da Lapa", "Jogo De Roda", "Rio De Janeiro", "Mar Amar", "Um Novo Dia", and "Vivo Sonhando".

The first full length in a few years from world class turntablist DJ Kentaro – and a pretty diverse set of floor-shaking instrumentals – plus a number vocal cuts with a strong roster of guests. Kentaro is a sharp producer/artist on top of the turntablist skills, crafting well-paced full scale listening experiences – and he's wise enough to stay true to his inspirations rather than chase trends. Includes "Kikkake" feat DJ Krugh, "Higher", "Step In" feat Foreign Beggers, "Big Timer" feat MC Zulu, "Lapis Lazuli", "Crossfader" feat Kid Koala & D-Styles, "Next Page (Dora) feat C2C and more.

A really great change for saxophonist Nathan Haines – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given how much we already liked him before! The set's a straight jazz outing – of the kind that really lets Haines' strengths on reeds shine forth beautifully – soaring out soulfully in ways that are quite different than his more groove-oriented recordings – yet still equally soulful! Nathan's tenor is wonderful – as deep in tone and rich in feeling as some of the greats of the 60s generation – yet informed with a slight spiritual sense of phrasing as well, even though the overall production and setting is downright classic. The group's a quartet – with Kevin Field on piano, Alain Koetsier on drums, and Thomas Botting on bass – and titles include the Haines' originals "Realisation", "Universal Man", "Ancestral Dance", "The Poet's Embrace", and "Consequence" – plus a version of Roy Brooks' "Eboness".

A sweet set of grooves from this cool Italian combo – served up with just the sort of retro style you'd guess from the cover! There's a strong influence here from older soundtrack modes – particularly Italian ones – no surprise, given that the album's on the film score reissue Cinedelic label, and really fits in with some of their classic work! The group take on a few older Italian soundtrack themes, and add in their own songs too – and they definitely have some of the Brazilian elements promised by their name, but in addition to bossa and samba, this also means some fuzzy psych as well – some of the heavier modes of the 70s generation, touched with a bit of cop/crime funk from the Italian scene of that era too. Vocals are in English and Italian – and titles include great remakes of "Metti Una Sera A Cena", "Femina Ridens", and "Goodby My Friend" – plus "Doping 2000", "La Donna Dei Miei Guai", "Gira Gira", "Clavinet Et Chase", "Drugs & Violence", and "Deep Throat".

Just a few of the songs here are from the 60s, and many of the rest are written by Gaetano Partipilo himself – and mixed with a few Brazilian numbers as well – all to round out a wonderfully rich sounding album that really lives up to the best Schema tradition! Instrumentation is mostly live jazz – played by Gaetano on alto sax, as well as Nicola Conte on guitar, Pietro Lusso on Fender Rhodes, Pasquale Bardaro on vibes, and Fabrizio Bosso on trumpet – but maybe best of all are the vocals, which shift a bit over the course of the record, and include raspy soul lines from MR Natural, and warmer female vocals from Alice Ricciardi, Heidi Vogel, and Rosalia De Souza. Half the tracks are instrumentals, and the mix of modes really makes the album great – never settled too far into one comfortable corner, and really taking the listener on a great journey overall! Titles include "Essa Mulher", "Se Voce Pensa", "Beyond The Days", "Jive Samba", "Right Now", "13 Death March", "Wall & Water", "Atras Da Porta", "The Sticks", "Moon Flower", and "Ocean Dance".

The Jazz Invaders here are tighter than ever – and not just because they've got some heavy Hammond help from the legendary Lonnie Smith! Smith's definitely a key part of what makes this album so great – and his organ lines have a sharpness and depth that really stands out from the rest of the group – kind of an extra level of sound that really makes the whole thing sparkle! Yet the group themselves are pretty wonderful too – much more righteous than ever before, going past just a combo who can copy the best jazz modes, into the realm of one that's more than capable of making some mighty fresh sounds of their own. Linda Bloemhard sings on a few cuts, with this raspy edge that's pretty cool – but the instrumental push is what really makes the record shine. Titles include "Square Blues", "Little Sunflower", "Buzzin", "Song For Lonnie", "Tastich", "Nelson", "Mellow Mood", and "Tie Am".