An insanely wonderful set from Sean Khan – maybe the greatest music he's done since his early classics with the SK Radicals! This album really takes us back to a time when music from London was completely fresh and exciting, and cosmically soulful, too – and Sean's got help from some great singers on the record who also date from that era – including the mighty Omar, plus Sabrina Malheiros, and vocalist Heidi Vogel of Cinematic Orchestra! All three of these artists really flesh out the sound of the record – and make it every bit as much of a soul record as a set that's awash in all the great reed touches and jazzy bits we'd expect from Sean. Andy Noble's also on the record, playing some wonderfully warm piano lines – and the overall instrumentation has more acoustic elements than before, which makes for a very righteous vibe throughout! Titles include "Dance For Little Emily", "Muriel", "Samba Para Florence", "Sister Soul", "What Has Jazz Become", "Trane's Shadow", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down", and "Fire Within" – plus bonus remix tracks "Don't Let The Sun Go Down (4Hero rmx)", "Samba Para Florence (Henry Wu rmx)", and "Things To Say (Ben Hauke rmx)". CD

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Not a slow burner, but a real cooker – served up here by a sweet London combo with a great mix of spiritual jazz and sweeter soul! Sean Khan leads the group, and plays some mighty sharp-edged alto and soprano sax – and other instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums – often used in ways that follow Khan's lead on the instrumental tracks – but with a smoother, warmer feel on some of the numbers that feature female vocals in the lead! These cuts have a soulfulness that takes us back to the best years of the London scene – and they really sound great next to the instrumental numbers, which have a sharper feel overall – making for an album that's got a much richer voice than usual for this type of set. Titles include "Fluxman", "Piny Annie", "What Is Jazz", "El Presidente", "Black Narcissus", and "Castro De Castro". CD

The deepest record we've heard so far from London's Sean Khan – and that's saying a lot, as we really loved his previous albums! Sean got his start on the broken beat scene a number of years back, and has slowly been evolving into more of a jazz-based artist – which he hits fantastically here in the company of the legendary Hermeto Pascoal, who plays Fender Rhodes and melodica on the record too! But honestly, even without Hermeto, Sean's pretty fantastic on his own – as his alto sax lines have this beautifully sharp edge, as does his work on flute and soprano – these soulful currents that almost rival recent work by Nat Birchall and some of his contemporaries. Other players include Ivan Conti on drums and Jim Mullin on electric guitar – and Heidi Vogel sings on two tracks, and Sabrina Mahleiros on one more. Titles include "Moment Of Collapse", "Waltz For Hermeto", "Palmares Fantasy", "Montreux", "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", "The Blonde", and "The Conversation". CD

Not a slow burner, but a real cooker – served up here by a sweet London combo with a great mix of spiritual jazz and sweeter soul! Sean Khan leads the group, and plays some mighty sharp-edged alto and soprano sax – and other instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums – often used in ways that follow Khan's lead on the instrumental tracks – but with a smoother, warmer feel on some of the numbers that feature female vocals in the lead! These cuts have a soulfulness that takes us back to the best years of the London scene – and they really sound great next to the instrumental numbers, which have a sharper feel overall – making for an album that's got a much richer voice than usual for this type of set. Titles include "Fluxman", "Piny Annie", "What Is Jazz", "El Presidente", "Black Narcissus", and "Castro De Castro". CD

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Herbie reinvents himself for the 21st Century – and ends up turning out one of his most compelling albums in years! As with his Future Shock years, Herbie's working here with Bill Laswell – but if that scares you a bit (it did us!), don't worry, because Laswell's much more in the background than you'd think, and instead, Herbie relies on some strong work by guests that include Carl Craig, Chaka Khan, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, and Rob Swift, to help take the groove to a whole new level. Titles include "The Essence", "This Is Rob Swift", "Black Gravity", "Tony Williams", "Ionosphere", "Alphabeta", and "Virtual Hornets". (Jazz, New Grooves) CD

Hard to believe it's the 30th Anniversary for Incognito – but Bluey's been at it for that long, and to celebrate, he's having one hell of a party with this record! The album's got way more going on than even a regular Incognito set – even though those are plenty darn great – as Bluey's invited plenty of folks along for the celebration, a range of great singers who really open up the sound, and deepen the core jazzy grooves of the set! In addition to regular vocalists like Joy Rose, Tony Momrelle, and Maysa, the set also features work by Leon Ware, Chaka Khan, John-Christian Urich, Ursula Rucker, Vanessa Haynes, and Mario Biondi – the last of whom really brings a lot to the set, with that cool vocal approach used on his Schema albums. And as usual for Bluey, the sound is way more than just straight soul – with plenty of classic jazz funk elements, and a strong nod to the underground sounds of the British scene who've always fostered his music. Titles include "Line In The Sand", "1975", "Your Sun My Sky", "Put A Little Lovin In Your Heart", "All Of My Life", "Expresso Madureira", "Make Room For Love", "Lowdown", "Tell Me What To Do", and "The Winter Of My Springs". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

With tracks by Craig Armstrong, Nils Petter Molvaer, Dreadzone, Swati Natekar, Trilok Gurtu, Photek, Tuu, Vibrasphere, Ali Farka Toure, Dub Tractor, dZihan & Kamien, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes music by Faze-O, Deodato, Chic, Slave, Chaka Khan, Neal Howard, LFO, Soft House Company, Dillinja, Orbital, Calibre, Jaheim, and Tronikhouse. CD

A soulful dance album from the legendary King Britt – released on the house groove heavy Nervous label! Britt's always been one of the most diversely adaptable artists/producers and also one of the most reverently soulful dance music trailblazers out there and Intricate Beauty is as it's titled – with sultry, sweetly soulful club grooves and more globally influenced beats alike. It's dancefloor geared from front to back, with a soulful beat and lilting keys and atmospherics bringing the beauty along with some lovely guest singers – including Rucyl Mills, Astrid Suryanto, Kim English, Lady Alma and others. The the numbers flow one to the next in a continuous groove, demonstrating King Britt's skills as a DJ as well as material demonstrates his club groove production prowess. Include "Love What You Have " (main mix) feat Rucyl Mills, "Now" (main mix) feat Astrid Suryanto, "Nightlife" (King Britt mix) by with Kim English, "Try Love" (main mix) feat Lady Alma, "Blackhand Side", "Peak Inside", "Inner Self", "The Intricate Beauty" (main mix) feat Ryat and more. CD