(House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

Music from Dave Toop, Cleveland Watkiss, the Jason Rebello Trio, Slow Fuse, Snowboy, the Jazz Renegades, Steve Williamson, the James Taylor Quartet and the Kick Horns. CD

Quite possibly the hippest work so far from the mighty Mark De Clive-Lowe – an album that almost comes across more like a spiritual jazz session than some of Mark's clubbier sides of the past! There's a lot of live, spontaneous energy to most of the tracks – and although there's clearly some beats at the bottom of the tunes, the album's also filled with freely creative lines on tenor, flute, percussion, and keyboards – recorded with a wonderful sense of warmth, and given almost a sort of Impulse Records sense of righteousness. Bembe Segue also sings on the set, but at some points the main focus is definitely instrumental – with Mark playing Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano, in addition to percussion, bass, and synth. Titles include "Voices Whisper", "Northern Lights", "Peace Be Central", "Question XIII", "2 Blind 2 See", and "Another One Save Me". CD

Mindblowing work from IG Culture – the summation of all our previous expectations in his music, cast forward into bold new territory! The set's got the depth and majesty of a 70s spiritual jazz session, but still also bristles with the crackling cosmic touches we first loved in IG's work – a blend of righteous jazz and vocal themes, all infused with a new sort of energy for the 21st Century! Rhythms are sometimes soaring, sometimes skittish, and bits of hip hop and soul nestle in alongside spiritual jazz modes – with a collective feel that's as powerful as it is positive. IG's got some great help for the record too – including Chicago talents Dee Alexander on vocals, Ernest Dawkins on reeds, and Corey Wilkes on trumpet – plus Sacha Williamson on vocals, Josh Deep on vibes, and Tom Ashe on trumpet. Titles include covers of 70s classics "Girl U Need A Change Of Mind" and "Revelation" – plus "Black", "Consumed", "Any Questions", "Adjusted Perspectives", "B Free", "This Love", and "Ra Bops In Blacknuss". CD

A wonderful reworking of a wonderful record – as Root Soul take on all the tracks from Shuya Okino's Destiny record – and delivery them with an old school funky club sound! The instrumentation is great – live and very spontaneous, with an energy that takes us back to vintage Salsoul or some of the best Philly club work of the 70s – or a bit like Brand New Heavies at times, especially on the tracks that feature N'Dea Davenport on vocals! That great singer appears on three of the album's excellent tracks – alongside other work from Navasha Daya, Diviniti, and Pete Simpson – who each get a few tracks too. Titles include "Destiny", "Still In Love", "Look Ahead", "Let Nothing Change You", "Deep Into Sunshine", "Give Your Love A Chance", "Just Do It", "Take A Look At Yourself", and "Sun Will Rise". CD

A brilliant album from Kaidi Tatham – deeper by far than anything we've ever heard from him, and way more than you might expect if you only know his singles from the London scene! This set's got a very strong jazz component – monstrous keyboard work from Kaidi that stretches and soars with the kind of sound you might expect from George Duke on MPS – coupled with some leaner, more rhythmic elements that show Tatham's strong ties to the London scene – yet still in ways that really break from its conventions! There's mostly a great groove to the tracks, but there's also a warmth, depth, and spirituality to the record that's really amazing – the kind of new territory that others have found on the excellent Freedom School label – a place that offers a rare outlet for creative expression in times like these. The whole thing's instrumental, and Kaidi played all instruments himself – mixing acoustic percussion with beats, electric keyboards with piano, and coming across with a sound that's far richer than the sum of its core elements. Titles include "Simiya", "I'm High", "So Amazed", "Swift Inspiration", "In Search Of Hope (part 1)", "Do What You Gotta Do", "On A Vibe", "These Things Will Pass", and "He Laughs She Cries". CD

Sublime future jazz from Alex Attias – one of the key forces in the cosmic London scene of the 21st Century, stepping out here in a long-awaited full-length set that served up the full complement of his talents! As you'd expect from Alex, there's plenty of snapping beats and spacey keys on the set – an extrapolation of 70s funky jazz, into the spacier and headier realm that's been explored by Attias and the best of his contemporaries on recent singles. But over and above the high quality usual, there's also a farther-reaching set of rhythms and modes of expression going on here – as Alex uses the freedom of the full-length to work in modes that are sometimes subtler, sometimes more experimental – occasionally just grooving instrumentally, but also getting plenty of help from guest stars that include Vanessa Freeman, Jessica Lauren, Bembe Segue, Colonel Red, and Mark De Clive-Lowe. Tracks include "Help Me", "Closer To Me", "Future Jazz", "In The Jungle", "Back Home", "Everchanging Times", "Darker Side Of Light", "Angels", "Confusion", and "Transformation". CD

Back in the first decade of this century, Build An Ark were one of the few groups to really carry forward the spiritual jazz legacy of the 70s – part of the same LA underground that rose up on Nimbus Records back in the day, and guided by the unstoppable power of Carlos Nino – who worked perfectly as both an instrumentalist in the group, and their producer! There were always some contemporary elements in the music, but maybe more surprising was the way that Build An Ark resisted all the remixing and programming that would often get in the way of the few others who tried for this territory – as they were always a committed spiritual jazz ensemble from the outset, not a club jazz act or a funk group. The package brings together all the best music from their out of print albums – a great 3LP run of titles that include "You Gotta Have Freedom", "John Coltrane", "Mother", "Build An Ark", "Door Of The Cosmos", "In The Park", "Sunflowers In My Garden", "Dawn", "Healing Song", "Love Sweet Like Sugar Cane", "World Music", "Our Cry For Peace", "Conversations", "Pure Imagination/The Tortoise & The Hare", and "When Ancestors Speak". (Jazz, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Richly soulful sounds from Nicola Conte – his first album for Far Out Records, but a set that shows the spiritual journey he's been on for the past decade or so on a variety of other labels! Conte has really matured into a jazz visionary – using the same energy here with live musicians that he used to bring to studio projects – in a warm blend of classic soulful styles, with work from an excellent lineup that includes Zara McFarlane and Myles Sanko on vocals, Alberto Parmegiani on guitar, Timo Lassy on tenor, Simon Mullier on vibes, Milena Jancuric on flute, and Ameen Saleem on bass. All players are wonderful – pushing past anything we might have expected – and McFarlane is especially great on the record, almost hitting heights that feel like Dee Dee Bridgewater back in the day! Titles include "Arise", "Dance Of Love & Peace", "Flying Circles", "Freedom & Progress", "Soul Of The People", "Into The Light Of Love", "Umoja Unity", and "Heritage". CD

Richly soulful sounds from Nicola Conte – his first album for Far Out Records, but a set that shows the spiritual journey he's been on for the past decade or so on a variety of other labels! Conte has really matured into a jazz visionary – using the same energy here with live musicians that he used to bring to studio projects – in a warm blend of classic soulful styles, with work from an excellent lineup that includes Zara McFarlane and Myles Sanko on vocals, Alberto Parmegiani on guitar, Timo Lassy on tenor, Simon Mullier on vibes, Milena Jancuric on flute, and Ameen Saleem on bass. All players are wonderful – pushing past anything we might have expected – and McFarlane is especially great on the record, almost hitting heights that feel like Dee Dee Bridgewater back in the day! Titles include "Arise", "Dance Of Love & Peace", "Flying Circles", "Freedom & Progress", "Soul Of The People", "Into The Light Of Love", "Umoja Unity", and "Heritage". LP, Vinyl record album

2 wicked Latin jazz jammers – both issued here for the first time on vinyl! Nicola Conte's beautiful groover "Nefertiti" may well be one of the best things he ever recorded – a midtempo Latinish number that builds on snapping drums, warm bass, and sweet wordless vocals – drifting into the mix right before the tune's core instrumentation of vibes, piano, and horns kick in! "Gica's Dance" is an equally well-done track – again with more great vibes and percussion – created by Gerardo Frisina in a style that's very similar to that of Conte's. Both tracks only ever appeared on the Freedom Jazz Dance CD – and make for a fantastic single back to back! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A really fantastic collaboration between Coldcut and a host of South African musicians – and a set that also features a number of key contributions from the legendary Tony Allen! The record uses the older cutup style that Coldcut first forged on the London scene of the 80s – but has lots of live musicianship from an array of jazz and percussion players, plus a variety of singers too – stretching out in this really visionary blend that includes contributions from Dele Sosimi, Tenderlonious, Tony Allen, The Watts Prophets, Nono Nkoane, Lani Sigers, Gally Ngoveni, Miles James, Antibalas, and others! The project comes off way better than most of this type – very collaborative, and with a sound that's very unified, very together, and very fresh – definitely a whole that's even greater than the sum of its parts. Titles include "Freedom Groove", "Broken Light", "Crystallise", "Papua Merdeka", "Swift Gathering", "International Love Affair", and "Future Toyi Toyi". (Global Grooves, New Grooves) CD

Ronald Langestraat has been in more jazz-based territory in the past, but here he adds in a bit more rhythm and opens up a groove – quite a surprise for this octogenarian musician! Ronald sings on many tracks, with this cool raspy voice that slides in and out of the grooves nicely – as keyboards dance over beats, often with a spacey quality that's got a bit of an 80s vibe, which is in keeping with Langestraat's work during that decade. Titles include the long groover "Mambo Magic" – hardly a Latin track, but one that has nice keyboards over skittish beats – next to other cuts that include "Energy In Space", "Working Every Day", "Alpha Centauri", "Freedom", and "Chet Baker". (Jazz, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully dynamic work from drummer Myele Manzanza – an artist we've never heard work in this scope before, and we hope will soon do so again! The album's got Myele at the helm of a great large ensemble – a group who have a strong spiritual sense at the core, but often move in more vibrant rhythms driven by Manzana's work on the drums – not really funky, maybe more in an upbeat modal mode – which allows for great sounds from the rising crest of alto, trumpet, tenor, trombone, and flute in the lineup! Bass is by Ross McHenry, whose sound is a key core part of the record – and Ross also produced, as well – really capturing the right sort of vibe for the entire album. Myele's part of the Adelaide scene, in New Zealand – but we'd put this record right up there with some of the best work coming out of the London jazz world in recent years – with titles that include "Big Deal", "Madrid", "Itaru's Phone Booth", "Family Dynamics", "Ritual", and "A Love Requited". Includes the Japanese-only bonus track "Freedom Of Movement". (Jazz, New Grooves) CD

A great new collective from Chicago – a group who blend together house, soul, and just a bit of jazz – all in a wonderfully warm blend of styles! The vibe here is somewhere near the Peven Everett side of the spectrum – as the tracks clearly merge an older sense of keyboard-heavy soul with some of the clubbier styles of the current underground – but all in a mode that doesn't fall for easy broken beat tricks or fake soul gimmicks. We were honestly surprised at the depth of the set, and together the tracks come off with a nice degree of righteousness that you'd hardly expect from the name or cover of the album. Titles include "Transit", "Tribe Of Naima", "Save Me", "Thinkin Back", "Imagine Freedom", "About Us", and a number of "In Transit" interludes. CD

Soul jazz vocalist Dwight Trible gathers the forces for this magnificent effort – an album pairing his emotionally rich vocals and singular spirit with a group of largely west coast allstars – and it's pure genius! The Life Force Trio, from what we can tell, is simply the moniker for a small army of free thinking guests from the deep funk, hip hop and turntablist underground assembled by Carlos Nino of Ammon Contact. The guest list includes SA-RA, J Dilla, Madlib, Daedelus, Scienze Of Life, Nate Morgan, Dwight's Build An Ark fellows and many others. It features some vocals Dwight has laid down for other albums, and some unreleased recordings – how they pair up so intricately well, with such fresh and varied production is a beautiful mystery. This record could have merely served as an interesting exercise in combined talents, but instead it absolutely soars, and could be remembered as Dwight's masterpiece! It may also be one of the best Ninja Tune albums ever! Tracks include "Equipoise" feat SA-RA, "Freedom Dance", "The Rhythm", "Waves Of Infinite Harmony", a fresh take on Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", "Love Is The Answer", "I Was Born On Planet Rock", "Constellations" feat Super Nova, "Celestial Blues" and more. The CD also includes a bonus disc on instrumentals! (Vocalists, New Grooves) CD

Kinkysweet and Unified Records team up for this great look at late nite Chitown – a set of grooves that definitely comes from the deeper side of the Chicago dancefloor scene of late – mostly in a house-based mode, but with some key hipper touches as well! Some of the artists here make us mighty proud to hail from the Windy City – and tracks include "Caugth Up" by Gene Hunt, "Thinkin Back" by Mr Ali with Nicole Mitchell, "Sexy 1" by Peven Everett, "The Feeling Track (Eddy The Family rmx)" by Garage Family, "Imagine Freedom (DJ Spinna rmx)" by Mr Ali, "Church (Sting International rmx)" by Peven Everett, "In Transit 2" by Mr Ali, "Told You So" by Glen Undreground, and "Easy Livin (Brian Reaves & Afrodisa rmx)" by Peven Everett. CD

A really joyous collection of grooves selected by Alex Attias – work that's maybe even more uplifting than the first volume in this series – and we really liked that one a heck of a lot too! Most of the tracks are relatively contemporary – selected by Attias from the work of underground colleagues over the past few years – and they're put together in a way that's even more than the sum of their mighty parts – the kind of careful ear for a well-selected track list that reminds us of the sort of albums that made us first fall in love with the BBE label many years back! In a world of dark corners and uncertainty, this is a set that will help you find the way forward, and have a hell of a good time doing it – thanks to tracks that include "Gwotet (Alex Attias LillyGood Party edit)" by David Murray & The Gwo-Ka Masters with Pharoah Sanders, "Open Up Your Mind (Honeycomb voc mix)" by Universal Tongues feat Elle, "Star Child Going Home" by MJ Lallo, "Freedom Flight (Alex Attias LillyGood Party edit)" by Mausiki Scales, "Children Of The World (Ben Brophy edit)" by Elements Of Life feat Josh Milian, and "How Bad I Want Ya (GU peak tru time mix)" by Stacy Kidd with Peven Everett. LP, Vinyl record album

2 CDs of artists recording for LTJ Bukem's Good Looking label, with the atmospheric "intelligent" sound he became known for, though we prefer to just call it smooth jazzy jungle: Big Bud "Freedom", Blame "Alpha: 7", Seba "Remedy", Blu Mar Ten "She Moves Through", Artemis "Sun Voyage" and Big Bud "Mystique". CD