Stunning Afro Funk from this incredible combo – as great as anything from the 70s, and maybe even better! The album's the second full length release from New York's Antibalas Liberation Orchestra – and like the first, it's an insanely wonderful batch of funk tunes that follows fiercely in the Fela tradition. Choppy guitars meet with chunky rhythms, riffing keyboards, staccato horns, and a deep commitment to rootsy production – one that keeps the sound of the record firmly in the classic mode, without any fancy remix touches of house music beats. The album's amazing – the sort you could easily pass off as a rare gem you find digging through the crates in Lagos – but it's even better than that, because these guys are young, alive, and headed to your town soon for a concert! Titles include "Talkatif", "Hypocrite", "World Without Fear", "War Is A Crime", and "NESTA 75". (Global Grooves, New Grooves) CD

Trashy Italian house, part of a long tradition, put together by Maurizio Belladona, and featuring some nice electric keyboards. Tracks are long, and titles include "Psycho Rhodes", "Love Clear", "Lunar Funk", "Planet Sensation", and "Stellar Haze". CD

You might know Dave Lee under his other name of Joey Negro, which has long been associated with some of the best clubby cuts on both sides of the Atlantic – but whatever the case, whoever the name, the man himself has always given us nothing but top-shelf work – a tradition that's definitely continued with this wonderful set! Dave/Joey has always had a really great ear for the classic – carrying forward the best sorts of 70s and 80s elements from the world of funk, club, and soul – all with a sense of perfection that rivals the work of bigger names like Incognito or Brand New Heavies, and always served up with a killer ear for the dancefloor! Here, Dave steps forth with a dozen new tracks under an array of various group names and projects – all produced with the love promised in the title, and a heavy dose of soul as well. Titles include "Do It Again" by Rare Essence with Lifford, "Starlight" by Dave & Omar, "Love Walked In The Room" by Jayenne with Gina Carey, "Raise A Blaze" by Foreal People with Xan Blacq, "Want Me Back" by Mistura with Jemini, "Power Of The Mind (power trip mix)" by Dave Lee with Billy Valentine, "Let's Do It In Style" by The Sunburst Band, "Taste My Love" by Dave Lee with Billy Valentine, "Face The Love" by The Sunburst Band with Angela Johnson, and "If You Ever Need Someone" by Mistura With Tiffany T'Zelle. 2CD version features a full bonus CD of remixes – 10 more tracks that include "After The Rain (Dave Lee destination boogie mix)" by Str4ta, "Don't Leave Me This Way (Dave Lee Philly World mix)" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "Mountains (Dave Lee live & direct ext mix)" by The Vision with Adreya Triana, "Prospect Park (Dave Lee disco reshake)" by Prospect Park, "Use Your Imagination (Dave Lee reimagined mix)" by Kokomo, and "One Plus One (Dave Lee ext mix)" by Leroy Burgess. CD

Great remixes from Monday Michiru's Routes album – and a set that really continues her strong tradition of collaboration with some of the hippest talents of the underground! As with some of our favorite Michiru remixes from years back, the tracks here are more re-imaginations or re-recordings of her music than anything else – hardly just new beats or keyboards added into the mix, and often versions that have the tunes taken in rich new directions – always with the soulful, positive energy we love in Monday's originals. Collaborators include Part Time Heroes, Jephte Guillame, and Carlos Mena – and titles include "The Right Time (Yellowtail rmx)", "Hung Up (PTH sprung up mix)", "You Don't Know (feat Part Time Heroes)", "Philosophy Road (PTH hideout mix)", "The Right Time (Jephte's tet kale mix)", and "Don't (Casamena backyard mix)". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

From the dancefloor, to the jazz combo, and back again – the Re:Jazz project takes a surprising twist with this remix follow-up to their brilliant first album! On that outing, Re:Jazz re-made recent dancefloor tunes in new jazz-based versions – going for the warmest, most soulful elements of the tunes – and placing them in a tradition of acoustic jazz dance classics. Here, those re-made versions are given a re-mix treatment – but in a very careful way, one that really preserves the jazzy magic of the originals! It's confusing, we know – but once you catch the warm grooves of the set, you won't care about where they're coming from – as the sum of the total is far greater than any of its tremendous parts! And speaking of parts, the set features remix work by Nicola Conte, RAS, Swell Session, Les Gammas, Dublix Inc, Jazztronik, Bugge Wesseltoft, Yukihiro Fukutomi, and others – on tunes from the original album that include "Style", "Second Sight", "Arena", "People Come Running", "Quiet Nights", "My Love Is Higher", "Torch Of Freedom", and "Release Your Mind". CD

Two different slices of sound from keyboardist Sohan Wilson – both of them equally great! Side one of the record features a live jazzy combo working with Sohan – creating these cool jazz funk numbers that are steeped in 70s tradition, but which have a very contemporary cosmic vibe – not a rehash of older modes, but really new territory explored by the keys! Side two has more of a clubby vibe – beats, samples, and other elements that are topped with strong keyboard lines of a variety of modes – very 21st century, with some spectacular production on the rhythms – all of which will have us looking for plenty more of Sohan's music in the future! Titles include "Guerrero Eterno", "Feel It", "Hey Girl", "Anthem For The Universe", "All I Want Is Again", "Spring Birds", "Night Sky", and "Childhood Memories". LP, Vinyl record album

A smooth set of soulful grooves – all very much in the Naked Music tradition (sensual sound, packaged in a cartoony cover with a naked girl – you know the deal!) Miguel Migs blends a range of current tracks that span the groove between house and soul – all quite pleasant, and sliding together with ease. Titles include "Highly Strung" by Headstock, "Happiness is Free" by Onda, "Endless Bow (Jimpster rmx)" by Hajime Yoshizawa, "Release" by Mindflight, "Atmospheric Beats (orig ext)" by Kerri Chandler, "The Dream (deep dreamer dub)" by Fusion Groove Orchestra & Simon Green, and "Tango Sed (Ron Trent drum mix)" by Batidos. CD

A piano trio, but one with a very modern ear – a group from that school of groups who've emerged in the years after the early recordings of Robert Glasper – graced with a very similar 21st Century sense of rhythm and sound! It's clear that these guys grew up on more than jazz, as the way they put together the tunes is very fresh and untraditional – yet also not overly gimmicky, as in some of the bigger-name crossover trios of the past decade or so. The trio features Gael Bourgeault on Fender Rhodes and piano, Leo Debroise on bass, and Victor Dubois on drums – and the set also features guest guitar, trumpet, and vocals from a female singer – who each appear on different tracks. Titles include "Half Moon Night", "777", "LGFI", "Kamalodo", "Pedrocha", and "Catamandelo". (Jazz, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful bossa work from Toco – a session recorded in Rio with production by S-Tone, and featuring some wonderful acoustic guitar from the legendary Roberto Menescal! Menescal's presence here really helps give the record a classic grounding – a sense of depth and history that surpasses even Toco's great debut – and which is made even better by the presence of Rosalia De Souza on guest vocals on a number of tracks! As with Rosalia's recent Rio sessions, there's a sound here that's warmer, jazzier, and even more traditionally bossa-based than previous Schema releases – with a bit less of a dancefloor focus in the rhythms, and a lot more live instrumentation! All numbers feature small combo backing, and titles include "Litoral", "Zum Zum", "Assuntos Banais", "Bom Motivo", "Samba Noir", "Barracao", "Voz Da Lapa", and "Contradicao", which features guest vocals from Coralie Clement! LP, Vinyl record album