Joe Armon-Jones - All The Quiet (Part I)

Joe Armon-Jones is best known as the electric heart of Ezra Collective, the Mercury Prize–winning band that has stretched the shape of British jazz with dub, hip-hop, grime, Afrobeat and a sense of ecstatic possibility. A virtuosic keyboardist with a composer's instinct and a producer's ear, he's spent the past decade collapsing genre lines rather than tiptoeing around them. All The Quiet (Part I), his first solo release in six years and the opening half of a two-part project, serves as both return and recalibration—an artist-led statement that puts his voice, style and intent at the center.

Fully self-written and produced, Part I traverses jazz, funk, dub, hip-hop and soul, and doubles as a kind of community cipher, with appearances from a cross-section of London musicians, including Greentea Peng, Hak Baker and Nubya Garcia. Though largely instrumental, Armon-Jones invites vocalists on two tracks, threading voices into the mix without shifting the spotlight. He folds in Afrobeat arrangements—tight, punchy horn lines that nod to Fela—without slipping into imitation. Reggae and dub-informed bass is the rudder, guiding the tracks with patience while drums and keys move more freely.

"The Citadel" is driven by a stuttering boom-bap snare line that ratatats through the mix like distant gunfire, anchoring a brooding piano motif and sharp, cinematic horns. The groove is taut, almost paranoid, hip-hop in posture but shaded with jazz's harmonic depth and a dub-informed sense of space. Each element moves with off-kilter precision.

"Kingfisher" shares that sense of friction, this time pairing a restless snare pattern with a vocal feature from Asheber, whose refrain, "Where I come from," echoes like a soliloquy and a prayer. Armon-Jones answers with spare, searching piano phrases, tracing the rhythm's shape without softening its edge.

The record's most expansive moment is its final track, "Hurry Up and Wait," which stretches past the seven-minute mark and offers Armon-Jones space to cut loose. It's a slow burn that builds without rushing, giving him room to spiral outward at the keys, less interested in virtuosity than in feel, texture and flow.

Tracklist:
1. Lifetones
2. Forgiveness
3. Kingfisher (feat. Asheber)
4. Nothing Noble
5. Eye Swear (feat. Goya Gumbani)
6. Danger Everywhere
7. The Citadel
8. Snakes
9. Show Me
10. Hurry Up & Wait

Vega Trails - Sierra Tracks

Inspired by the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north-west of Madrid, his home since August 2022, Milo Fitzpatrick presents Sierra Tracks the new album from his expansive, cinematic, chamber-jazz project Vega Trails.

Having cut 2022’s beautifully resonant debut album ‘Tremors in the Static’ as a duo, alongside saxophonist Jordan Smart (Mammal Hands and Sunda Arc), Milo now substantially expands upon that blueprint with his follow-up, ‘Sierra Tracks’, which, as the title suggests, was conceived at his new home in central Spain and adds piano, vibraphone and strings to the mix.

From the epic five-minute opener, ‘Largo’, onwards, there’s a cinematic feel to ‘Sierra Tracks’, as each piece unfolds according to its own sweeping narrative, often wonderfully evocative of the mountains’ wide-open spaces, and also sometimes elaborately arranged with cello, orchestral strings, vibraphone and piano, to evoke their awe-inspiring natural splendour. ‘Reverie’ has a refrain that fades in and out, like a daydream”. ‘Els’ is more firmly rooted in folk melody, while ‘Dream House’ and ‘Sleepwalk Tokyo’ boost a sense of otherworldliness.

Tracklist:
1. Largo
2. Els
3. Murmurations
4. Dream House
5. Clarifantasia
6. Reverie
7. Murmur
8. Old Friend; The Sea
9. When This Is Over
10. Sleepwalk Tokyo

Omar - Research & Brighter The Days

2025 is a big year for Omar Lyefook MBE, not only does it mark his 40th year as a recording artist, he has completed the first of two North American tours, his limited edition vinyl only release 'Lovey Dovey / This Thing Called Life' created a real buzz in clubs and on the airwaves, the previous single 'Can We Go Out? cementing his reputation as a consistently original, relevant musician.

Further buzz is guaranteed when brand new dance floor heater 'Research' hits the streets, this hard driving funk jam is a collaboration with Canadian born, LA based vocalist Honey Larochelle, the two singers plays the roles of duelling lovers on this duet, their voices riding atop the squelchy bass line and tough drum beat, and the chorus is simply and insanely catchy earworm that you won't be able stop humming.

Much of the new album was written during the pandemic lockdown, in particular 'Brighter The Days', the forthcoming albums title track, which is reflected in the songs lyrical themes of wanting freedom and growth for oneself and loved ones and the wider world “Music is what I live for" he states "but so too are my children. Brighter The Days just means something better is coming for all of us.” Sonically, in direct contrast to 'Research' the tune has a strong organic soul sound akin to Hi Records best 1970s releases, due in part to the rhythm raw sounding rhythm section and brass - all this is leading up to the release of his 'magnum opus' 9th studio album 'Brighter The Days' later this summer which promises to be Omar's most eclectic project ever.

Included in this package of brand new music is the incredible Zed Bias remix of the previous single 'Can We Go Out?' The two old friends have collaborated previously, in particular the 2010 remix of Omar's 'Dancing' which became a major dancefloor hit, and this new track has the same intense heat. In addition, there's the instrumental version of the epic, cinematic and orchestral 'This Thing Called Life', previously only available on the limited edition 'Lovey Dovey' vinyl 45. 

Tracklist:
1. Research (feat. Honey Larochelle)
2. Brighter The Days
3. Can We Go Out?
4. Can We Go Out? (Zed Bias Remix)
5. his Thing Called Life (Instrumental)

VA - Our Music Our Culture Vol. 1-2

The Gilles Peterson Worldwide award winning Co-Op club first opened its doors back in 2000, the brain child of Bugzintheattic artists and DJ's Afronaut & Mark Force.

Initially headed by residents Phil Asher, Demus, IG Culture and Dego, the Bugzintheattic crew and Domu later rejoined the residency. To those in the know, word of those original parties rapidly spread making attendance to these understated Sun-day nights compulsory. The music played was progressive but with a foot still firmly planted in the roots of black sound system culture, dub sirens fired off in between inch ups and rewinds while the open mic was passed around amongst MC’s and singers keen to expand their lyrical gymnastics. With the ethics and ethos of the initial collective of producers, DJs, programmers and artists now firmly in place, being pro artist, the Co0peration Records label was then set up by Mike and Spencer and Orin at Goya, with Robbie Walters and Mitchy Bwoy on graphics duties.

Over the past 24 years of this club driven scene, the growing Community took the broken beat genre that they pioneered to international levels, attracting overseas collaborators that in turn have contributed to defining and expanding this initially niche genre of music, making it more relevant today to other musical genres from funky House & Dub-step to Hip Hop, Jazz soul and more accessible to the wider population who may not have even realised they ACTUALLY like "broken beat”!

Community is at the heart of this phenomenon and in 2007 a new chapter was born in the shape of COOPR8, an online network set up by Bopstar & Afronaut for futuristic DJs, producers, graphic designers that are continuing to push the boundaries within their own creative disciplines whilst attracting established overseas artists and yet nurturing tomorrow's talents inspired by this scene.

Our Music Our Culture Vol. 1 was the first digital only Broken Beat compilation, to showcase the new music.

Our Music Our Culture Vol. 2 compilation features exclusive heavy hitters from the likes of Domu's Sonar's Ghost, label boss Mark Force’s Blakai & Lady Alma Horton project and also with keyboard supremo Joe Armon-Jones, Ben Hauke & man of the moment Don Kamares, Wipe The Needle featuring Andre Espeut, Bruk Rogers, and Mainz very own Soulparlor. 

Our Music Our Culture Vol. 1:
1. Ayro - Moving on
2. restless soul - Little Things
3. Mac Marc - Takes over me
4. Colonel Red - Victim
5. Bugz in the Attic - Reject
6. Domu - Nu vision
7. Altered Natives - Bone in your nose (Return of the Native)
8. Simbad - Digital Revolution
9. Karizma - I C U

Our Music Our Culture Vol. 2:
1. Andre Espeut - Here We Go
2. Mark Force - Solar Mode
3. Ben Hauke - Your Woke Moment
4. Soulparlor - Digital Soul (Naut’s L8 Nite Dub)
5. Blakai - Work it out (Blaktonez CoOp Rub)
6. Bruk Rogers - Get Stronger
7. Sonar's Ghost - Purest Dope (Domu’s exclusive mix)
8. Don Kamares - Loose Legs

The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble - Gemini

In Latin, the word Gemini denotes “two together” or “twins”. In astrological terms, Geminis are noted for, amongst other things, being curious and versatile. For San Diego’s 9-piece (mostly) instrumental combo The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Jazz and Funk have always been the two genres that they’ve consistently and effectively melded together, forming the bedrock of their sound. Exercising their stylistic curiosity and versatility, they’ve expanded upon this foundation on their new 11-song long player for Colemine Records.

Recorded between late 2021 and early 2024 at The Kitchen II in their homebase of Lemon Grove, California, SFSE steer their “introspective party music” into fresh sonic realms. While their breakbeat-heavy brand of funk-soul-jazz is still the cornerstone of their sound, as displayed in tunes such as “Makin’ Moves”, “The Grifter” & “Don’t Trip”, they’ve begun to take more and more cues from library music labels such as KPM Music, spiritually-leaning jazz labels such as Tribe & Black Jazz Records and exotica-adjacent jazz artists such as Cal Tjader and Dorothy Ashby. Now leaning more into the “introspective” part of their sound, particularly on “Mother Earth”, “Freddie” and the title track, they evoke the spirits of Freddie Hubbard, Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison, Bubbha Thomas, Chester Thompson and even Cannonball Adderley at his headiest & most cosmic (listen to Adderley’s “Soul Zodiac” & “Soul of The Bible” albums for reference). “Corporatocracy” takes it a step further with an extended tabla solo, which floats in and rides the percussive wave before kicking into its funk-driven, modal vibe.

With their current lineup of Tim Felten on keys, Jake Najor on drums, Omar Lopez on bass, Kiko Cornejo Jr on conga/percussion, Aquiles “Lito” Magana on guitar, Wili Fleming on trombone, Sheryll Felten on percussion, and both Jesse Audelo & Travis Klein on saxophone & flute, SFSE maintains their commitment to keeping it funky, but dares to go where they haven’t gone before and, as a result, breaks intriguing new ground in their overall sound. 

Tracklist:
1. Makin' Moves
2. Las Olas
3. The Grifter
4. Mother Earth
5. Freddie
6. Don't Trip
7. The Alliance
8. The Lemon Groove
9. Gemini
10. Contemplation
11. Corporatocracy

Frollen Music Library - 001-015

“Do you need samples?”

We all ask ourselves this from time to time, and thankfully, Frollen Music Library (FML) has you covered.

‘001-015’ is a “best of” compilation celebrating the first 15 sample packs made by Naarm/Melbourne (AUS) based Frollen Music Library. Launching in late 2021, the sample house has since been featured in productions by ScHoolboy Q, Leon Thomas, Devin Malik and more.

This retrospective “best of” traverses a wide range of styles and moods to appeal to every music enthusiast as well as producers and songwriters alike. Whether it’s bouncing Hip Hop beats or evocative cinematic etudes, FML’s 3-piece house band, comprising Henry Jenkins, Darvid Thor and Hudson Whitlock have a deep love and respect for many musical styles. FML’s diverse catalogue takes cues from the ‘Third Stream’ composer David Axelrod on their ‘Sharpen Your Axe’ (FML009) pack, as well as drawing upon cinematic themes from 60’s and 70’s Italian film score composers a la Ennio Morricone and Riz Ortolani, as heard on ‘The Fretted Neck’ (FML006). There are 90’s New York boom bap beats found in ‘Golden’ (FML013), as well as synthesiser music inspired by Tonto, which is showcased in the ‘Nina’s Exploding Brain’ (FML014) pack, utilising a locally made synthesiser from Melbourne Instruments.

Jenkins, Thor and Whitlock have been playing in bands and producing music for their local music scene for the last 15 years. Recording and performing with The Cactus Channel, Karate Boogaloo, Mo’Ju, Surprise Chef and many many more. Not only is this brand-new LP a great musical collage worthy of any music library enthusiast, but also functions as a tremendous sampler demonstrating the many styles of FML. Fast, slow, sweet AND sour!

You can find ’001-015’ in all good record stores. 

Tracklist:
1. Lost
2. Chupa Chups
3. The Hands Of Time
4. Red and Blue and Green
5. Eff Emm Ell Baby
6. Numero Uno
7. Outta My Way
8. Zap
9. Humble Pie
10. Dreamz
11. Jet Pack
12. Machine Mind
13. Faded
14. Clear The Air
15. Unclearly
16. Darkness Falls
17. Dial Up
18. Running
19. Sei Cardigani di Bali
20. Skeleton Key
21. Day One
22. Lemon Tarts
23. Follow The Light
24. Top Down
25. Rock Candy
26. Senza Tutti
27. Snoozin'
28. Emenee

Yussef Dayes In Japan (Film) 富士山

Antonio Sánchez - The Studio (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)

Tracklist:
1. Temple of Cinema
2. Ice Cube Is Gone
3. It’s Happening
4. Surrounded / We’re Not So Different
5. Presenting to Griffin Mill
6. Continental Films
7. That’s Your Offer?
8. This Is Bad / The Only One I Trust
9. Buscemi
10. Are You Looking For Me?
11. Trailer Crisis
12. Follow Me / America’s Population
13. Casual Chat / Payola
14. Noir Suite
15. They’re Onto Us
16. Too Close To The Edge

Sully - Model Collapse / The Wash

** FABRICLIVE announce first ever original artist release **

25 years-deep at the forefront of soundsystem culture, via their legendary Friday night dances and DJ mix series, the iconic FABRICLIVE welcomes a new chapter, with their inaugural artist release, by Sully. A perfect representation of the label’s renewed vision, and a key landmark in the continuum, ‘Model Collapse’ sonically mirrors both FABRICLIVE’s rich history and new vision, reaffirming their position as an essential platform for cutting-edge bass music.

Continuing an impeccable run of bar-raising releases by Sully, with ‘Model Collapse’ the Norwich don yet again demonstrates why he’s at the top of his game, with two Lazer-focussed jungle/d&b weapons. Influenced by his formative years on the free party scene, the intensely vivid title track ‘Model Collapse’ merges caustic acid tekno with techstep depth, sharp gritty beats and classic low-end wobble.

An exercise in tone, pitch and harmonics, the warped synths, processed voices and masterful drumwork of ‘The Wash’ highlight an artist deep in the zone, manipulating sounds with a maverick midas touch.

Described by DJ Mag as “one of jungle’s brightest stars” and as “a driving force in the evolution of jungle” by Clash, Sully is an original, forward-thinking innovator, who transcends the pastiche of rave revival. He has released hugely popular, game-changing tunes on labels including Rupture, Over/Shadow, Keysound Recordings and Astrophonica.

The EP comes as a bespoke vinyl edition, featuring a striking picture disc and etched design, mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis and manufactured by The Vinyl Factory, everything is UK made.

The artwork comes courtesy of John Karborn, a London-based artist, on whom Sully comments, “we have a few projects under our belt now and I've always enjoyed the process. He's a dynamo of ideas and I'm never quite sure where they'll lead, which is 99% of the fun with this stuff. Conversely, FABRICLIVE is a new partnership for me but it's clear we are on the same page in terms of trying something a bit different and being a bit ambitious with the presentation."

Tracklist:
1. Model Collapse
2. The Wash