In 1979 at the age of 62, Bobby Robinson was an incongruous figure,
standing at the back of a Bronx club watching a performance from
GRANDMASTER FLASH and The Furious Five. According to writer Dan Charnas,
“Flash thought Bobby was either a cop or a father on the lookout for
his wayward daughter.” But the experienced record man, whose record shop
Bobby's Happy House had been the first black-owned business on Harlem's
125th Street, was on the lookout for talent.
The Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight’ was flying out of Bobby’s record
store and through family connections – his nephew Gabriel (aka Spoonie
Gee) was staying at his apartment – Bobby signed Grandmaster Flash and
The Furious Five, and The Funky Four Plus One More to a one-record
contract. The fruits of the deal were Flash’s 'Superappin’' and The
Funky Four Plus One More's 'Rappin' And Rocking The House'. Unlike the
manufactured sound of 'Rappers Delight' this was the real thing!
‘Superappin’’ was an epic 12-minute wonder that opened with an
incredible call to arms: “It was a party night, everybody was breakin'/
The highs were screamin' and the bass was shakin'/ And it won't be long
'til everybody knowin' that Flash was on the beat box”. Whilst perhaps
too raw for national success it was rumoured to have sold over 100,000
copies in New York setting the rap scene alight. ENJOY!
Tracklist: 1. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - Superappin' 2. Spoonie Gee & The Treacherous Three - Love Rap 3. The Treacherous Three - Feel The Heartbeat 4. Funky Four Plus One More - Rappin and Rocking the House 5. Fearless Four - It's Magic 6. The Masterdon Committee - Funkbox Party
Eleven instrumental burners pulled from the Record Kicks vaults,
spanning cinematic funk, Afro grooves, instrumental soul and psychedelic
jazz. The long-awaited fourth installment of the Record Kicks Breaks
& Beats series is finally here.
Record Kicks Breaks & Beats Vol. 4 digs deep into the label's
catalogue to unearth eleven hard-hitting instrumentals packed with heavy
drums, greasy rhythms, funky breaks and cinematic textures. From
crime-funk soundtracks and Afro-funk workouts to dusty soul and
psychedelic jazz, every cut is driven by heavyweight rhythms, deep
pockets and an unmistakable raw funk attitude.
Featuring some of the finest artists from the Milan label's roster,
including Italian cinematic funk pioneers Calibro 35, Moscow's
instrumental outfit The Diasonics, Afrobeat torchbearer Seun Kuti &
Egypt 80, Remo-based cinematic groove collective Whatitdo Archive Group,
Bay Area deep-funk specialists The Grease Traps, Detroit soul maestros
Third Coast Kings, Italy's powerhouse trio Savana Funk joined by
legendary dub producer Gaudi, fast-rising Tuscan groove outfit Mario
Mario, alongside Alexander Korostinsky, The Underbelly feat. Roxie Ray
and Ray Harris & The Fusion Experience. Eleven heavyweight cuts built to be played again and again. Turn it up. Chop it up. Make it yours.
Tracklist: 1. The Grease Traps - Residue 2. The Diasonics - Chickadee 3. Calibro 35 - The Twang 4. Third Coast Kings - Crush It 5. Whatitdo Archive Group - Blood Chief 6. Alexander Korostinsky - Altin Maske 7. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Move 8. The Underbelly - Packin' up (feat. Roxie Ray) 9. Mario Mario - Torre Mozza 10. Savana Funk - Pallas (feat. Gaudi) 11. Ray Harris And The Fusion Experience - Freedom (Lack Of Afro Inspiration)
Impressive Collective, BBE Music and Mark de Clive-Lowe present: Remixes & Reimaginations
World-renowned for decades, Mark de Clive-Lowe is a New Zealand-born,
Tokyo-based pianist, composer and producer, widely recognised as a
pioneer in nu-jazz, broken beat and electronic music.
In contrast to his previous release on Impressive Collective, the
contemplative solo project 'past present (tone poems across time)', this
collection brings together MdCL’s extraordinary reinterpretations of
other artists’ work. As he explains:
“Remixing has always meant more to me than just rearranging stems - it’s about uncovering a new reality inside the music.”
From the uplifting gospel-house of Close Counters’ 'I’ll Be There For
You', recontextualised for the broken beat dancefloor, to the timelessly
angelic tones of We Are KING’s ‘Supernatural'; from Omar’s 'This Is Not
A Love Song' reimagined almost 30 years later, to the politically
charged intensity of Anthony Joseph’s 'Maka Dimweh' - every remix has
been crafted with the progressive dancefloor in mind, while still
resonating for the deep listener and always in service to the original
artist’s essence.
“I’m grateful to every artist who’s invited me to dive into
their work - to deconstruct it and reimagine it with love, curiosity
and respect. This compilation isn’t just a retrospective, it’s a
celebration of the remix as an art form.”
Track listings vary by format:
Tortured Souls “Did You Miss Me” is vinyl-only, Omar’s “This Is Not A
Love Song” appears on vinyl and bundled download, while Syndee Winters’
“If You Believe”, Recloose’s “Catch A Leaf”, Bobbito Garcia’s “Park Pick
Up Player” and Yameen’s “Cosmosis” are exclusive to the digital
editions.
Tracklist: 1. Close Counters - I'll Be There For You (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 2. Zy The Way - Ten Acres (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 3. Footshooter, Andre Espeut - Looking Back (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 4. Cosmic Vibrations - OLBAP (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 5. Pete Josef - The Travelling Song (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 6. Cherie Mathieson - Games We Play (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 7. We Are KING - Supernatural (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 8. Alison Crockett - When I Think of You (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 9. Anthony Joseph - Maka Dimweh (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 10. Amana Melomé - Lock & Key (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 11. Syndee Winters - If You Believe (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 12. Recloose - Catch A Leaf (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 13. Mark de Clive-Lowe - The Why (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 14. Bobbito Garcia - Park Pick Up Player (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix) 15. Yameen - Cosmosis (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix)
FFO: Ancient Infinity Orchestra, Ebi Soda, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, Charles Mingus, Ill Considered, The Sorcerers.
Hill Collective strike out with Fire In Orbit, their first release for
Batov Records and the Brighton ensemble’s most focused and expansive
studio statement to date. Rooted in spiritual jazz but unafraid of the
natural looseness, humour and raw edges that arise when imaginative
musicians collaborate, Fire In Orbit captures a band working
collectively, instinctively and with space to breathe.
Over the past three years, Hill Collective have become a central
presence within Brighton’s small but fertile jazz-adjacent scene. They
have appeared at Love Supreme Festival and The Great Escape, supported
Etuk Ubong, and built a reputation for live performances that balance
structure with volatility. Their 2024 studio album Tonal Prophecy,
released via Germany’s Fin Du Monde, introduced them to the wider jazz
press, earning praise as “a soulful, avant-garde addition to the
bustling UK jazz landscape” (UK Vibe), while Jazz Journal noted that
“the spirit of Ra is close” and All About Jazz heard “resonances of
Charles Mingus, Sun Ra and Ornette Coleman”. If that record marked their
arrival, Fire In Orbit feels like consolidation rather than expansion,
leaner in sound, clearer in intent and more assured in delivery.
Led by alto saxophonist and composer Pete Piskov, Hill Collective
emerged after his previous trio dissolved, featuring founding members of
the Ancient Infinity Orchestra, moved to Leeds. Drawing on Brighton’s
close-knit network, the group expanded into a flexible, often
double-digit ensemble, at times doubling up on instrumentation, its
spiritually inclined ethos linking the South Coast to a broader UK
conversation.
Fire In Orbit was recorded over three relaxed days at Sea Breeze Studios
by members of the band themselves. With time, equipment and no
financial pressure, the sessions felt unforced, tighter in structure but
looser in spirit. The compositions move through chorus–solo–chorus
forms, call-and-response passages and collective improvisation breaks,
yet the emphasis remains on flow and interaction rather than density or
display. It is spiritual jazz that breathes.
The title track sets the thematic arc. “Fire In Orbit” begins gently,
piano circling before an infectious double bass line establishes an
immediate groove, lifted by a snapping drum break. A mixed-voice vocal
chorus enters in clear spiritual jazz fashion, earthy and communal
rather than theatrical. The piece moves through chorus–solo–chorus into
group improvisation and a conga-driven break before returning to its
central theme. Alto and flute solos rise without disturbing the pulse,
reinforcing the album’s central metaphor of orbit and return. It feels
expansive yet grounded, celebratory rather than cosmic for effect.
“Keep Breathing” turns inward. More laidback but deeply intense, it
opens with sax and flute in loose dialogue before settling into a
devotional pulse. Midway through, vocals reappear, first in scat, then
in a direct appeal to keep breathing, transforming the piece into
mantra. The push and pull between looseness and steady groove is at its
clearest here, the rhythm section holding firm while the horns stretch
outward. The influence of spiritual forebears is felt in spirit rather
than imitation.
“A House Is A Home Like Honey” unfolds slowly and unhurried, built
around a relaxed head that feels almost like sunrise. Space defines the
arrangement, allowing melody and texture to settle naturally. Around the
seven-minute mark the horns rise together, briefly intensifying before
easing back into reflection. It carries the warmth of the sessions
themselves, intimate and unforced.
Closing track “Song For A Blossom Baby” returns to a clearer
chorus–solo–chorus structure, but with renewed lift. The phrasing has an
angular edge tempered by restraint, and subtle modal colours give the
second half of the record a slightly more eastern hue than the
groove-led opening side. The improvisation expands outward before
folding gently back into theme, echoing the album’s larger metaphor of
seed, bloom and return. It closes with release rather than finality.
The influence of Sun Ra runs deeper than aesthetic reference,
philosophical as much as musical. There are also traces of Ornette
Coleman’s freedom, the structural fire of Charles Mingus, the angular
lyricism of Eric Dolphy and the collective consciousness of Art Ensemble
of Chicago. Elements of Latin rhythm, Arabic modality and open-ended
improvisation surface naturally, absorbed rather than quoted.
Brighton’s receptive atmosphere and sense of creative space are audible
throughout. Many of the musicians were friends before the band formed;
others became family through it. That ease translates into music that
feels communal rather than performative.
At its core, Fire In Orbit is an allegory for creative community, bodies
in motion, held by invisible forces, generating warmth and illumination
together. Structured yet searching, raw but intentional, it captures
Hill Collective at a point where freedom and form feel fully aligned.
Tracklist: 1. Fire In Orbit 2. Keep Breathing 3. A House Is A Home Like Honey 4. Song For A Blossom Baby
Blue Note Records has announced the July 10 release of FATHERS, the self-titled debut by a collective of groove-savvy producer-musicians comprised of producer Kenny Beats, keyboardist Kiefer, bassist CARRTOONS, and drummer Nate Smith. The album is introduced today with the lead single “PEARL,” a marvel of sprightly melody and percolating grooves that conjures up the vibe of a lost Brazilian pop-jazz LP given a modern sheen.
FATHERS consists of artists renowned for both their jazz-rooted musicianship and their production acumen — four deeply talented individuals with serious performance chops who also love the possibilities of the studio. Just listen: The melodic hooks, evoking precision-crafted pop and electronic gems shot through with fusion-era R&B. The taut rhythms which contain both the tightness of expert beat-making and the organic virtuosity of a best-of-generation studio drummer. The design of the tracks, with their impeccable pacing and alluring way of unfolding from one earworm section to another. There’s plenty of masterful jazz improvisation too, but it’s always deployed in service of the track’s flow.
FATHERS’ producer is Kenneth Blume — better known as Kenny Beats — whose insight has transformed projects by Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, Rico Nasty, IDLES, Freddie Gibbs, Geese, Weezer and so many others. He’s also set the pace online, inviting the likes of Doja Cat, Thundercat and Skrillex to participate in his viral concepts across Twitch and YouTube.
Keyboardist Kiefer Shackelford, whose moniker is simply Kiefer, has earned acclaim for his original music, with its uniquely atmospheric blend of jazz, electronic and hip-hop. As a collaborator and producer his credits include Terrace Martin and Anderson .Paak. On the latter’s GRAMMY-winning LP Ventura, he co-produced two tracks, among them the lead single, “King James.”
On bass is the similarly genre-blurring multi-instrumentalist Ben Carr, a.k.a. CARRTOONS. In addition to producer-led projects like his latest, Space Cadet, the well-connected New Yorker has gained traction through his inventive socials, multiple Tiny Desk performances and production work with rap, R&B and jazz heavyweights like George Clinton, Freddie Gibbs, Jadakiss, Usher and Roy Ayers.
Nate Smith ranks among the most respected and influential drummers currently at work, whose meticulous, machinelike understanding of time is matched only by the soulfulness of his pocket. As a musician and writer-producer, his collaborative credits read like a hall of fame of pathbreaking musicians of the late 20th and 21st centuries: Michael Jackson, Brittany Howard, Jon Batiste, Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Childish Gambino, Vulfpeck, the list goes on. In 2026, he won two GRAMMY Awards for LIVE-ACTION, a guest-laden project showcasing his gifts as a conceptualist and the fulcrum of an astonishing network of artists.
It was Smith who first assembled the core trio in 2023 as part of his residency at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Tours of the U.S. and Japan followed where the trio further developed their chemistry as a working group. “We all write, we all play at a high level, and we’re pushing each other to be better,” says CARRTOONS. “So we know going into anything that there’s going to be an inspiration and a push from everybody else, so that hunger that we all have independently becomes this super-being when we get together.”
FATHERS was produced by Kenneth Blume and recorded at his Putnam Hill studio in Los Angeles. “I was 95 percent through building my studio, and I asked Kiefer if he could come by with a band and play some instruments,” Kenny recalls. “We custom-built our recording console and hadn’t heard anything through it yet. So it was meant to be a test day to make sure the studio was up and running. Kiefer happened to be playing shows with Ben and Nate at the time, and in testing out the equipment we recorded these songs in 48 hours. Turns out the board works just fine.”
The eight resulting tracks — credited equally to all four members and featuring additional contributions from saxophonist Nicole McCabe, vocalist Genevieve Artadi (KNOWER), guitarist Paul Castelluzzo (HETHER) and the strings of Yasmeen Al-Mazeedi — certainly project an ethos of high-impact collaboration. But they’re also a vibe: a delightful front-to-back listen that rewards both over-ear headphone time and using the LP as a soundtrack to life.
As for the curious name of the project, that’s all Kiefer. “Father” was a funny, quirky way he addressed his collaborators around the studio — “just another weird thing he would say in the long list of weird things,” Kenny laughs. “The project honestly couldn’t ever have been named anything else.”
Tracklist: 1. EYE LEVEL 2. PATCHWORK 3. PEARL 4. STUB 5. THE LEAK 6. TOMORROW, AGAIN 7. FRONT YARD 8. FIGURE 8
WRWTFWW Records continues its collaboration with Belgian jazzman Casimir
Liberski with another Zelda-themed rendition, following his celebrated Z
Suites album. This time it’s a full-on live session – Casimir Libersk
ReTRio’s Zelda Suites (The Live Album) is a heroic Hyrule jazz adventure
available in half speed mastered DLP in a heavyweight sleeve with obi.
Casimir Liberski reimagines the golden era of video game
soundtracks with live jazz versions of Zelda favorites The Legend of
Zelda (1986), A Link to the Past (1991), Link’s Awakening (1993), and
Oscarina of Time (1998) – and tons of Easter eggs! Dancing between
nostalgia and avant-garde, the Brussels-born pianist and composer crafts
a sonic world of pixelated folklore where melody and improvisation
coexist in harmony.
Zelda Suites (The Live Album) is the origin story of Liberski’s acclaimed Z Suites album. He explains:
The live recording of Zelda Suites (The Live Album) preceded the studio
recording that later comprised ReTRio's first album, released on WRWTFWW
entitled The Z Suites. This live recording was captured at the end of a
tour in Germany and Belgium, in Osnabrück, in a small, intimate venue.
This new album therefore contains only "hot first takes," imbued with
all the emotion that permeated our playing that evening. In a way, it's
perhaps more closely linked to my initial vision for the project: to
"take the iconic themes from the Legend of Zelda games that shaped my
childhood and perform them live through a jazz lens”. For me, the
conditions of live performance are the very essence of jazz. There's a
frankness of being present, in the very moment the music is created and,
one might say, listens to itself, that draws the musicians into a
fervor and audacity that often transcends them. The magic of jazz comes
at this price. Unapologetic, as they say in English. This album reveals a
perhaps more authentic and unrestrained side of our playing. No
excuses.
Again, long live Hyrule jazz!
Tracklist: 1. Title Theme (Live) 2. Overworld (Live) 3. Tal Tal Heights (Live) 4. Dungeon Suite (Live) 5. Hyrule Castle (Live) 6. Uncovered Secret (Live) 7. Deku Tree (Live) 8. Kokiri Forest (Live) 9. Lost Woods (Live) 10. Mysterious Woods (Live) 11. Sheik's Theme / Kakariko Village (Live) 12. Windmill Hut (Live) 13. Dark World Suite (Live) 14. Mabe Village (Live) 15. Dark World Dungeon Death Mountain (Live) 16. Light World Dungeon (Live) 17. Boss Battles (Live) 18. Fairy Fountain (Live)
Recorded live to tape at Penrose Recorders by Gabriel Roth, AMÉRICA! expands on the classic Mambo sounds that the band has become known for — blending Latin soul, boogaloo and salsa - all while staying true to their Cuban roots. On their fourth studio record, the band introduces an all-star line-up of new singers including Miriam Elhajli and Carolina Oliveros (of Combo Chimbita). Elhajli and Oliveros both tap into the raw energy of Celia and La Lupe, but turn the lens toward something more intimate: themes of loss, upheaval, and the weight of the immigrant experience.
Tracklist: 1. No Me Voy 2. Mami Qué Qué 3. Hace Tiempo 4. Aprendizaje 5. Me Tienes Sin Cuidado 6. Girassol 7. Nadie Me Toca Igual 8. Cha Cha Cha Ooh La La
Afro-Disco Makossa is the first Linear Labs album built for the dance
floor, and Adrian Younge is uniquely qualified to make it. Having
already recorded modern Afrobeat classics with Tony Allen and Ebo Taylor
through Jazz Is Dead, Younge asks a new question: what would a Ghanaian
producer in '76 have made if he set out to create an American disco
record for his hometown? The result is a relentless, hypnotic patchwork
of Afrobeat, funk, and disco recorded to tape, built for the DJ of any
era.
Tracklist: 1. Feel the High Life 2. Shake Down 3. Number One 4. Every Body 5. Fire in the Disco 6. Afro-Disco Makossa
