Betty Ford Boys - Trinity Park

After a 10-year band-break, the Betty Ford Boys are back with a brand-new album: “Trinity Park” is a musical full circle moment – celebrating uncompromising sound aesthetics with a clear signature, without falling back on dusty repetitions.

Like a roller coaster, the album races through different moods and soundscapes: from bouncy West Coast baselines and Boom bap neck-breakers, soulful trap tunes and pumping ghetto tech to atmospheric compositions that evoke memories of library sounds from the 70s, each of the 15 album tracks is an attraction of its own. To stay with the imagery of the album cover, the three-headed beat Cerberus, known as Betty Ford Boys makes it clear once again that the original cannot be copied.

Album cover artwork by Mias ZK

Tracklist:
1. Marvelous
2. M.O.E.
3. Heeey! / Versace Bathrobes
4. Money On The Floor
5. North North
6. As Long As My Dizzack/ Pimp Weirdo
7. Sound Check
8. 4-O
9. P Grip
10. Dogg Food
11. You Don't Owe Me Back
12. Every Morning (Get That Doe)
13. Really Want The $
14. Gotta Find A Way
15. Bossy Nova

IKE - On Other Dreams: London

A year on since we first opened your ears to the lush, cinematic, international sounds of Italian producer and musician Isaac de Martin, and following on from the recent Clay EP, IKE returns with more re-imaginings from 2025's highly praised On Higher Dreams LP.

Last year's debut for Wah Wah 45s blended jazz and electronic influences into warm, evocative, global soundscapes. Having signed to the label, IKE spent much of 2025 in his new “second home” of London, connecting with musicians and creatives with a view to always expanding his global sound. It was in the capital that he had previously met harpist Rachel Kitchlew, bass player David Bardon and esteemed drummer Sholto, and it wasn’t long before this newly formed quartet were working on reinterpreting some of the highlights from the album. Isaac himself explains more:

“I met Rachel Kitchlew, SHOLTO and Dave Bardon at their concert at The Standard in late 2023, a tribute to Ennio Morricone. Later I saw them again at the London Jazz Festival, and it became clear how much I loved their music and their distinctive approach. The sound they create is tightly woven, warm, and deeply cinematic — like the soundtrack of a life where it’s easy to feel safe. A cocoon. I invited them to play three songs from On Higher Dreams, and in two days at SFJ Studio in London we captured everything. It was magic and easy, because magic is often an easy thing. Later Rachel joined me, Valerio and AHU for a concert at The Clock Tower during the On Higher Dreams release concerts in May 2025. I have to say I could not ask for better dreamers in London when it comes to music.”

Look out for On Other Dreams: Cairo, the companion piece to this release, due in May. IKE brand new album will follow later this year on Wah Wah 45s. 

Tracklist:
1. SIDDA (London Version)
2. Eventide (London Version)
3. Risorgini (London Version)

Anthony Joseph - The Ark

With each new recording Anthony Joseph presents an imaginative, personal vision of contemporary black culture, and The Ark is yet another compelling album by the award-winning Trinidadian poet and musician. This second part of a sequence of two albums launched with 2025's Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back, there is a specific thread running through the glorious offering of sounds. "I was especially interested in the idea of using Afrofuturism as a means of using the future in order to correct the wrongs of the past," explains Joseph. "And so a lot of lyrics reimage or imagine an alternate black history. At the same time there are elements of autobiography." The aforesaid cultural phenomenon, a view of the black experience through the prism of science fiction and ancient Egypt and Africa, as mapped out by visionaries from music and literature such as Sun Ra, Parliament-Funkadelic and Octavia E. Butler.

The Ark is produced by Dave Okumu, the prodigiously talented guitarist-vocalist-composer known as the leader of Mercury Music Prize-nominated The Invisible. Joseph knew Okumu was the ideal producer for this latest project, which has a freewheeling, almost black psychedelic thing. After sifting through demos and loops the guitarist made on pro-tools the poet started to live with the music. Many months later words began to take shape. Joseph then went into the studio with Okumu's band and set about creating a magnum opus.

Boasting a stellar cast such as vocalist Eska Mtungwazi, drummer Tom Skinner trumpeter Byron Wallen and keyboardist Nick Ramm, saxophonist Colin Webster The Ark is a highly intricate musical mosaic framed by simmering funk grooves, wily jazz improvisation and haunting dub effects. Through the use of many genres the music has simply become its own genre. The Ark can be perceived as a vessel or means of transport to new worlds, along the lines of Sun Ra's Ark or Funkadelic's Mothership, and the material it contains is a unique blend of who Anthony Joseph is and how he sees the world and society in these stimulating, challenging times. "It balances the personal with the universal in a much more vulnerable, accessible way than on previous albums," Joseph explains. "It has become less about a personal experience and more about a collective, communal experience in which the artist is conduit, messenger, urban griot."

Tracklist:
1. James
2. Blue Susan
3. Transposition of Space (Glissant)
4. The African Origins of UFOs
5. The Ark
6. Your Bird & I
7. Baron Samedi

Dj Koco Aka Shimokita - Cuban 45s (DJ Mix)

The last time we had DJ KOCO aka SHIMOKITA curate a Mr Bongo boxset, we dropped a surprise mixtape on the day of release. No build up, no PR, just one of the world’s favourite DJs doing what he does best. This time we’ve done it again. The Japanese turntablist wizard returns for the first edition in our Cuban boxset series, putting together a blistering 60-minute mix to accompany the limited-edition vinyl release. Digging deep into the archives, KOCO has selected some of the finest recordings from Cuba’s vast and vibrant musical landscape, weaving them together in his unique and breathtaking style.

With a deep-seated passion for Cuban music, its melting pot of cultures, its focus on rhythm, and its undeniable groove, DJ KOCO gives a glimpse into some of Cuba’s most dancefloor-focussed records.

From the Afro-Cuban jazz-funk of Grupo Irakere to the psychedelic fusion of Grupo Los Yoyi, the soaring orchestral-infused style of Raúl Gómez to the slow-mo disco grooves of Farah María. The mixtape provides a snapshot into the wealth of incredible music produced across the ‘70s and early ‘80s in Cuba, presented with the imagination, creativity and class of one of the world’s finest DJs. This isn’t just a showcase of supreme technical ability; it’s a display of gifted curation and programming that show why KOCO is rightly regarded as one of the best of the best.

Tracklist:
1. Grupo Ismaelillo – Galaxia
2. Los Reyes 73 – Sí, Llegó la Primavera
3. FA-5 – El Blue
4. Grupo FA-5 – Yo Tengo un Amor Verdadero
5. Irakere – Valle de Picadura
6. FA-5 – Muévete con las Fuerzas del Corazón “DJ KOCO aka SHIMOKITA Edit”
7. Tema IV – Yayabo
8. Farah María – Ámame y No Pienses Más
9. Orquesta Riverside – En Casa del Trompo No Bailes
10. Los Reyes 73 – Necesito de Alguien Como Tú
11. Grupo Monumental – Sí, Para Usted
12. Juan Pablo Torres – Son a Propulsión
13. Grupo Ismaelillo – Amanecer “DJ KOCO aka SHIMOKITA Edit”
14. Grupo Algo Nuevo – Nocturno Op. 1
15. Grupo Los Yoyi – Paco la Calle
16. Raúl Gómez – Mi Samba Carnaval
17. Ricardo Eddy Martínez y Expreso Rítmico – Tambo Iyá
18. Ricardo Eddy Martínez y Expreso Rítmico – La 132
19. Juan Almeida – Ritmo Abierto
20. Irakere – Iyá
21. Mirtha y Raúl – Casina y Epidecus
22. Juan Pablo Torres y Algo Nuevo – Rompe Cocorico
23. Grupo Ismaelillo – Oye Cómo Va
24. Juan Pablo Torres y Algo Nuevo – Extracto de Son
25. Grupo Los Yoyi – Ruta 30
26. Grupo Los Yoyi – El Fino
27. Los Reyes 73 – Grandes Amigos
28. Rembert Egües – Tema para un Amanecer  

808 State vs Humanoid - In Place of Language

British electronic music pioneers Graham Massey (founding member of Manchester legends 808 State) and Brian Dougans (the mind behind acid house milestone Humanoid and one half of The Future Sound Of London) join forces for their debut collaboration In Place Of Language, released on Belgian label De:tuned.

Both 808 State and Humanoid helped shape the UK’s early rave and acid house movement. Here, Massey and Dougans channel that legacy into a beautifully balanced four-track EP that radiates warmth and energy, drawing on more than three decades of experience in electronic music. Inspired by key elements of the ’89-91 era while embracing a contemporary edge, the duo merge their distinct sonic identities into a sound that feels both timeless and forward-looking.

In Place Of Language is not a nostalgia trip, but a natural evolution: a meeting point between foundation and future, and a blueprint for a new wave of electronic experimentation!

Tracklist:
1. Optica
2. Vasco
3. Raid
4. Ruby Chan

Adrian Younge - Younge

Younge is Adrian Younge’s magnum opus: a record that redefines what orchestral composition can mean for a new generation of jazz and hip hop. It is a bold, instrumental statement that positions Younge not only as a composer, but as an architect of a new musical language, one that looks backward and forward at the same time. 

The album is rooted in the lineage of composers who unknowingly laid the foundation for hip hop decades before it existed. Figures like Lalo Schifrin, David Axelrod, Ennio Morricone, Galt MacDermot, Bo Hansson, and later visionaries such as Portishead’s Geoff Barrow created cinematic, emotionally charged music that was often overlooked in its time. Their records would later be rediscovered by crate diggers and transformed by producers searching for sounds that felt timeless, dangerous, and unexplored. 

Hip hop expanded by inheriting this forgotten language. Through sampling, producers didn’t just borrow melodies; they absorbed orchestration, mood, tension, and storytelling from composers who were operating far outside the mainstream. In many ways, hip hop became the vehicle that preserved and amplified these ideas, introducing new generations to music that had always been ahead of its time. 

Younge is composed with that full historical awareness. It is orchestral music written from the perspective of today’s producers, music that anticipates reinterpretation, deconstruction, and reuse. Think of it as a 1970s soundtrack album imagined through modern ears: arrangements built around space, restraint, and texture; movements that feel cinematic yet modular; compositions that invite dialogue rather than demand finality.

Tracklist:
1. Portschute
2. Human Absence
3. Galt
4. Moon Traveling
5. Different Directions
6. Visual Assault
7. Respond to Sound
8. Clockwise
9. Il Mattino

Parlor Greens - Emeralds

Emeralds, the sophomore long player from Parlor Greens, finds the trio serving up a beautifully curated sampler of what funky organ music can be. On Parlor Greens’ debut LP In Green We Dream, they announced their existence boldly to the welcoming arms of funky instrumental fans around the world. Now, two years later, they’re back to up the ante. Three true masters of their respective crafts: Tim Carman (Canyon Lights, formerly of GA-20) on drums, Jimmy James (True Loves) on guitar, and Adam Scone (Scone Cash Players, The Sugarman 3) on organ. Seasoned and soulful pros coming together to make infectiously funky instrumental jams.

Parlor Greens are truly in top form: tour tight and more confident than ever in who they are and where they’re going. The album’s opener, “Eat Your Greens,” kicks the doors off with a Charles Earland-inspired four on the floor beat, with Jimmy and Scone driving the tune down the tracks like an overloaded freight train, it simply cannot be stopped. On “Red Dog,” the group channels the absolute heaviest shade of early R&B with Jimmy’s crunchy guitar paving the way for both he and Scone to take scorching solos. “Lion’s Mane” shows a slightly more sophisticated side of the trio, with nods to one of Scone’s organ mentors, the incomparable Dr. Lonnie Smith. Not to be outdone by his bandmates, Tim Carman shows off why he plays the best shuffle this side of the Mississippi on “Letter To Brother Ben,” a gospel-tinged shuffler.

And while the results are stronger than ever, the mood of this second cooking session was much different. The first time these three met in Loveland at Colemine’s Portage Lounge studio was marked by a certain freshness. It was new, it was the first time they had all played together. It was exciting, it was unknown territory. The session for Emeralds weighed much heavier on all three members. All three dealing with personal tragedies in their individual lives, the session truly served as a genuine moment of joy for the group. Just three talented musicians, writing and playing music now as friends in a familiar environment. No moment is the weight of the session more obvious than with the album’s closer, “Queen Of My Heart,” a tune Jimmy wrote for his mother shortly after she passed away.

So with a heavy and soulful heart, Colemine Records is beyond proud to present the sophomore effort from three maestros. Parlor Greens presents…Emeralds. 

Tracklist:
1. Eat Your Greens
2. Mustard Sauce
3. Drop Top
4. Parlor Change
5. Emeralds
6. Letter To Brother Ben
7. Francisco Smack
8. Jolene
9. Lion's Mane
10. Red Dog
11. Queen Of My Heart

Oliver Night - Between The Lines (Remixes Vol 1)

Following the release of his groove-driven album Between The Lines, London-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Oliver Night, returns with Between The Lines (Remixes), Vol. 1.

The project features reinterpretations of key tracks by producers Coflo, Quiet Dawn, Cengiz, and EVM128, blending broken beat, house, and soulful electronic styles, while maintaining the warmth and musicality of the original album.

The project opens with EVM128’s reinterpretation of “Boss”, Oliver’s collaboration with legendary UK rapper and producer Roots Manuva. Built around the original’s broken beat backbone, the remix stretches the track into a widescreen, string-laced arrangement that adds cinematic weight to Roots’ unmistakable vocal presence. The original version stood out as one of the album’s defining moments, a meeting of two artists connected through London’s musical lineage, and the remix gives the track a fresh, orchestral lift.

Elsewhere, Cengiz, turns his attention to “Run Like The River”, Oliver’s soulful collaboration with long-time associate TREV. The remix leans further into the track’s rhythmic pulse, reshaping it into a deep, rolling house groove while retaining the uplifting spirit of the original vocal.

Bay Area producer Coflo, a multidisciplinary artist whose work sits at the intersection of movement and sound, delivers a warm, fluid rework of “It’s Alright”, the album’s jazz-tinged love song featuring Megatronic. Reflecting on the remix, Coflo says: “Oliver’s album is an absolute work of art, it almost felt sacrilegious to touch anything. I ended up rocking a “deeper cut” of ‘It’s Alright’ featuring Megatronic. Knowing I could give the dance-floor an alternative option to what was already a perfectly crafted dancer's tune. I tried to craft a new bounce and apply new timbres on Megatronic's delivery and I am very happy where I ended up. Hope others dig it as well!”

Rounding out the release, Quiet Dawn revisits “The Light” featuring KAYA FYAH, adding hazy textures and off-kilter rhythmic shifts that subtly reshape the track’s atmosphere while keeping its soulful core intact.

A kaleidoscopic blend of bruk, soul and electronic textures that traced connections between community, heritage and sound, Between The Lines features appearances from Roots Manuva, KAYA FYAH, TREV, Goldbar, Megatronic, David Mrakpor and Jay Phelps. The album moves fluidly between broken rhythms, jazz harmony and forward-looking club production.

Among its standout moments was “Boss”, Oliver’s long-awaited collaboration with Roots Manuva, a figure he first connected with during his time performing in Roots’ Banana Klan. The track quickly became a fan favourite, pairing Oliver’s groove-led production with Roots’ unmistakable delivery - a meeting point between generations of UK sound system and hip-hop culture.

Between The Lines picked up spins from the likes of Deb Grant, Gilles Peterson, Don Letts, and Lauren Laverne on BBC 6 Music, as well as Dom Servini on Jazz FM and Heléna Star on Radio 1 Dance, alongside a Huw Stephens' Roundtable on BBC 6 Music Roundtable - reinforcing Oliver’s reputation for crafting music that sits comfortably between live musicianship and dancefloor energy. With Between The Lines (Remixes), Vol. 1, that world opens up once again, offering a new set of interpretations from artists who share Oliver’s instinct for musicality. 

Tracklist:
1. Boss (feat. Roots Manuva) (EVM128 'Strings' Remix)
2. Run Like The River (feat. TREV) (Cengiz Remix)
3. It's Alright (feat. Megatronic) (Coflo Remix)
4. The Light (feat. KAYA FYAH) (Quiet Dawn Remix)
5. Boss (EVM128 'Strings' Remix Instrumental)
6. Run Like The River (Cengiz Remix Instrumental)

Immanuel Wilkins - Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 2 (Live)

GRAMMY-nominated alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins has released Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 2, the second installment of a searing 3-volume document of his acclaimed quartet in action at the hallowed NYC jazz shrine. Vol. 1 was released last month on LP, CD, and digital formats. Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 (out May 15) are digital-only releases.

The albums capture Wilkins’ quartet featuring Micah Thomas on piano, Ryoma Takenaga on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums taking flight on expansive explorations of Wilkins originals, and one Alice Coltrane composition, in a room steeped in jazz lore. Wilkins indelibly etches his name onto the list of jazz greats who have made seminal live recordings within these same walls.

“Live at the Village Vanguard is a bold endeavor to summon the Vanguard’s sonic history and make it audible,” writes Tina M. Campt in the Vol. 1 liner notes. “It harnesses this legacy and reactivates it as what he defines as practice – a practice of improvisational sounding, congregational listening, and devotional ritual.”

Tracklist:
1. THE BIG COUNTRY (Live)
2. WAITING PT. 1 (Live)
3. CITRINE (Live)
4. GRACE AND MERCY (Live)
5. GO 'HEAD GET DOWN (Live)

Budamunk - Catalogue

Budamunk’s KPM Library remix project feels less like a reinterpretation and more like a quiet conversation across time. Drawing from one of the most influential production music catalogues ever assembled, the Tokyo-based producer approaches the KPM archives with restraint and intent, treating its cinematic jazz, soul, and orchestral foundations as narrative devices rather than raw material. The result is a body of work that blurs the line between library music and contemporary hip-hop, where atmosphere and pacing take precedence over obvious reinvention.

The album’s production leans into texture and negative space, dusty drums, muted basslines, and carefully chosen fragments that breathe rather than dominate. “Mystical” exemplifies this approach, unfolding with a slow, meditative pulse that feels equally suited to late-night listening or visual storytelling. Elsewhere, “Library” introduces verses by ISSUGI and Mr. PUG from Tokyo Japan, two artists whose measured delivery and introspective writing mirror the album’s understated tone. Their presence is less a guest appearance than an extension of the project’s ethos, grounded in crate-digging culture, minimalism, and a deep respect for lineage.

Rather than positioning itself as a nostalgic exercise, the album functions as a modern continuation of the KPM philosophy: music designed to support mood, scene, and story. In Budamunk’s hands, the library becomes both archive and instrument, reframed through a contemporary hip-hop lens that favors subtlety over spectacle, and longevity over trend.

For more music in the series, please follow:
defpresse.bandcamp.com

Tracklist:
1. Early Harvest
2. Light Seed
3. Evidence (feat. Kojoe)
4. Mystical
5. Hot Speak
6. Random
7. Library (feat. ISSUGI & Mr PUG)
8. Around
9. Dawn Platform 

Squarepusher - Kammerkonzert

Tom Jenkinson, aka Squarepusher, presents Kammerkonzert, a riot of onyx-hard, hyperfast riffs, fiendish orchestral themes, and handbrake turns through varieties of progressive, ambient, electronic and experimental music.

The singular hardcore rave / IDM producer, experimental musician and creator of futuristic forms of fusion, has a three-decade-long back catalogue studded with a variety of jewel-like records. From the furious breakbeat acid and pulverising live bass guitar attack of Feed Me Weird Things (1996) to the literal and self-explanatory Music For Robots (2014) via the virtuosic live showcase of Solo Electric Bass 1 (2009) and the otherworldly concrète jazz of Ultravisitor (2004) few contemporary musicians have covered as much ground in as sure-footed a manner. But despite this reach, his three decade output is only typified by two things: unpredictability and rule breaking. Given that his new album on Warp, Kammerkonzert, is essentially a chamber concerto with him playing all of the parts it’s safe to say he has come a long way since his crystalline drum & bass debut for the label in 1996, Port Rhombus EP.

Twenty-one albums in, Kammerkonzert is the start of a new era for Squarepusher as a composer.

Tracklist:
1. K1 Advance
2. K2 Central
3. K3 Diligence
4. K4 Fairlands
5. K5 Fremantle
6. K6 Headquarters
7. K7 Museum
8. K8 Park
9. K9 Reliance
10. K10 Terminus
11. K11 Tideway
12. K12 Uplands
13. K13 Vigilant
14. K14 Welbeck

Yaya Bey - Fidelity

When Queens-born Yaya Bey released her third album, do it afraid, in 2025, she yearned to move past the topic of grief after feeling her work was increasingly viewed through the narrow lens of loss. That said, there was plenty to mourn, from the death of her father, the acclaimed Juice Crew MC, Grand Daddy I.U. as well as a creeping sense that a particular Black American experience, the one she grew up in, was disappearing. The week the album dropped, despite the critical acclaim, she found herself on the road in a Miami hotel room, crying uncontrollably. She wasn’t just tired, but also coming to the realization “there was no place for that grief to exist that would not become a spectacle. I had been holding it in. Maybe, to protect myself. Maybe to prove the onlookers wrong. Whatever the case, it was spilling over now.”

What Bey was pondering was “what part of that ache is specifically Black?” and clarity followed. Yaya quickly returned to the studio after last summer and crafted a new body of work, an album that works as an accompanying piece to do it afraid, called Fidelity, the result of that breaking point. It is a record born from a summer of reflection on what it means to be a Black artist when your grief becomes a commodity, another sob story for onlookers to feast upon. Fidelity is a bold step forward, and in this new act, Bey moves past the surface-level labels to examine what she calls the "Three Deaths": the personal, the communal, and the loss of innocence.

The album confronts Personal Death through the passing of her father in 2022. Bey questions why the life expectancy of Black musicians is so short as we continue to lose consequential artists, only to receive their flowers too late, too far after the fact. "Why are we more interesting as ghosts?" she asks, looking at the mid-career mark where so many artists are left to die by a system that prioritizes the "shiny and new."

On Fidelity, the social and the personal are inseparable. Bey explores the Death of Home and community, charting the displacement of native New Yorkers and the fracture of the Black diaspora. She critiques the rise of Black capitalism, or the "individualism and tribalism" that have replaced community solidarity. From the gentrification of her native Queens or Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy to the "diaspora wars" online, Bey navigates the ways we’ve been pulled apart, weaponizing our differences instead of addressing the collective ache of being "made new" in a world that demands our constant adaptation.

Finally, the record addresses the Death of Innocence—the crash back to reality for a generation raised on the empty promises of the 90s and Y2K eras. Bey reflects on the transition from the "Golden Era" of Black media to a landscape of global pandemics, state violence, and an industry that exploits and disposes of Black artists that were once held in high esteem.

The songs showcase Bey’s range as a performer from lead-off single “Blue” which opens like a breath of fresh air to the project. Yaya says: “Blue” is the first song I wrote for the album. I wrote it when I was rock bottom coming off the heels of do it afraid. When I realized I had to make a big shift mentally and emotionally or I was gonna drown. The production is really reminiscent of early 2000's Pop/R&B like something red-haired Kelly Rowland would sing over on one of her solo projects. The nostalgia drew me to it. Almost like I'm coaching my younger self through something. Which I guess ultimately I am.”

Equally bright and effusive, “Forty Days” glimmers with clarity, a song with a heavy theme about a phase transfer that is unexpectedly buoyed with a Disco-Funk confidence. “There’s a belief that after a loved one dies you give them 40 days to pass over into the ancestral realm and that got me thinking about what is the time frame for the grieving to transition into a new life that is absent of the lost one’s physical presence. How do both acclimate to new conditions of the relationship?”

Fellow Queens native NESTA drops in for “Egyptian Musk” , a surprise chance moment turning into a key moment in the album. “I ran into NESTA at an event the night before and invited him to a session. We had this really dreamy reggae track that sounds like something old with a fresh spin. I named it Egyptian Musk ‘cause it reminds me of the scent. Rich, sweet and comforting.”

The core of the album is indeed found in its title. For Bey, Fidelity is the ultimate Black skill. It is the ability to fall down and get back up—to be "religiously joyful" even while the world is on fire. It is a grand pivot away from a yearning for mainstream accessibility, and toward a radical faithfulness to self and community. Fidelity is not just a foil to do it afraid; it’s a reclamation. As she puts it, the veil is lifting and the work is being done, and she’s still here. Cheers to hers, and our fidelity. 

Tracklist:
1. Me and Mine (feat. Samantha G. & Anastasia Antoinette)
2. The Towns (bella noche pt. 2)
3. The Great Migration
4. Forty Days
5. Higher
6. Dream Girl (Lexapro Mix)
7. Freeze Flight Fawn
8. Slot Machines (feat. Deem Spencer)
9. Simp Daddy Line Dance (feat. Exaktly)
10. As the Ocean
11. Blue
12. Cup Of Water
13. In the Middle
14. Egyptian Musk (feat. NESTA)
15. The Breakdown
16. Who Are You

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Mystic Suite

ATLANTIS JAZZ ENSEMBLE – MYSTIC SUITE

Let us take you back. Waaay back.

According to early Greek mythology, the three powerful sons of the god Kronos divided up the cosmos after overthrowing their father: Poseidon ruled the sea, Zeus commanded the heavens, and Hades reigned over the underworld. Conversely, this latest offering from the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble completes the group’s corresponding trilogy – "Oceanic Suite" (2016), "Celestial Suite" (2023), and now "Mystic Suite" (2026).

As you might expect, this "Mystic Suite", inspired by Hades’ supernatural realm, is perhaps the most intense, unusual and sublime of the three albums. It channels the energy of the spiritual jazz offered back in the 1970s by labels such as Strata-East, Tribe and Black Jazz, mixed with the urgency presented by the best of today’s jazz underground, fiercely struggling and searching for meaning within this era of global tumult. This is a meaningful record, driven by human connection, the kind that is only possible when like-minded musicians interact face-to-face within the same room.

The set flows as smoothly as the mythical River Styx. The Fender Rhodes electric piano starts things off slowly by churning an ominous brew during the intro to “Damocles”, before the full band drops a dark Elvin Jones-style mambo, set in a menacing Phrygian mode. The Coltranian vibes continue on the spiritually-charged “Spirits Unseen”, a fast-paced jazz waltz exploring the possibilities of polymodality, before settling into the softer contemplative sonorities of “Persephone”. Side A closes off with the sinuous bossa-tinged “As the River Flows”, before Side B picks things up again with the otherworldly harmonies of “Elysian Fields”. The 12/8 polyrhythms of “Asphodel Meadows” and the highlife jazz of “Gates of the Sun” bring in percussion-heavy Afro sounds into the mix, before things wind down with the horn-drenched melancholy soul-jazz of “Broken Dreams”.

It’s also worth mentioning that the core quintet of the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble is joined here by brilliant tenor saxophonist Petr Cancura, an alum of bassist Cecil McBee’s group, relocated to Canada after a long stint in New York City, as well as versatile percussionist Marielle Rivard, best known for her work as member of the Souljazz Orchestra. Engineer and co-producer Jason Jaknunas recorded the album live off-the-floor at his Metropolitan Studios location, subsequently mastering it to his beloved 1965 Studer Revox G36 all-tube 2-track tape machine. Cover artwork is based on a late 19th century water-colour sketch by Norwegian artist and explorer Fridtjof Nansen.

"Mystic Suite" is the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble’s 3rd album and is released by Marlow Records in vinyl LP, CD, and digital formats on February 27th 2026. LP format was meticulously cut, plated and pressed in Canada at Precision Record Pressing's state-of-the-art facility. 

Tracklist:
1. Damocles
2. Spirits Unseen
3. Persephone
4. As the River Flows
5. Elysian Fields
6. Asphodel Meadows
7. Gates of the Sun
8. Broken Dreams

Knxwledge. - VGM.42

Tracklist:
1. loosechnge
2. kards
3. bakdash
4. ryde
5. gobynw[TRO]
6. wkeme
7. fixit
8. shrtcircuit

VA - Oonops Drops Vol.3

Named after the Latin word for the humble house spider, Oonops started his career as a club DJ in the early 2000s and has been collecting and playing strictly vinyl ever since.

In 2013, he started his own radio show »Oonops Drops«, a monthly mixtape-style show featuring a host of international top DJs, broadcast on Brooklyn Radio in New York City. This show inspired the first volume of this compilation, which was released in early 2018 on Agogo Records, alongside the album and 7-inch releases featuring artists from his radio network. Then, exactly five years ago, Oonops finally founded his own sustainable music label bearing the eponymous name.

Now, just in time for the 200th episode of his Brooklyn Radio show, Oonops returns to Agogo Records with Vol. 3, which is packed with favourites and rare gems discovered through his extensive community of like-minded collaborators. As you would expect, it includes many unreleased songs that were previously only available digitally or were incredibly difficult to obtain on vinyl – true rarities from the crates. Expect a broad selection of genres, ranging from Japanese jazz and head-nodding beats and hip hop to samba-esque funk, rare groove, reggae and Brazilian-influenced styles. Get ready, enjoy and rewind !

Tracklist:
1. Lamp - 二十歳の恋
2. Nautilus - Empire State Of Mind
3. Nova70 - Sarah's Theme
4. 45trio - Valdez In The Country
5. Kazumi Kaneda - Being Suggestive
6. Kutiman - Dover D
7. Hover - Campus Suite
8. Pat Van Dyke - All Caps / Supervillain Theme
9. Emapea - Head Nod Shxt
10. HF International - Be
11. ShinSight Trio - Do Da Dance (Kool Breeze Version)
12. Groove Train - Mas Que Nada
13. Golden Throat Note - A Song For You

El Michels Affair - 24 Hr Sports (Instrumental)

Big Crown Records is proud to present the instrumental version of El Michels Affair’s 2025 instant classic 24 Hr Sports. The roster of vocal features on 24 Hr Sports is amazing, Clairo, Norah Jones, Florence Adooni, Shintaro Sakamoto, two different choirs, and even singing from the man himself, Leon Michels. The background vocals contributions are amazing; Lady Wray and Kevin Martin from Brainstory to name a few. But alas, there’s a new energy that shows up in the listen when you pair it down to the impeccable musicianship and Leon’s tried and true “Midas Touch” production. Leon plays a ton of instruments across the album and is joined by the regular cast of heavy hitters; Homer Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, Dave Guy, Marco Benevento, Hether, and more. There is even a saxophone solo by the late, great Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Some would argue this is some of the best music being made by some of the best musicians of our time. We wouldn’t argue with anyone...we let the music do what it does.

Tracklist:
1. Drumline (Instrumental)
2. Magica (Instrumental)
3. 24 Hr Sports Theme No. 1 (Instrumental)
4. Say Goodbye(Instrumental)
5. Oakley's Car Wash (feat. Dave Guy) (Instrumental)
6. Anticipate (Instrumental)
7. Eastside (Instrumental)
8. Clean The Line (Instrumental)
9. Cortex (Instrumental)
10. Shining (Instrumental)
11. 24 Hr Sports Theme No. 2 (Instrumental)
12. Indifference (Instrumental)
13. Carry Me Away (Instrumental)
14. Take My Hand (feat. Rahsaan Roland Kirk) (Instrumental)
15. Open Season (Instrumental)
16. Victory Lap (Instrumental)

Henriette Eilertsen - Moder

Henriette Eilertsen's solo debut from 2021, "Poems for flute", is regarded by many as one of the classics in the Motvind Records catalogue. Since then, many concertgoers have also been thrilled by the flautists fresh trio, with Joel Ring (cello & electronics) and Øystein Aarnes Vik (drums). Finally, we are all approaching the opportunity to dive deep into this warm, mysterious and alluring sonic bath.

Henriette Eilertsen Trio's debut album "Mother" is characterized by captivating compositions, and balanced interaction that at the same time manages to be intimate and almost limitlessly expansive. The leader's unmistakable tone and improvisational excess are naturally a focal point, but there is no doubt that we are dealing with a proper band. Joel Ring and Øystein Aarnes Vik are masterfully light-footed and tight; calmly driving the music forward, filling it with color and texture.

The music is acoustically anchored, refined with abstract electronic gestures and processing. Throughout the albums ten pieces, we are offered catchy tunes, chamber musical landscapes and open passages characterized by collective exploratory curiosity. Pianist and innovator Jon Balke contributes on the three tracks “Medieval + Moren”, “Raka Blakk” and “Kulturistisk ingang”, further expanding the music with his non-compromising and timeless tone.

Eilertsen is simultaneously moving in several dimensions. The title “Moder” embraces the core of her musical agenda; a caring force that digs into both something mother-earthly, and something more abstract and over-arching. The flute functions as a narrator throughout the album; sometimes in the center of the plot, sometimes observing from a distance.

One can easily imagine that "Moder" would have been a hit a thousand years ago, and that adventurous music lovers will experience it as a musical pot of gold a thousand years from now.

It is often emphasized that Eilertsen was the first in Norway to be trained as a jazz flautist. However, it also feels relevant to point out that her education is of a far more wide-ranging and holistic nature than what specific genre designations can insinuate.

The flute is almost omnipresent in the history of music. Both across cultures and continents, but also across classes; for both shepherds in the mountains, and nobility in castles and concert halls. For many, this historical ballast takes the form of a challenge. Where many seem to be engaged in a wrestling match with cannon, it seems as if Eilertsen meets it with a warm and understanding embrace. A gust of wind between the pasture and the wide-open cosmos, that elegantly and insistently carries the instrument's history into the future. 

Tracklist:
1. Fly Ikaros
2. Meeting Joyce
3. Medieval + Moren (feat. Jon Balke)
4. Raka blakk (feat. Jon Balke)
5. So ro
6. Tretakt
7. Botanisk vinterhage II
8. Kulturistisk inngang (feat. Jon Balke)
9. Darn den draumen
10. LOKK

IKE - Clay EP

Almost exactly a year on since we first opened your ears to the lush, cinematic, international sounds of Italian producer and musician Isaac de Martin, he returns as IKE with an expanded EP, offering up a wondrous selection of genre bending takes on the track Clay - one of highlights of 2025’s On Higher Dreams LP.

Last year’s debut for Wah Wah 45s blended jazz and electronic influences into warm, evocative, global soundscapes. IKE is a musical nomad, and one of his favourite places to visit is Egypt. It’s a country that has always held a deep fascination for him, and was deeply influential in the making of the On Higher Dreams album.

The ancient Egyptians would mould small, uniform statuettes known as Ushabti, often out of clay. They would be placed in tombs to act as servants for the deceased in the afterlife. Ushabti roughly translates to
“answerer”, reflecting their role to respond when the deceased was called to work. They weren’t just found in the tombs of the Pharaohs (whose Ushabti would often be made of more expensive materials) but would often be discovered in the resting places of farmers and other manual workers who would be more likely to be at rest with ones made out of clay. In this way, the track is a tribute to equality and dignity for all in the afterlife.

Just as clay can be easily re-shaped by hand, the song itself has here been moulded into five new forms that sit peacefully alongside the original album take. Having worked with Brighton based singer-songwriter (and erstwhile Resonator) Faye Houston on a live show last year, IKE invited her to record her version of the song, which she wrote her own lyrics for, transforming it into an ode to giving and receiving love. The recording also features sophisticated Italian jazz drummer, Jacopo Zanette, who embellishes the groove with a thousand ghost notes while keyboard wizard Valerio Pascucci imposes wild bass notes on the Moog. The result is a powerful and transformative rendition of this evocative piece.

Three other versions came to life on a return visit to Cairo later in 2025 - the first while Chilling at The Bahareya Oasis, and consequently delivering a more carefree, yet somehow driving take that conjures up images of desert sands and the joy of finding relief in the arid heat. Another is the version recorded Live at The Heliopolis University in Cairo. This more quirky, dub influenced rendition features Felipe Vignolo on guitar, as well as local musicians Mody El Shaafee on nay (a traditional end-blown flute), Sherif Moustafa on piano, Moris Emil on electric bass, Hany Zain on percussions and Islam Magdy on drums.

Finally, the Cairo Sandy Roads interpretation heads off in a pseudo-drum & bass direction, erupting into an electro-acoustic frenzy. Added to the package is Clay in its original dubwise form, as well as a very useful instrument of the trio version of the track.

Tracklist:
1. Clay (Trio Version) (feat. Faye Houston)
2. Clay (Chilling At Bahareya Oasis)
3. Clay (Live at Heliopolis University, Cairo)
4. Clay (Cairo Sandy Roads)
5. Clay
6. Clay (Trio Instrumental)

Immanuel Wilkins - Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 1

GRAMMY-nominated alto saxophonist & composer Immanuel Wilkins releases his first-ever live album, a searing 3-volume document of his acclaimed quartet in action at a hallowed NYC jazz shrine: Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard. Wilkins’ quartet featuring Micah Thomas on piano, Ryoma Takenaga on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums takes flight on expansive explorations of Wilkins originals in a room steeped in jazz lore, adding his name to a list of jazz greats who have made seminal live recordings within these same walls including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Bill Evans, and others.

Tracklist:
1. WARRIORS (Live)
2. COMPOSITION II (Live)
3. CHARANAM (Live)
4. ETERNAL (Live)

Homeboy Sandman - Prayer Mat

Kyla Kilzer - Sip & Wonder

There’s a quiet kind of magic that happens when two artists meet at the exact right moment. For Brighton-based 23-year-old singer-songwriter Kyla Kilzer and Jersey-born producer Max Noir, that meeting became Sip & Wonder, a five-track project tracing the slow unfurling of emotion, growth, and self-acceptance. It’s an EP that feels lived in, like pages torn from an old journal, set to beats that shift between soft garage rhythms, introspective hip-hop, and spacious alt-R&B.

Kyla and Max met by chance, and their first studio session birthed the track, ‘Break Through’ - a trip-hoppy meditation on breaking cycles and learning to be gentle with yourself when you inevitably fall back into them. “It was by chance,” Kyla says, “and yet it’s led to so many beautiful things.” The track sets the tone for the rest of the record: grounded but expansive, calm but defiant, built from that shared instinct to turn feeling into sound.

With ‘Frustration’, the tempo simmers. Kyla channels anger into rhythm, Spanish-tinged percussion dances across a hip-hop beat, her voice shifting from silk to steel. “I was angry with myself,” she recalls, “but we just channelled it all into music and came out with this lovely piece.” It’s catharsis rendered in sound, the tension of emotion made tangible through breathy harmonies and bossa nova textures.

On ‘Stay Calm’, the pace slows to a deep exhale. Written as a personal mantra to manage anxiety, it’s tender and grounding, a reminder to come back to the body, to use your senses to steady the noise. Kyla’s voice moves like water over Max’s stripped-back production, the space between each sound deliberate and soothing. “It keeps me calm and serene,” she says simply, and the song does the same for anyone listening.

‘MOOD’ carries that emotional honesty into sharper focus. A song born from friendship, heartbreak, and the ache of realising someone wasn’t who you hoped they’d be. “It broke me more than any romantic relationship I’ve ever had,” Kyla admits. The result is a cinematic blend of moody strings and introspective lyricism, a balance of strength and vulnerability that both artists lean into naturally. “It started with a melody,” Max says, “but after a few revisions, Kyla wrote something incredible around it.”

When ‘Take My Time’ arrives, the duo ease listeners into a world of patience and presence - an airy garage groove threaded with Kyla’s soft, effortless vocals. It’s a song about moving at your own pace, refusing to measure your worth against the speed of others. “It’s fun and upbeat,” she explains, “but it still holds that message of bravery, of not caring what anyone else thinks.” Max’s production keeps things clean and propulsive, layers of strings rising and folding back into motion.

Across ‘Sip & Wonder’, Kyla and Max craft a world that’s equal parts intimate and expansive, music that feels like a conversation between two people learning, healing, and experimenting in real time. It’s the sound of patience rewarded, of lessons learned and cycles broken. A gentle reminder that taking your time is sometimes the fastest way to grow.

Tru Thoughts heard about this music through BandLab Technologies (BandLab/ReverbNation) through an artist submission campaign via Opportunities, and BandLab/ReverbNation are supporting this release. 

Tracklist:
1. Break Through
2. Frustration
3. Stay Calm
4. MOOD
5. Take My Time

Luke Una - Luke Una Presents É Soul Cultura, Vol. 3

*Please note, physical and digital tracklists differ slightly*

The third volume in Luke Una’s cherished É Soul Cultura compilation series on Mr Bongo. A tribute to the dancefloor and its ability to spread love.

With two deeply cherished compilations already in the bag, Luke Una steps up for the third volume in his É Soul Cultura series on Mr Bongo. A love letter to the dancefloor and its power to unite people from all corners of society amid growing division and extremist politics. Genre-spanning in nature, the 17 tracks travel between cosmic soul, boogie, proto-house, slo-mo technoid grooves, drum machine afro, astral bass-bugging futurism, jazz funk, dance, and disco. Each having the ability to move the body as much as the heart.

From his formative years in Sheffield to co-founding Manchester’s much-fabled Electric Chair with Justin Crawford, through to helming the iconic LGBTQ institutions of Homoelectric / Homobloc, Luke has spent 40 years immersed in dance music. His latest outlet, É Soul Cultura, has grown from a label to a globe-spanning events series with Luke holding residencies and embarking on tours across the world from Japan and Australia to America and Europe.

“For me, the dancefloor was never about a one-dimensional, thudding, 130 BPM beat only. It's a much more dynamic, broader vision than that. I cut my teeth in an era where a 100 BPM record had as much impact, excitement, and energy as a 134 BPM dancefloor jazz funk or techno record”, Luke mentions. É Soul Cultura Volume 3 is the perfect embodiment of that notion: “It’s about four decades in the trenches playing dance music, the late-night afters, the shebeens, the basements, warehouse parties, the eight-hour journeys in East London, through to festival sets at Houghton and We Out Here. It’s music unconstrained by genre or tempo and more about making your body move”.

But this isn’t simply a collection of disparate dance tracks; they carry meaning and soul. “It’s less about escapism, more about reconnection. My experience of post-covid has been the coming together of all the clans in various clubs and gatherings. A reaction to a very toxic world out there, where the aggro rhythms of division have sought to divide us, and people don't meet as often. The coming back together face-to-face in clubs has encouraged a real love in the air, there's a real togetherness and collective spirit”.

Opening up the compilation is a track that channels that very message, the transcendental, soul-rousing Harris & Orr ‘Spread Love’. Joining the dots from there, to the low-slung deep house closer of Fatdog ‘Remember’, you’ll find electronic drum machine Nigerian funk, sitting side by side with dancefloor Cape Verdean brilliance, a post-punk cover of Fela Kuti, rubbing shoulders with cosmic electro, and an Una-championed, 8-minute, kickless DJ Harvey remix. There’s jazz funk in various guises moving from boogie synth to astral travelling, slo-mo acidic raw techno, and a ‘79 soul stepper, alongside swirling percussive Italo disco and tribal-charged house. All infused with an innate ability to bring people together.

As society becomes increasingly fractured, É Soul Cultura Volume 3’s message is more than movement. It’s about dance music’s power to unify people from all walks of life and break down the barriers that divide us.

Tracklist:
1. Harris & Orr - Spread Love
2. Toshiyuki Honda - Burnin' Waves
3. Igna Igwebuike - Disco Bomp
4. Admin - Step Into Light
5. Grupo Serenata - Sodade, Tem Pena D'Mim
6. Vital Disorders - Zombie
7. Alphonsus Idigo - Flight 505
8. DJ Food - Peace (Harvey's 30 Something Mix)
9. Man Jumping - In The Jungle
10. Naveed - Day Come Through
11. 49th Floor - Night Passage (Bongo Mix)
12. Orion Agassi - Desacato
13. FatDog - Remember

Modha - At Your Pace

Dhanya Langer and Max Scholl share a common vision. Tired of the soulless perfection of much modern music, the Berlin-based duo behind Modha have consciously embraced a raw, emotionally honest approach to artistic creation. Their second album At Your Pace captures the energy of live studio sessions, experiments with time signatures, welcomes imperfections, and refuses the relentless tempo imposed by the mainstream music industry and social media culture.

Their songs speak candidly about mental health, vulnerability, and the challenge of making art while navigating the emotional and economic realities of everyday life.

Max, originally from the historic town of Limburg in Western Germany, began his musical journey at just six years old in a metal band, before transitioning to jazz and hip-hop — two genres that continue to shape his sonic identity. Dhanya, from Freiburg in the Black Forest, studied music at university but dropped out to follow a more intuitive, less academic path — eventually working as a drummer and producer in Berlin. It was there that the two met and formed Modha.

Their early collaboration led to the Getting By EP, released on Pinewax in 2020, featuring local talents like JuJu Rogers and James Chatburn. That collaborative ethos remains at the heart of their creative practice — and At Your Pace is perhaps the most complete expression of that spirit to date.

The album is defined by its network of trusted musicians, each contributing their voice, textures, and energy. On Good News, Naarm-based vocalist and producer Allysha Joy (30/70) delivers a warm and soulful performance that feels like a deep exhale. Find Me (Underneath the Sun) features okcandice, whose poetic vocals bring understated brilliance to a song about presence, loss, and emotional memory. Longtime collaborator James Chatburn returns on the tender and minimal The Bee by the Pool, adding his unmistakable tone to the emotional core of the record.

The shimmering single River — featuring Hungarian producer Àbáse and flautist Fanni Zahár — moves through soulful textures and layered instrumentation, while Baton Rouge rapper Wakai brings crisp, articulate verses to Bullet, one of the album’s most rhythmically dynamic tracks. On Breeze, Berlin-based art-jazz ensemble Conic Rose create a cinematic space for Modha to stretch into new sonic territory.

But beyond the featured artists, At Your Pace is the product of a collective process. Musicians like Shanice Ruby Bennett (bass), Käthe Johanning (keys/synths), Fabiano Lima (percussion), Konstantin Döben (horns), Moses Yoofee (keys), Francis Maheux (contrabass), Tim Sensbach (guitar), and others contributed to nearly every track — not simply as session players, but as co-creators who shaped the tone and direction of each piece. As the duo themselves put it:

“While the composition credits acknowledge whoever first sparked an idea, each track grew far beyond its origins. Through collaboration, experimentation, and shared intuition, every musician helped define the sound and spirit of this record.”

That spirit also runs through the instrumental bookends of the album: the opening title track Move At Your Own Pace, a rhythmically intricate statement of intent, and Day by Day, where tender piano meets subtle electronics and sprightly percussion.

Recorded between Berlin and Limburg, the album embraces themes of childhood memory, emotional fragility, and the radical act of slowing down. In rejecting the demands of hustle culture and major-label polish, Modha have found their creative home in Sonar Kollektiv — a label where collaboration, craft, and care are allowed to thrive. 

Tracklist:
1. Move At Your Own Pace
2. Good News (feat. Allysha Joy)
3. River (feat. Abase & Fanni Zahar)
4. Bullet (feat. Wakai)
5. Day By Day (Interlude)
6. The Bee By The Pool (feat. James Chatburn)
7. Breeze (feat. Conic Rose)
8. Find Me (Underneath The Sun) (feat. Okcandice)

Momoko Gill - Momoko

Strut proudly presents the debut album from producer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist, Momoko Gill. Fresh from her critically acclaimed collaboration Clay recorded with cult electronic artist Matthew Herbert, Momoko steps forward in her own right for the first time with her remarkable debut solo album.

Momoko has long been one of the UK electronic and jazz scene’s best-kept secrets. A self-taught drummer, producer, songwriter, and vocalist, she has brought her unique touch to collaborations with Alabaster DePlume, Matthew Herbert, Coby Sey, Tirzah, and Nadeem Din-Gabisi (her musical foil in An Alien Called Harmony). Extensive touring behind the drum kit, at the keys and in front of the mic have honed her compositional and production instincts.

With Momoko, Gill emerges into the spotlight with an album that is entirely her own. Throughout, you can hear the stylistic flavours of jazz musicians as much as singer-songwriters, experimental artists and electronic producers. Though Gill rejects imitation, sculpting her sound through feel and expression rather than tradition. Based in London and having grown up in Japan and the US, Gill channels her breadth of perspective through her musical ideas and storytelling, with a unique voice developed through instinct, collaboration and solitary study.

The album’s eleven tracks take in a wide spectrum with the jazz-infused groove of ‘No Others’ and harmony-drenched, reflective ‘Heavy’ contrasting with the dark, confrontational sound of 'Shadowboxing' leading into an eerie left-field instrumental beat, ‘Test A Small Area' and the impressive 50-person choir on ‘When Palestine Is Free’ (which includes heavyweights Shabaka Hutchings, Soweto Kinch, Alabaster DePlume, Coby Sey, Marysia Osu and more). It is a deeply personal and poetic recording and showcases the full uncompromising range of Momoko’s vison, presented in her own voice.

Momoko was produced by Momoko Gill, recorded at Total Refreshment Centre, mixed by Matthew Herbert and mastered by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios. 

Tracklist:
1. Satellite
2. No Others
3. Heavy
4. Rewind/Remind
5. Shadowboxing
6. Test A Small Area
7. 2close2farr
8. Anyway, I’m Drowning
9. When Palestine Is Free
10. River
11. Ineffably

Neves E Silva - Ladeiras De Santa Teresa

Far Out Recordings proudly presents Ladeiras De Santa Teresa, the debut collaboration between Rio-jazz maverick Antonio Neves and carioca percussion master Thiaguinho Silva. In what could well be the first ever Brazilian jazz album centered around two drummers, Ladeiras De Santa Teresa is an uncompromisingly groove-rich recording, steeped in trad-samba roots and brass power.

Since his acclaimed 2021 album A Pegada Agora E Esssa Antonio Neves has remained a mainstay of the international facing Brazilian scene, performing both as a trombonist and drummer. His instrumental contributions to contemporary classics like Ana Frango Eletrico’s Little Electric Chicken Heart, Bruno Berle’s No Reino Dos Afetos 2, and Bala Desejo’s Sim Sim Sim will be marveled upon by future generations. His partner in crime Thiaguinho Silva happens to be the son of percussion icon Robertinho Silva, who has played on more or less every canonical Brazilian record, Arthur Verocai (1972), Clube Da Esquina (Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges, 1972), and India (Gal Costa, 1973) to name barely a few. Thiaguinho himself has worked with Marcelo D2, Gal Costa, Liniker and Alice Caymmi, and upon listening to Ladeiras De Santa Teresa, it’s clear that Thiaguinho is more than a worthy successor to carry the Silva family torch.

Some listeners may already be familiar with “Das Neves,” which appeared on Mr Bongo’s Rio De Janeiro-focused Hidden Waters compilation in 2023. The track showcases the profoundly skilled Neves family brass section (Antonio alongside father Edu, who has performed with Hermeto Pascoal), the fiery elegance of pianist Luiz Otávio (Dora Morelenbaum), and Thiaguinho’s pulsating samba breaks. This synergised combo continues across the album, notably on “Fendas Vocais” with Neves doubling up on drums, exhibiting his inventive and fearless skill as an arranger. The album also features street-artist, musician and rapper Joca, adding vocalised dynamism and swagger to an otherwise entirely instrumental record on “Viagem de Trem”.

The album’s title Ladeiras De Santa Teresa (The hills of Santa Teresa) is named in tribute to Rio De Janeiro’s famed Santa Teresa neighborhood, a bohemian enclave with scenic views of the iconic cityscape. The spirit of Santa Teresa with its expansive city views and bustling energy is embodied in the album which encapsulates the jazz and samba histories felt within the neighborhood’s windy alleyways and cobbled streets. 

Tracklist:
1. Das Neves
2. Romenia
3. Fendas Vocais
4. Morro Dos Prazeres
5. Viagem De Trem
6. Misericórdia

Shy One - Mali

London's Shy One presents her long-awaited second album 'Mali'.

So called after her given name, 'Mali' is a shimmering ode to personal artistic growth as well as the Black British and wider diasporic sonic lineage. It marks a period of clarity, following intuition and arriving at a sound that “feels more like her.”

An artist, globetrotting selector and award-winning NTS Radio host, Shy One has spent years refining her well-respected practice. Raised on pirate radio and shaped by the full spectrum of black music, all of these influences funnel into 'Mali'.

Across 10 tracks, her production prowess meets a now-finely tuned grip on sonic storytelling. Crafted alongside a powerful cast of Black British collaborators: photography from Ronan McKenzie and tightly mixed by CDR head honcho and educator, Tony Nwachukwu, plus album features from George Riley, Steve Spacek, Private Joy on the soulful “Moonlight” and James Massiah on “16 Hours”, which bops through a fitting celebration of the party and the afters.

Shy One's global reputation as a fan-favourite club DJ is well-known by now. Releasing music on labels such as Eglo, Numbers, Rhythm Section and Beats In Space, while delivering countless recorded mixes and remixes for Nubya Garcia and Oscar Jerome. Her touring has taken her to Berlin’s Panorama Bar, NYC’s Nowadays, and festivals including Glastonbury, GALA and Nuits Sonores among others.

This album has been supported by the PPL Momentum Music Fund. PPL Momentum is managed by PRS Foundation, with support from PPL, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Invest NI, and Creative Wales. 

Tracklist:
1. Evidence Of My Love Affair
2. I Can Tell (feat. George Riley)
3. Loosen Up
4. Moonlight (feat. Private Joy)
5. Full Circle
6. Driving On Sand (feat. Steve Spacek)
7. Nort Wess
8. Same New Song
9. 16 Hours (feat. James Massiah)
10. Live Dis Ting (Belt Drives)

Tyrone Allen II - UPWARD

Tyrone Allen II / UPWARD - Starting with a traditional quartet of saxophone, piano, bass and drumset, then adding harp, trumpet and a smear of electronics, "UPWARD" transports you to an almost familiar dream. Taking inspiration from Jazz and R&B with electro-acoustic elements, Tyrone Allen II chronicles the parallels of personal and societal experiences of the last decade in his debut release. "UPWARD" will take you on a journey blending the real with the surreal, while challenging you to question your expectations.

Tracklist:
1. (early 2020's)
2. Smp Sng
3. Cassia (Instrumental)
4. UPWARD
5. art day
6. The A-Side (Dedicated to R.P.)
7. 2020's intro
8. Stuck
9. harp solo
10. Mood 1a-1b
11. Mood 1c
12. Alt. Stuck
13. when is it ever really smp / smp 4 me
14. Bass UNLIMITED

VA - Jazz Dispensary: Magia Brasileira

Jazz Dispensary comes to Brazil! Our groove alchemists tunneled deep into the vaults to pull together a smoking spread of Samba sizzlers, airy and intoxicating vocal-jazz dreamscapes, funk-drenched jams, and guitar lines so catchy they practically shimmer in the sun. Featuring legends like Bola Sete, Flora Purim, Dom Um Romão, João Donato, Paulinho da Costa, this batch of aural Caipirinha is pure musical jet fuel.

Tracklist:
1. Dom Um Romao - Shake (Ginga Gingou)
2. Bola Sete and His New Brazilian Trio - Soul Samba (Remastered 2026)
3. Raul De Souza - Dr. Honoris Causa
4. Cal Tjader - Samba De Oneida
5. João Donato - Whistle Stop
6. Dom Salvador - Suddenly
7. Paulinho Da Costa - Carnival Of Colors
8. Flora Purim - Butterfly Dreams