Friday, August 07, 2026

VA - SUPER RAPPIN' Grandmaster Flash And The Roots Of Rap

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

⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ - ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌ ҉     ͡ ͞ ͞ ͞ ҉● ࿀ ●  ࿀  ●   ҉⃝    ⃝͢ ͞   ͘ ͞⃝̕ ͢    ̛ ⃝    ̸ ̡  ͢⃝̧  ͡ ͡  ̀ ̧ ̢⃝͜    ҉  ͞ ͞ ⃝͞  ͞ ͡⃝  ⃝҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉ :̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊( ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥


ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌ ҉     ͡ ͞ ͞ ͞ ҉● ࿀ ●  ࿀  ●   ҉⃝    ⃝͢ ͞   ͘ ͞⃝̕ ͢    ̛ ⃝    ̸ ̡  ͢⃝̧  ͡ ͡  ̀ ̧ ̢⃝͜    ҉  ͞ ͞ ⃝͞  ͘ ͞ ͡⃝  ⃝҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉
:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊( ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ ☼⃝◞⊖◟ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ꉂꆭ(☼⃝❁)ᕗ  ҉⃝ ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ ̵̨̛̱̥͕́̎́̐͝/̸̠̜̅̐͊̋̿̐̓\̸̧͔̰̳̦̣̪̈̏̓ ̴̡̛̅͐͛̀̽/̶̱̼̣̤̰̲̣̈́̋͌̿̄̍̊\̴̲̣̝̀͜ͅ ̸̝̮̟̹̀̆̋̿ ̴̤̻̀(̵̙̺̳̩͐͗́͑͋̓̕͜ͅ(̵̺͖̤͌͂͑̐̕o̶̢̘͔̒̈̑̒͊ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂ ☼⃝☼⃝◉ ҉⃝O◉☼⃝⊖☼⃝☼⃝❁ ҉⃝☼⃝☼⃝ ⃝͢  ̢⃝͜ ☼⃝☼⃝:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊( ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡()ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ꐑȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́̿)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ࿃ूੂ✧⃛✧⃛:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊( ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅv̴̢͚͚͎͎̞͒͊̎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́̿)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚͜ ̷̨̢̥̅͝ͅ(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍̒̋̕)̵̳̗̊̍̽́ ̵͍̪̲̀̍ ̴̤̚ ̴̹̙͙̻̓̉̚͝V̸̘̅̀̒̃̚V̴̠̼̩̘͈̦̥̉͋̐͗͌͠V̵̪̮̅̉̓ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡

ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡()ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ꐑȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́̿)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ࿃ूੂ✧⃛✧⃛)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚͜ ̷̨̢̥̅͝ͅ(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀☼⃝ ◉፨∷▲∵⣎⡇ ⃝͢:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍̒̋̕)̵̳̗̊̍̽́ ̵͍̪̲̀̍ ̴̤̚ ̴̹̙͙̻̓̉̚͝ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ   ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ  
(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌

Tracklist:
1. (̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́OOOOOOOooo☼⃝☼⃝◉࿃ूੂ࿃ूੂੂ ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡()ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ꐑ(ఠీੂȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́̿)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ࿃ूੂ✧⃛✧⃛)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚͜ ̷̨̢̥̅͝ͅ(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍̒̋̕)̵̳̗̊̍̽́ ̵͍̪̲̀̍ ̴̤̚ ̴̹̙͙̻̓̉̚͝ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩
2. ༼༭ຶཬɷԾㅍ◟ㅍ)აِّّْٕٔٓٓ ˓˚✧₊⁎❝᷀ົཽ*ೃ:(꒡͡ ❝᷀ົཽ ꉺლ༽:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊( ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ ☼⃝◞⊖◟ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ꉂꆭ(☼⃝❁)ᕗ ҉⃝ ʅ͡͡
3. ☼⃝☼⃝ ⃝͢ ̢⃝͜ ☼⃝☼⃝:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊(ㅍ◟ㅍ)აِّّْٕٔٓٓ ˓˚✧₊⁎❝᷀ົཽ*ೃ:(꒡͡ ❝᷀ົཽ ꉺლ༽༼இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ ⦁ ⦁ ⦁ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ཥ•̫͡•ཤꉺ༽♡(•ི̛ᴗ͇ˊ̑⁾ ἴृ
4. ☼⃝☼⃝◉ ҉⃝O◉☼⃝⊖☼⃝☼⃝❁ ҉⃝☼⃝☼⃝ ⃝͢ ̢⃝͜ ☼⃝☼⃝:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊( ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧
5. ☼⃝☼⃝◉ ҉⃝O◉◖ƪ❍⊁◞..◟⊀ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ ⦁ ⦁ ⦁ ❍|◗щ (*ㅇ△ Φ☆)ノ☼⃝⊖☼⃝☼⃝❁ ҉⃝☼⃝☼⃝ ⃝͢ ̢⃝͜ ☼⃝☼⃝______oOo___________+-_.:._-*"+-_.:._-*"+-_.:._-*"+-_.:._-*"+-_.:._-*"+-_.:._-*"
6. °。 *¸.·* ´¨・*・ . °。·´¨´゜࿃ूੂ✧⃛✧⃛:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊( ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ *´¨ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝͢ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ ⃝
7. Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ ☼⃝◞⊖◟ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ꉂꆭ(☼⃝❁)ᕗ ҉⃝ ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ ̵̨̛̱̥͕́̎́̐͝/̸̠̜̅̐͊̋̿̐̓\̸̧͔̰̳̦̣̪̈̏̓ ̴̡̛̅͐͛̀̽/̶̱̼̣̤̰̲̣̈́̋͌̿̄̍̊\̴̲̣̝̀͜ͅ
8. ҉ ҉ ͡ ͞ ҉ ͡ ͞ ͞ ͞ ҉● ࿀ ● ࿀ ● ҉⃝ ⃝͢ ͞ ͘ ͞⃝̕ ͢ ̛ ⃝ ̸ ̡ ͢⃝̧ ͡ ͡ ̀ ̧ ̢⃝͜ ҉ ͞ ͞ ⃝͞ ͘ ͞ ͡⃝ ⃝҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉ ͞ ͞ ҉● ࿀ ● ࿀ ● ҉⃝ ⃝͢ ͞ ͘ ͞⃝̕ ͢ ̛ ⃝ ̸ ̡ ͢⃝̧ ͡ ͡ ̀ ̧ ̢⃝͜ ҉ ͞ ͞ ⃝͞ ͘ ͞ ͡⃝ ⃝҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉ ͡ ͞ ͞ ͞ ҉
 

VA - Record Kicks Breaks & Beats 4

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)

VA - Mark de Clive-Lowe presents - Remixes & Reimaginations

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)

Hill Collective - Fire In Orbit

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

Nate Smith, Kiefer, CARRTOONS, Kenny Beats - FATHERS

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



Casimir Liberski ReTRio - Zelda Suites (The Live Album)

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) 



Orquesta Akokán - América!

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

Adrian Younge - Afro-Disco Makossa

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

Bonobo and Arooj Aftab - Fire on the Water / Drift

Tracklist:
1. Fire on the Water (feat. Arooj Aftab)
2. Drift
3. Me and You



Krafty Kuts - Turbulence

Renowned for turntablism and super-sharp productions, Krafty Kuts has built a reputation as one of the most consistent forces in bass music. From early releases with Ministry of Sound, Fabric and Finger Lickin’ to the foundation of his own Against The Grain label, and as founder of Brighton’s Supercharged, his career reads like a long-form study in British bass music culture.

A selector as much as a technician, he digs deep and blurs the lines between genres with intent. His DJ sets are a genuine journey: one minute Santana, the next Sami Virji. It’s a never-ending drive to keep breaking boundaries.

Now, with his forthcoming album, Krafty Kuts pushes his music production further. This isn’t an album that blends genres—it destabilises them. Pulling from UKG, breaks, bassline and flashes of jazz, Turbulence twists familiar forms into something harder to pin down. The beats are fractured, the low-end rumbling, the energy unpredictable by design.

Take Changes, for example: a four-to-the-floor, bassline-driven banger that effortlessly slips into emotive, soulful vocals before taking another twist into jungle-esque breaks and bass – it’s a masterclass in how keep listeners on the edge of their seat. 

Other examples include Curvy, a more UKG-inspired vocal stunner, the bassline tearer New Ting, and the hedonistic energy of All Night – Krafty Kuts has delivered his best album to date.

Tracklist:
1. Curvy
2. All Night
3. Changes
4. Running (feat. MC Spyda)
5. New Ting
6. Flowers (with Skool Of Thought & Liliana Rose)
7. Friction
8. Aint No Way
9. Rocket (feat. Scarlett Quinn)
10. Making You
11. Wub Juggler
12. Best In Me (feat. B Live)
13. Real Tight
14. Don't Let Me Go
15. Out of Sight (Beatport Exclusive DJ Bonus Track)

Ancient Infinity Orchestra - It's Always About Liberation

Ancient Infinity Orchestra return with their third album, It’s Always About Liberation, a new record that deepens the vision of their acclaimed recent work while moving into darker, more searching emotional territory.

Conceived as a partner to It’s Always About Love, this new body of work shares its predecessor’s generosity and spiritual openness, but carries a different charge. Where the previous album focused on healing and warmth, It’s Always About Liberation is largely animated by struggle, perseverance and the desire for transformation while still offering a path to betterment. It is music made in full awareness of a fractured world, yet unwilling to surrender to it.

Like It’s Always About Love the album title draws inspiration from words spoken by Moor Mother during their 2024 We Out Here festival performance that deeply affected bandleader Ozzy Moysey: “It’s always about love / It’s always about liberation.” Those twin ideas became a framework for the two albums Ancient Infinity Orchestra were creating. If one album explored love as repair, this one explores liberation as movement, continually striving toward freedom, clarity and deeper connection.

Tracklist:
1. Nafas
2. Akshay
3. Triton
4. Illuminations
5. Celebrating the Beautiful Lineage of Sound & Hypnotic States
6. Mountain

Homeboy Sandman, Jack Splash - Weed Stores Everywhere

Alan Hawkshaw - KPM Legends Alan Hawkshaw

A prolific British composer, arranger, and session musician, Alan Hawkshaw created a widely-heard body of work without ever achieving any sort of celebrity, a situation which suited him just fine. Although he was a member of the Shadows, played keyboards with everyone from David Bowie to Donna Summer, and even scored a number one dance hit in the U.S., Hawkshaw's most enduring contributions were in the form of library music, which was licensed extensively across film and television from the late-1960s onward. By the time of his death in 2021, his theme songs to British programs like Countdown, Grange Hill, and the Channel 4 News remained intimately familiar to many.

Tracklist:
1. Beat Me ’Til I’m Blue
2. Chicken Man
3. Senior Thump
4. Man On The Move
5. Girl In a Sportscar
6. Studio 69
7. Delivery Date
8. Sunflower
9. Road and Rail
10. Rocky Mountain Runabout
11. Merry Go Round
12. Strangelands
13. Sky Train
14. Gingerbread
15. Rally Car
16. Roving Reporter
17. Mad Moment 

Alina Bzhezhinska, Tony Kofi & Tulshi - Whispers of Rain (Live)

Internationally acclaimed harpist Alina Bzhezhinska and legendary saxophonist Tony Kofi present Whispers of Rain (Live) - a powerful reimagining of Alina’s recent studio album, co-written with Ibiza-based producer Tulshi. Captured in an intimate live setting, this record is shaped by the unique chemistry between two master improvisers.

Recorded during performances celebrating the release of Whispers of Rain, the live album distils the emotional core of the project, a meditation on movement, with rain acting as a recurring metaphor for renewal, loss and transformation. Stripped back and expansive in equal measure, these live versions allow the music to unfold naturally in the moment.

Journey Home (Live) anchors the album with quiet intensity. Reflective and searching, it explores the idea of home as something internal rather than fixed, a feeling carried rather than a place returned to. In the live setting, the dialogue between harp and saxophone feels especially intimate, moving between restraint and release with effortless grace.

Throughout the album, Alina’s harp, redefined here as both rhythmic and melodic lead, intertwines seamlessly with Tony Kofi’s warm, searching tenor tone. Tracks such as Whispers of Rain, Across the Sea and Warm Days, Cold Nights take on new depth in performance, shaped by spontaneous interaction and a shared trust developed through years of collaboration. The result is music that feels fluid and alive, grounded in jazz tradition while unbound by form.

Alina Bzhezhinska continues to expand the role of the harp in contemporary music. A composer, bandleader and collaborator, she has worked with artists including Brian Jackson, Chaka Khan, Shabaka Hutchings, DJ Spinna and Sly Johnson, while her duet work with Tony Kofi has been described by DownBeat Magazine as “a masterpiece.”

Tony Kofi is one of the UK’s most respected saxophonists, renowned for his deep roots in jazz history and his expressive, contemporary voice. A long-time collaborator of Alina Bzhezhinska, their musical partnership is built on listening, instinct and mutual respect, qualities that sit at the heart of Whispers of Rain (Live).

The studio version of Alina Bzhezhinska and Tulshi’s collaborative album ‘Whispers of Rain’ is released on vinyl and CD, check it out here: alinahipharp.bandcamp.com/album/whispers-of-rain

Tracklist:

1. Child's Play (Live)
2. Nomad's Nocturne (Live)
3. Whispers of Rain (Live)
4. Warm Days, Cold Nights (Live)
5. Starling (Live)
6. Across the Sea (Live)
7. Journey Home (Live)