Steven Bamidele - Summing Up

"An introspective neo-soul masterpiece” - FIP
"Electronic Soul At Its Finest" – Clash
"Extremely talented. Gorgeously soulful" – Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM)
"Unbelievable talent" - BBC Introducing

'Summing Up’ is the debut album from singer, songwriter, and producer Steven Bamidele. The album is a deeply personal project that has seen Steven using lyrical exploration as a form of self-therapy, often unpicking themes of racial identity, family, and self-reflection.

The album features previous singles “Kaleidoscope feat. Scarlett Fae”, “Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)”, and “Sitting In The Dark”, which have received support from Clash Magazine, Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), Valida (KCRW), Bill Brewster, BBC Introducing, New Music Friday UK (Spotify), Lefto, Laurent Garnier and Stereofox.

Tackling subjects that include his childhood, mental health struggles and his relationships with those close to him, Steven Bamidele writes with an openness and integrity throughout ‘Summing Up’ that allows the audience to share and understand his stories, while also seeing a reflection of their own. With a Bossa nova-tinged guitar hook, focus track “Lesson Learnt” thoughtfully leaves space for individual interpretations on what it is to second guess what those around you need and expect from you; toeing the line between trying to live as an individual without disappointing the people close to you.

His relationship between individualism and relating to society is a topic explored across ‘Summing Up’. Brimming with carefully thought-out production, “Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)” is written about his childhood experiences of displacement moving from Nigeria to the UK at a young age. Steven utilises the experimental musicality of the track to tell the story of these paradoxical feelings he dwelled on since relocating. These feelings, alongside his relationship with his late father as a mixed-race child, are echoed in “Head Down”. Here, Steven repeats the title of the track as the main hook creating an anthem for the introverts and outsiders who may feel like they are watching and waiting on the sidelines.

The theme of self-reflection and the years of obsessive dedication to finding his creative voice are also explored across the album. Highlighting his introspective style of song writing and production styles rooted in curiosity and exploration, “Kaleidoscope” is a love song shimmering with humility; “It’s to my girlfriend Lucy,” Steven explains, “it’s me saying I know I haven’t been the most present and attentive person, but I want to try and be better.” More open in their dedication, “Sitting In The Dark” and “Throw It All Away!” explore the tunnel vision Steven has had for making music over the years and the subsequent guilt he’s felt as family and friends have fallen to the wayside in pursuit of a dream.

Speaking about the latter track, he adds, “I wanted to make a dance track the way I would make one which is sad and awkward.” Stepping out of his comfort zone, the musical evolution of this track serves as a representation of Steven’s progression with making music, summing up what it means to find your feet and become a more authentic version of yourself both creatively and personally. “I’m a big fan of people doing what they do, no matter what anyone says; going against the grain, being stubborn about it. I think the best results in art come out of that attitude.”

From synths to found sounds, Steven has allowed ideas to come through organically, following impulses to tell stories and evoke feelings. As reflected on ‘Summing Up’, at a point in his life, music took over and Steven did whatever was necessary to make it happen. “It was when my dad passed and then covid arrived a couple of months later that I really started to slow down and accept that other people and things demanded my attention and care,” he acknowledges

With influences ranging from Marvin Gaye and Radiohead to Lianne La Havas and Solange, Steven crafts his own unique and intricate sound, combining synth textures, syncopated beats, and reverb-drenched falsetto to create psychedelic forward-thinking soul. After self-releasing several singles, his debut EP “Uncrowded” and the Salami Rose Joe Louis remix, Steven went on to be sampled by KayCyy for his “Get Used To It” mixtape. Under his former alias ‘Mirror Signal’, Steven was featured on the ‘Brownswood Bubblers 11’ compilation, performed a live session for Gilles Peterson and was selected by Jamie Cullum and PRS Foundation to perform at Montreal Jazz Festival in 2016. 

Tracklist:
1. Sitting In The Dark
2. Dark Sense Of Humour (Farfisa)
3. No One Said
4. Lesson Learnt
5. Pathways
6. Throw It All Away!
7. Kaleidoscope (feat. Scarlett Fae)
8. Misunderstood
9. Head Down

Astrid Engberg - Trust

“Trust is for the love of my intuition. It’s for new motherhood and a reminder to myself and everybody that you’re allowed to be in the world in a different way than society dictates.”

Astrid Engberg’s masterful sophomore album Trust finds the Danish singer, producer, composer and DJ paying tribute to intuition and new motherhood. Spanning contemporary soul, nu jazz, electronic and more, the LP sees her collaborating with a line-up of Nordic talent as well as Los Angeles-based Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, a venerated multi-instrumentalist, conductor and composer known for works with Ray Charles, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige as well as his esteemed orchestral reimagining of J Dilla’s back catalogue titled Suite For Ma Dukes. Trust will be released through the Danish record label Creak Inc. Records which specialises in groundbreaking Danish music.

Growing up in a household where classical music was the sole genre of choice, which influenced her musical education through music schools and choirs, it was a world revered by her parents but one Astrid couldn’t conform to. Feeling different, or in her words “an alien”, she’d find her own sanctuary in music once she discovered her library’s CD collection aged 8. She’d fervently rinse instrumental jazz and West African records, among others, and make mixtapes. This routine continued until she was 15, by which point she was becoming confident in her voice and why music was essential to her.

“The reason I make music is because it’s my best language,” Astrid candidly states, while adding that singing brought her a sense of being at home. In her debut album Tulpa, which Bandcamp Daily listed as one of its Best albums of 2020 and brought national acclaim with winning Best Vocal Release of The Year from Danish Music Award Jazz, she was able to give words to her mental and physical recovery from a head injury in her young adulthood which still impacts her everyday life over a decade later.

Her latest album follows as a means of expression, taking form five months after giving birth to her first-born, a daughter. Created with playful joy, openness and gratitude, she recalls it as being a “super smooth and fast process.” Despite all structures and practical tasks being turned upside down as a new mother, Trust was complete nine months later. "I couldn’t have long rehearsals and recording sessions, so the album was given space to emerge freely and flourish inside myself. Most of it was written inside my head, for example, while I was taking a walk with my baby or when I sang to her, and then recorded in the studio or at home during the short periods I had free.”

Astrid has long mastered utilising her time, blasting through short-burst activity. Severe headaches and neck pain are the lasting effects of her bike accident, meaning across her years making music from Paris with French beatmakers and then returning to Denmark, her routine has been a couple of intense hours followed by rest. This was largely unchanged with the arrival of her daughter, putting her a step ahead.

Intuition comes into her methods with giving herself space and pushing against our high-paced performance culture. “You need to have space in you to hear what’s happening. In the past when I’ve composed, I’d hear a melody and try to follow it by hearing what falls around it. I feel with this album it was unfolding to me, naturally arising from within. You need to trust that what you hear is the way you need to go. Trust the process. Trust that it’s ok to play around with music, to take it down in your form. I want to encourage others to trust themselves through me learning to trust myself. My hope is that those who need it can feel understood in my music, that they can lean back in the sound, the words, and the circles of melodies intertwining with each other and think, 'ah, she understands me.’"

Intuition in motherhood relates to simply doing what feels right for herself and her daughter, often going against the status quo. Throughout her pregnancy and in the first few months of her arrival, Astrid’s headaches and pains ceased. Their return was difficult. Going into the studio and having that output was essential. By putting her daughter into daycare from an early age to allow for this time, she had to trust her intuition. “I see people casting judgement on this. She’d go for 2-3 hours and she was happy. I was a better mum because I could make music and rest. But even when you think it’s a good idea, it isn’t easy. It’s not like I’m made of stone - here take my baby.” Her track ‘On Time’ zones in on this, with the melody coming to her with the lyrics “You know that I try.” She adds, “Inside I was thinking what if she starts crying and I’m not there. I had all these worries. My mind was playing tricks. I had to tell myself that she’s fine because my intuition says so. I’m gonna be there when she needs me, so trust this, my daughter.”

As with her debut album, these 11 tracks were written, composed and produced by Astrid. Appreciating the value of collaborating, she brought in a string of talented musicians, including jazz trumpeter Tobias Wiklund and saxophonist Maria Dybbroe. “I was ready to be inspired by what they’d create which I’d later arrange in the way I want,” she explains. “It’s wonderful not to stand in the way of the ego. The conversations we’d have were great for me - moments of joy, laughter and then to work.”

In valuable conversations, her connection with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson looms large. Introduced to Suite For Ma Dukes not long after its 2009 release, it was a performance and record that blew her mind and became a Holy Grail in her collection. During the pandemic she’d reach out with some of her music after he put out a call for fans interested in online sessions with him. He enjoyed her music to the extent that he proposed to connect on a one-to-one level, and they’d have their first of several Zooms. On sending him the three album tracks that he features on, she recalls being red-faced when he said it was an honour to contribute.

“I’m so grateful for these tracks and his work. He’s a representation of the music business that I want to be part of. If I can in my own way, with what I am and who I am, be a kind of representation of that world, that’s cool for me.” - Astrid Engberg

“After meeting Astrid and discovering her music, I immediately felt like I met another member of my musical family. I love how earthy and celestial her voice, compositions, and productions are. I love how uplifting her music is while still feeling authentic and coming out of the realness of what seems to me like the suffering of any awakened and caring individual has. At a time when I feel that the world desperately needs more female leaders, Astrid in my opinion is a perfect example of someone whose voice needs to be amplified and enjoyed." - Miguel Atwood-Ferguson 

Tracklist:
1. Blue Rise and The Fall (feat. Tobias Wiklund)
2. On Time
3. Falling (OK Not Cool)
4. Spirits Came Told Me (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
5. Feelings
6. I Should Care
7. Loving Contemplation (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
8. Radio2200
9. Chains (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
10. Body Follows Body (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
11. Adaptation (Walls)

Yussef Dayes - Black Classical Music

Today, celebrated multi-instrumentalist and visionary artist Yussef Dayes announces his highly anticipated debut solo studio album ‘Black Classical Music’, released on September 8th via the revered Brownswood Recordings, Warners and Cashmere Thoughts Recordings. Alongside this, Dayes shares a first taster of the record, the title track “Black Classical Music” featuring Venna & Charlie Stacey.

First single “Black Classical Music” is an incredible opening statement and entry point to this new chapter.

Dayes introduces Black Classical Music in his own words;

"What is jazz? Where did the word derive from? Birthed in New Orleans, born in the belly of the Mississippi River, rooted in the gumbo pot of the Caribbean, South American culture & African rituals. Continuing a lineage of Miles Davis, Rahssan Roland kirk, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong ~ music that is forever evolving & limitless in its potential. The groove, it’s feeling, the compositions, the spontaneity, with a love for family, the discipline & dedication in maintaining the very high bar set by the pantheon of Black Classical Musicians. Chasing the rhythm of drums that imitated one's heartbeat, the melodies for the mind and spirit, the bass for the core. A Regal sound for this body of music."

“Black Classical Music” is Dayes 19 track debut solo studio album. At every turn, Dayes distinctive drum licks and Rocco Palladino’s bass are the sturdy anchors; aided by Charlie Stacey (keys/synths), Venna (saxophone), Alexander Bourt (percussion), and a whole host of honourable features including: Chronixx, Masego, Jamilah Barry, Tom Misch, Elijah Fox, Shabaka Hutchings, Miles James, Sheila Maurice Grey, Nathaniel Cross, Theon Cross and the Chineke! Orchestra, the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority Black and ethnically diverse musicians.

Yussef Dayes discography is expansive and wide reaching; his rise can be first linked to the Afrocentric quartet, United Vibrations, alongside his two brothers - Ahmad and Kareem - and saxophonist, Wayne Francis. This was followed by the meteorically sucessful, but short-lived duo Yussef Kamaal, with keyboardist Kamaal Williams. More recently, Dayes released Live At Joshua Tree, an EP presented by Soulection, and other solo releases including the live album Welcome To The Hills and Love Is The Message, which was recorded Live at Abbey Road Studios.

His list of collaborators is ever-growing and has blossomed to include the finest talents across both music and fashion. From 2020’s album “What Kinda Music”, a collaboration with Tom Misch released on Blue Note Records which charted in the Top 5, to an official remix of Pa Salieu’s “Frontline”, on Wizkid’s “Made In Lagos” album, plus production for R&B royalty in Kali Uchis and Kehlani and 2022’s joint release with Soulection entitled Live At Joshua Tree. The late Louis Vuitton innovator, Virgil Abloh, hand-picked Yussef to soundtrack and curate the LV dinner show for Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2019, as well as having Dayes perform at the Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris and collaborating on many other projects. 

Tracklist:
1. Black Classical Music (feat. Venna & Charlie Stacey)
2. Afro Cubanism
3. Raisins Under the Sun (feat. Shabaka Hutchings)
4. Rust (feat. Tom Misch)
5. Turquoise Galaxy
6. The Light (feat. Bahia Dayes)
7. Pon di Plaza
8. Magnolia Symphony
9. Early Daye
10. Chasing the Drum
11. Birds of Paradise
12. Gelato
13. Marching Band (feat. Masego)
14. Crystal Palace Park (feat. Elijah Fox)
15. Presidential (feat. Jahaan Sweet)
16. Jukebox
17. Woman's Touch (feat. Jamilah Barry)
18. Tioga Pass (feat. Rocco Palladino)
19. Cowrie Charms (feat. Leon Thomas and Barbara Hicks)

Jalen Ngonda - Come Around and Love Me

Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen perform live knows that he is one of the most captivating performers on today's soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm—disarming packed rooms of rowdy concert goers, leaving them silent as they hold fast to every syllable sung. Plans for the album were struck just months before the COVID 19 pandemic shut the world down. Notwithstanding, Jalen eventually made it to Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY where he began writing and recording with the help of producer/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley's Extraordinaires) and a crack team of a-list musicians from the Daptone family. The team skillfully blends heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with motown sophistication, leaving the listener in a blissful wash of wonderment.

Tracklist:
1. Come Around and Love Me
2. If You Don't Want My Love
3. Lost
4. That's All I Wanted From You
5. Please Show Me
6. Just Like You Used To
7. What A Difference She Made
8. Give Me Another Day
9. So Glad I Found You
10. It Takes A Fool
11. Rapture

James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven

James Blake has made a name for himself as an expert pop, soul, and R&B songwriter, but back in the day he was an idiosyncratic club wizard chopping up breaks and transforming synths for the likes of Hessle, Hemlock, and R&S. Playing Robots Into Heaven returns to those label-hopping days with new singer/songwriter sensibilities; the signature crooning vocals are there, but the tracks are dominated by bass. ‘Loading’ has pulsating two step rhythms, high pitched vocal cuts, and blazing synths fit for a pirate radio stream, while ‘Big Hammer’ is a bossy, lasering slice of Patois-fuelled dancehall and minimal trap.

Tracklist:
1. Asking To Break
2. Loading
3. Tell Me
4. Fall Back
5. He's Been Wonderful
6. Big Hammer
7. I Want You To Know
8. Night Sky
9. Fire The Editor
10. If You Can Hear Me
11. Playing Robots Into Heaven

*Bonus (James Blake - Structuring Robots Into Heaven (Part One))

Cautious Clay - KARPEH

Throughout the album, Cautious Clay is equating his life's journey to an amalgamation of his family's past life experiences, an exploration of the present, and a universal truth that will help define his future choices.

He broke it out into 3 parts in the order of the tracklist: 

THE PAST EXPLAINED: My early life going up in Ohio + my family's past experiences being the cornerstone of what shaped me for better + worse. Themes of unwavering self-reliance, the "tides" of family/work-life balance, race, + cultural identity are throughout this section.

1. 102 years of comedy
2. Fishtown
3. Ohio (1st single)
4. Karpehs don't flinch
5. The Tide is my Witness
6. Take a Half (skit on taking psychedelic mushrooms)

THE HONEYMOON OF EXPLORATION: branching out from my past/family members before me embracing vices,

personal gratification, and deep self-reflection - different forms of intimacy, psychedelic drugs, + togetherness are a crucial part of this section.

7. Another Half (rolls into form skit)
8. Repeat Myself
9. Glass Face
10. Walls & a Roof
11. Unfinished House 

A BITTER & SWEET SOLITUDE: Learning how to be alone with my "thoughts" in order to be the healthiest version of myself when I am around friends, family, etc. No matter where I go in life, being alone is a beautiful + eternal truth.

There are themes of greed, death, + speaking for myself/my own needs. While this section lacks alot of lyrical content, sonically it is oscillating between heavier/aggressive and more soft/mellow sonic components.

12. Blue Lips
13. Tears of Fate
14. Yesterday's Price (very instrumental)
15. Moment's Stolen

Tracklist:
1. 102 years of comedy
2. Fishtown
3. Ohio (1st single)
4. Karpehs don't flinch
5. The Tide is my Witness
6. Take a Half (skit on taking psychedelic mushrooms)
7. Another Half (rolls into form skit)
8. Repeat Myself
9. Glass Face
10. Walls & a Roof
11. Unfinished House
12. Blue Lips
13. Tears of Fate
14. Yesterday's Price (very instrumental)
15. Moment's Stolen
16. Daring Is Caring (Bonus Track)

Dea Galore x The Melodiks - The Flow

Tracklist:
1. The Flow
2. Let Me In
3. Soft Inside (feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow)
4. Petals
5. Million

Pale Jay - Bewilderment

Bewilderment - the feeling of being perplexed and confused - is the inspiration behind Pale Jay's new album. It's a soulful exploration of a family's gradual disintegration due to years of avoidance and miscommunication. During this difficult time, Pale Jay began to question the stories he had always lived with and re-examined his identity. The resulting work, Bewilderment, is his first full-length album, which strives to find answers to these questions and more. The album is set to release on 8/18/2023 on Karma Chief Records, a subsidiary of Colemine.

Pale Jay is a trained jazz vocalist and pianist, and he wrote, recorded, and produced all songs on the album, except for 'By The Lake', which is a collaboration with labelmates Okonski - Steve Okonski, Aaron Frazer, and Michael Montgomery. Pale Jay's music is influenced by a wide range of songwriters, including Labi Siffre, Carole King, and William Onyeabor. 'Bewilderment' is a seamless blend of Pale Jay’s trademark dusty soul, slow disco, and Afrobeat, with string arrangements by Raven Bush adding an extra layer of magic to the beat-heavy productions.

Preface: the platform

In the early stages of recording, Pale Jay met Terry Cole, the owner of Colemine and Karma Chief Records, and the two decided to work together on Pale Jay's first full-length LP. Inspired by this connection, Pale Jay wrote the song 'Preface', which expresses his gratitude for finding a platform for his music.

In Your Corner: the antagonist

At its core, the Afrobeat inspired song is a conversation with the self. An uplifting tune at first glance, the lyrics lay bare the internal struggle for self-acceptance. The song explores the push and pull between self-love and self-judgement that can often leave us feeling lost and uncertain.

My Dirty Desire: the introvert

Another standout track on the album is a warbling slow-disco tribute to the introvert. Pale Jay acknowledges that society rewards extroverts, but he embraces his introverted nature and the benefits of solitude.

Pale Jay's debut LP is a captivating journey of self-discovery. Each song on Bewilderment tells a unique story, but they all share a common theme of personal growth and self-understanding. Grab a copy on 8/18/2023 to dive in and experience the new album. 

Tracklist:
1. Preface
2. In Your Corner
3. Dreaming In Slow Motion
4. By The Lake (feat. OkoNski)
5. Bewilderment
6. My Dirty Desire
7. Vladimir
8. Don't Forget That I Love You

Slowe - Where The Mind Wanders

‘Where The Mind Wanders’ is the debut album from Bristol-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter, Slowe.

This project is a window into Slowe’s mind, with each song reflecting a different aspect of her inner world. With a musical landscape that ebbs and flows, Slowe poetically addresses the struggles of self-doubt and the beauty of fulfilment and joy. These themes are perfectly embodied in “A Simple Act” as she explores uncertainty, wanting to push herself, but faltering at times with a lack of confidence. Led by the cyclical urge to push yourself and subsequent hesitancy, the lyrics move through sparkling R&B Rhodes and celesta that nod to her love of neo-soul and a loose beat played by Conor Harrington, bopping between Sam Fox’s smooth bassline.

The tracks showcase the versatility in Slowe’s production, with different expressions mirroring the furthest corners of her mind, “both introspective and immersive, each track is a dive into the depths of the human psyche, exploring the intricacies of emotions and thoughts that often go unspoken” she explains.

‘Where The Mind Wanders’ features previous singles “WLYTK”, Slowe’s avant-soul exploration of withheld feelings, the retro-tinged slow jam “Superego”, and the urban jazz-hop groove “Fix Me Up’” featuring Rachai. Speaking of seeking balance, certainty and clarity when moving forward it “perfectly summarises the themes on the album and what I was going through when making these songs” Slowe adds.

‘Feel’ features a team of local, Bristolian musicians: Eli Jitsuto from Snazzback plays the guitar, Sam Fox adds the melodic bass riff, Conor Harrington is on drums and Laurence Fazakerly Buglass brings his effortless keys into the mix. As they dance in a sultry, sparse arrangement the focus shifts between two imperfect people navigating bad habits in a relationship, where they are ultimately overcome by unconditional love. Embedded in the album is the J Dilla inspired instrumental gem, “Inertia”, through which Slowe’s production takes mainstage with the captivating, improvised saxophone from Oli Morris. ‘Stay Right Here’ celebrates a 10-year milestone in her relationship, “it's quite a beautiful thing to know someone that well and to have shared so much together” Slowe reflects, embracing her contentment. Aiming for a classic, 70’s soul feel, Slowe and the co-producer Laurence composed a string section by layering each player and recreated a gritty, vintage quality with pedal effects. “Solar” captures a feeling of seasons moving past you, whilst feeling stuck in winter, which comes through in the raw, acoustic feel. In response to this tension, the following track “Lunar” reassures with a success story of breaking free from the anxiety that holds you back and prevents you from reaching your full potential. The final, psychedelia-tinged track “Calibrate” closes the album.

Following continued support from resident DJ James Threlfall, BBC Introducing have shared a short, exclusive, live rendition of “Superego”. The project has also garnered support from Robert Elms (BBC Radio London), Don Letts (BBC Radio 6 Music), BBC Radio 6 Music’s Focus Beats, Valida and Scott Dallavo (KCRW), Boba Fatt and Tom Pickford (Soho Radio), Marshmello (NTS), Neil Bopperson and General Public (Balamii), Stereofox and Dummy Mag, among others.

Slowe’s DIY approach is reminiscent of lo-fi beat-making; delicately layering together session recordings, and repurposing techniques akin to those of J Dilla and Madlib. The result is both nostalgic and fiercely contemporary, with sparkling Rhodes, vintage drum lines, and buttery vocals. The combination of Slowe’s radiant lilts and introspective lyricism atop the fuzzy, analogue warmth makes for swooning escapism. 

Tracklist:
1. WYLTK
2. Superego
3. Fix Me Up
4. Feel
5. A Simple Act
6. Inertia
7. Stay Right Here
8. Solar
9. Lunar
10. Calibrate

VA - Tokyo Crossover Night 2023 (Shuya Okino’s Unreleased Tracks)

All songs are previously unreleased! Compilation release in conjunction with the popular radio program "TOKYO CROSSOVER RADIO". The latest collection of original, re-edited, cover, and remix works for Shuya Okino's diverse projects. Jazz, house, disco, R&B, boogie, and broken beats are all covered to color the Tokyo nights!

Tracklist:
1. Kyoto Jazz Massive – The Mask (Aartek Jets remix)
2. Kyoto Jazz Massive – Get It Together (Shuya Okino & ROOT SOUL remix)
3. Kyoto Jazz Sextet – Still In Love (feat. Navasha Daya)
4. Kyoto Jazz Quartet – Transcend Me
5. Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra – Substream
6. Kyoto Jazz Massive – This Feeling (Mochi Men remix)
7. Root Soul – Feeling Good (feat. Leon King - Shuya Okino Re-Edit)
8. Miomatic – Step Into Our Life (Shuya Okino re-edit)
9. Shuya Okino – Shine Feat. Diviniti (feat. Diviniti - Root Soul Boogie remix with Soki Kimura)
10. Shuya Okino – The Light (feat. Ruth Koleva)

*Bonus (Kyoto Jazz Massive live in the Brownswood Basement)

Simon Mavin - Good Hair Day / Only You & Me

Bastard Jazz is proud to present the debut EP from producer and multi-instrumentalist Simon Mavin. Most well known as the Grammy nominated keyboardist/co-producer and co- writer of the celebrated Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote, Simon’s had a hand in multiple projects across the spectrum, but has yet to release under his own moniker until now.

The EP, which features two original tracks and two remixes from fellow Aussies Harvey Sutherland and Close Counters starts out was recorded in-between projects at the Grove, a small recording sanctuary in Melbourne. In Simon’s studio, he had installed a library of keyboards. 30-40 synthesizers, all of which were painstakingly patched in to be simultaneously accessible and ready to record in an instant. A drum kit in the corner was constantly mic'd up, and everything routed through a multitude of analog mixing desks providing different flavours of tone and texture. The Grove had such appeal that it was chosen as the studio to record the Gilles Peterson compilation ‘Sunny Side Up’ on Brownswood Recordings.

Things kick off with “Good Hair Day”, a track originally blossoming from an infectious piano loop in which fellow collaborators Nick Lam and Henry Hicks added guitar parts and bass parts. What’s resulted is a danceable, infectious feel-good dancefloor jam with an ultra funky synth bassline that harkens back to Herbie Hancock’s 1970’s repertoire. Harvey Sutherland takes the tempo up and takes the track deeper into outer space with deep synth work, four on the floor drums, and a punchy bassline for late night sessions.

On the flip, “Only You & Me” is a lower tempo, slow burning joint with a live drum loop played by Nick Martyn, with an alien bassline, squelching keys, otherworldly oscillating vocodor parts and jazzy keyboard solos. Up and coming trio Close Counters take the song into new territory, stripping things down with a classic Broken Beat vibe, a driving bassline and synth stabs from the original, moving things squarely on the dancefloor – definitely a track for the breakers in the building. 

Tracklist:
1. Good Hair Day
2. Good Hair Day (Harvey Sutherland Remix)
3. Only You & Me
4. Only You & Me (Close Counters Remix)

*Bonus (Simon Mavin | Good Hair Day | Breakdown Video)

VA - Tramp 45 RPM Single Collection, Vol. 16

Another volume in the '45rpm single collection' series. 19 tracks representing a wide selection of rare grooves, covering genres like vocal jazz, mod-jazz, modern soul, deep funk and afro beat.

Tracklist:
1. The Echomen - Let's Get Together
2. The Echomen - Talk Is Cheap
3. Dianne Elliott - When He Speaks
4. Dianne Elliott - The Ring
5. Wayne Powell Octet - Tutzy
6. Wayne Powell Octet - Blue and Easy
7. Van Buren - Bronco Queen, Pt. 1
8. Van Buren - Bronco Queen, Pt. 2
9. Frederic Rabold Crew - Beatschön
10. Frederic Rabold Crew - Open House
11. Rosie & Eddie - Undun (Short)
12. Earl Turner - S'Port City Rock
13. Earl Turner - Sunshine
14. Hanns G. Schmidt-Theissen - Dedicated to the Stars
15. Hanns G. Schmidt-Theissen - Blowing Blue Beat
16. The New Lucky Seven - Woodhead (Pt.1)
17. The New Lucky Seven - Woodhead, Pt. 2
18. The KutiMangoes - Fire
19. The KutiMangoes - Money Is the Curse (45 Edit)

Secret Night Gang - Belongs on a Place Called Earth

Manchester jazz-funkers, Secret Night Gang return with their sophomore album “Belongs on a Place Called Earth”, due for release on Digital, CD & 12” vinyl formats on 23rd June 2023 via Brownswood Recordings. “Belongs on a Place Called Earth” is a record birthed from the emotional rollercoaster the world collectively faced over the past few years, as a result of the pandemic.

A time which cultivated self-reflection and profound life questions leading to an evolution for the Manchester natives. This new record is undeniably a fresh & bold new sound, with the leading purpose of permeating hope & light through their music. In continued strength to strength, Secret Night Gang are carving their own lane across the British jazz & street soul scene and this upcoming album, is set to take them to new heights.

Tracklist:
1. Respect Me
2. Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings
3. One and Only
4. Never Ever
5. Find a Way
6. When Will the Sun Rise Again
7. Do for You
8. Out of My Head
9. Every Nation
10. Things Will Work Out

*Bonus (Secret Night Gang - When Will the Sun Rise Again (Live at TRC))

Jonny Benavidez - My Echo, Shadow and Me

In collaboration with Timmion Records, Daptone is proud to present My Echo, Shadow and Me, the debut album from the soulful Chicano brother, Jonny Benavidez. Hailing from San Diego (via El Paso, TX), Jonny's desire to sing was influenced by his grandfather, John Lorenzo Guzman, who as a teen in the early sixties spent some time harmonizing with groups in El Paso–most notably Sonny Powell and the Night Dreamers. When he was 13, Jonny was given a record player and a box filled with R&B, Doo-Wop, and Soul 45s that he studied obsessively, employing the harmonies and meloldies therein to cultivate his own unique voice. After a chance encounter with the legendary Dimas Garza, Jonny's career began to blossom and soon he would find himself singing alongside stars like Eugene Pitt and Archie Bell–garnering the interest of Timmion Records.

Backed by the incomparable Cold Diamond & Mink (Bobby Oroza, Pratt & Moody) two incredibly successful singles were cut and plans for a full length were struck, culminating in 11 original songs penned by Benavidez. From the uplifting bounce of the title track, the doo-wop dinged "Dedicated to You", the Latin flare of “Uncle Sam,” to the Sweet Soul masterpiece "Somebody Cares" (licensed and released on a Penrose Records 45), My Echo, Shadow and Me is not only an aweinspiring display of Jonny's versatility as an artist but also serves as a window into the eclectic array of soulful sounds that inspired him to fall in love with music and become a singer. A must have for fans of Daptone, Timmion, Penrose, et al. 

Tracklist:
1. My Echo, Shadow and Me
2. Playing the Fool
3. Uncle Sam
4. Tell Me That You Love Me
5. Slow Down Girl
6. Dedicated To You
7. Somebody Cares
8. Do What You Wanna Do
9. Your Last Song
10. Let's Get Together
11. Dear Mother and Father

VA - Menace In Sync

Tracklist:
1. Jeremy Talon – Stank Face Patrol
2. Paloma Paloma – Même Heure Même Endroit
3. Jo Wedin – Things Aren’t Getting Better
4. Underground Canopy – Ya Quoi
5. NO(w) Beauty – Cube
6. Hermon Mehari, Hugo LX & Rob Clearfield – Samus
7. NK Music – Memnom
8. Elise Preys – Petites Heures
9. FUZ – First Light
10. Jeremiaah – My Unicorn
11. Marc-Antoine Perrio – Overnight I
12. Antoine Berjeaut – Drownin’

Eddie Chacon - Sundown

In 2021, Eddie Chacon and John Carroll Kirby decamped to Ibiza for two weeks. There, they rented the island’s only Fender Rhodes from one of the local rave crews. John posted it against the plaster walls and concrete floors of their temporary home, which was set into a green hillside overlooking a beach called Siesta. As they worked on Sundown, Pharoah Sanders’s “Greeting to Saud” was a daily listen. Instead of emulating its sound, Eddie absorbed its deeper lesson – that simplicity wins out over virtuosity every time.

They wrote the first half of Sundown during that Ibiza stay and finished it at 64 Sound Studios in Los Angeles, where they both live. Joining Eddie on vocals and John on production and keys were Logan Hone (flutes and saxophones) Elizabeth Lea (trombone), Will Logan (drums) and David Leach (percussion). “It feels like we’re building our dream house,” says Eddie. “With Pleasure, Joy, and Happiness, we poured the foundation and now we’re expanding into new rooms.”

The two artists have worked together before, on Eddie Chacon’s 2020 album, Pleasure, Joy and Happiness. It was in 2019, when he met John Carroll Kirby – a prolific artist in his own right who’s collaborated with Steve Lacy, Frank Ocean, Solange, and many more – that Chacon considered a return to releasing music. Pleasure, Joy and Happiness was meant to bring closure to a music career that began when Eddie was a teenager playing in Bay Area garage bands, and peaked in the 1990s when, as one half of the duo Charles & Eddie, he topped charts internationally with “Would I Lie To You”, before deserting the business. Eddie didn’t expect much from Pleasure’s release, and was amazed to find it resonated widely, gaining him a whole new fanbase and reinvigorating his career.

Eddie says that only at his age – 59 – could he have the life experience and quiet confidence to make Sundown. That this new record exists at all is a surprise to its creator. As Eddie says, “Sundown is the follow-up I never thought I would get to make.” 

Tracklist:
1. Step By Step
2. Far Away
3. Comes and Goes (feat. Logan Hone)
4. Sundown
5. Holy Hell
6. Haunted Memories
7. Same Old Song
8. The Morning Sun

Yaya Bey - Exodus the North Star

Recently hailed as one of the artists “Shaping The Future Of Music in 2023” by Pitchfork, Yaya Bey returns with ‘Exodus the North Star’ EP, released March 24th on Big Dada.

The EP — which across its six tracks features collaborations with Jay Daniel (“12 houses down”), Exaktly (“ascendent (mother fxcker)”, a track recorded at London’s infamous Abbey Road Studios) and Nativesun (“when saturn returns”) — picks up where previous album ‘Remember Your North Star’ left off, comprising an emotional rollercoaster that draws on elements of R&B, soul, jazz, reggae, afrobeat, hip-hop and house music, all underpinned by Bey’s intentionally hope-filed and ultimately joyful lyrics.

"Exodus the North Star is my most vulnerable work to date. This is how I see joy and love in the world and what I aspire to feel and be. I have become an expert at turning my pain and grief as a black woman into music. Black people have a masterful way of telling our stories and sharing pain, but we are also masters of joy and imagination. We have always been in a global conversation about how to alchemize our experiences and reimagine our circumstances. From the ties between Lovers Rock and R&B to Gospel and House. Our joy is a collective effort.

I rarely write about what I would like my existence to be in this world. This is a new level of vulnerability for me. Proclaiming my desires. What I’ve come to learn I deserve. This is my thank you to my people: my peers, the elders and the ancestors for being in this work with me. Cheers to the future." - Yaya Bey

‘Exodus the North Star’ follows her exceptional, critically acclaimed album ‘Remember Your North Star’, a perfect showcase of Bey’s ability to tap into the emotionally kaleidoscopic nature of women, specifically Black women. With themes of misogynoir, unpacking generational trauma, carefree romance, parental relationships, women empowerment and self-love, ‘Remember Your North Star’ captivated listeners, and was cited as one of the albums of 2022 by the the New York Times, Pitchfork (who also named it ‘Best New Music’ on release), The Guardian, NPR, GQ, Crack Magazine, Rough trade and Bandcamp among others. Bey’s music has also been featured by the likes of Rolling Stone, T Magazine (The NYT Style Magazine), Clash, Okayplayer, Essence, Document Journal, Harper’s Bazaar, FADER, Dazed, FACT and many more.

Following recent sold-out headline shows in London, New York and Los Angeles — playing alongside the likes of Perfume Genius, Grace Ives, Okay Kaya and others — Bey is set to perform at Elsewhere in NY on March 4th with Roy Ayers and dreamcastmoe, and Treefort festival in Boise, ahead of announcing a run of UK/EU dates throughout 2023.

Tracklist:
1. exodus the north star
2. on the pisces moon
3. when saturn returns
4. munerah
5. 12 houses down
6. ascendent (mother fxcker)

Yazmin Lacey - Voice Notes

Yazmin Lacey is a singer-songwriter who knows something about coming into her own. She came to music late, she says – “It's never late, but late in the perspective of that I'm doing it now,” – almost as if by fate. And throughout her time in the music scene, the 33-year-old has used her music as an exercise in capturing those moments and putting them into song, as if a snapshot of the intimate parts of her own life.

Debut album Voice Notes is yet another record of those moments. It follows on from three stunning EP’s; Black Moon (2017), When The Sun Dips 90 Degrees (2018) and Morning Matters (2020), a trilogy of sorts, named in part by the settings in which they were written. Voice Notes is similarly inspired by something that helped the album spring to life. A long-held tool of her music-making and way of sharing melodies with collaborators, it’s a method of communication deeply special to her. “For me, a voice note represents an immediate reaction to something,” she says. “[It’s] unfiltered and raw in the way that you can hear it.

Made out of studio jam sessions alongside collaborators like Craigie Dodds, JD.REID, Melo-Zed and executive producer Dave Okumu, the recording process intentionally captured the beauty of imperfection. Lacey opted to forego a polished sound to give way for rawness, the chance to “hear someone's pauses, their stops or the cracks in their voice” much like the album’s namesake.

Sonically she is uncategorisable, made up of many styles and influences. “There's lots of different flavours in there in terms of different ways I express myself,” she shares. “The things that I listen to, music that I love – it’s hard to place it. In some ways I would call it soul because that's where it comes from, my own soul. But I always avoid that; it's all perception.”

She has gained support from Evening Standard, The Guardian and BBC Radio 6 Music, holds fans in the likes of Questlove and notably appeared on COLORS in 2020 with song On Your Own. But besides those wider accolades, it is the smaller, unseen parts of her life that become the story of Voice Notes, and the intimate personal observations Lacey chooses to share with listeners. “For me, it's my reactions to my lived experiences,” she says. “It's the next chapter of all I've learned musically and in life through making those three EP's, and me letting go of a lot of stuff that has happened over the last few years.”

It is those experiences captured in the moment – “breakups, moving, starting again, making mistakes, losing yourself, finding yourself, and being able to tap back into the wider picture of what's important” – that come to the forefront, imperfections and all. 

Tracklist:
1. Flylo Tweet
2. Bad Company
3. Late Night People
4. Fool's Gold
5. Where Did You Go?
6. Sign And Signal
7. From A Lover
8. Eye to Eye
9. Pieces
10. Pass it Back
11. Tomorrow's Child
12. Match in my Pocket
13. Legacy
14. Sea Glass

Adjà - IRONEYE

Adja is Brussels-based creator, singer and performer Adja Fassa, an artist rapidly making a name for herself in Belgium and a multidisciplinary with big plans. On the 24th February, she is set to release her debut EP ‘IRONEYE’ via the groove-obssessed Sdban Ultra.

In a direct line from her personal growth to her artistic practice, Adja translates through jazz, soul, gospel and her ever-expanding and transforming experience of reality, simultaneously using the creative process as a vehicle to make known to herself the answer to those inner questions. Her goal: making her spiritual path in this life as tangible as possible. A force of nature on stage with warm, sensual vocals, Adja is evocative of artists such as Erykah Badu, Solange and Lianne La Havas.

Besides being a musician, Fassa is also a theatremaker, working towards what she calls "Sophisticated Soul in a hybrid concert format.” Her music takes centre stage, with her live shows gradually taking on an evolving theatrical character: telling stories through song, accompanied by sensory elements such as scent and symbolic images. All this stems from a desire to shed light on the plane of existence between everyday existence and the hidden stories from our collective memory.

On her music, Adja adds, “I am exploring what 'spirituality' means in this society, in the here and now. This, by not only treating it as an elusive abstract thing, but exploring how to make it as tangible as possible, which for myself means sharing sincere self-reflection with the outside world. I hope in that way to support those who are searching for the trigger to their own catharsis, as I wish to be one of many artists at service of those who are actively searching, actively trying to evolve. I hope some of those people resonate with my music and feel it moves them in the way they need to open up and start a new conversation with themselves, at whatever point they are in their life. I believe the first step to a better world is to look inward, but there is no reason we can’t do that together and share some laughs and cries while we do so.”

On stunning lead single ‘Told you so” she states, “‘Told you so’ is a song about integrity. In a way, I feel blessed with a curse. The curse of rapid failure when I deviate from what is true to me: It seems that, whenever I am - purposely or unpurposely - dishonest with myself, I crash and burn really fast. A blessing in that sense that it seems my Soul's purpose does not let me waste time, a curse because it means that the teachings of life rarely feel like a gentle push and often like a slap in the face.”

From a young age, Fassa always tried to understand the deeper layers in herself and others. A traveller in heart and soul, she studied theatre at KASK in Ghent and then in 2015, travelled to India and Nepal to immerse herself in yoga and other practices focused on the (sub)consciousness. Returning to Belgium to study jazz and vocals at the Leuven Conservatory, she began to combine her singing, theatre, and physical performance. She won the prestigious Sound Track competition for young talents in Flanders in 2021. 

Tacklist:
1. Told you so
2. To be naive
3. Default mode (interlude)
4. SambaFassa
5. What we are not supposed to feel

*Bonus (Told You So - Live)

The Freedom Affair - Freedom Is Love

The Freedom Affair are proud to present “Freedom Is Love Instrumentals” as a follow-up to the 2020 debut album of the same title. Ranging from driving funk, to luscious soul, with a tinge of gospel, listeners are now able to explore the complex accompaniment that backed the powerhouse trio of ladies featured on the original album. “Freedom Is Love” was recorded and produced by Chris Hazelton, utilizing the best of vintage and new recording technologies to create an authentic experience, befitting of a soul record that would have been relevant 50 years ago as much as it will be 50 years from now. The Freedom Affair’s debut single “Rise Up” was released by Loveland, Ohio’s Colemine Records in June 2019 and has appeared in Netflix’s “Self Made” as well as the worldwide spot for Apple’s iWatch Series 6.

Tracklist:
1. Heartaches Don't Come Easy (Instrumental)
2. Make Me Surrender (Instrumental)
3. Outta My Mind (Instrumental)
4. I Know Better (Instrumental)
5. Move On (Instrumental)
6. Rise Up (Instrumental)
7. Don't Shoot (Instrumental)
8. Give A Little Love (Instrumental)
9. One Nation (Instrumental)
10. Love Liberates (Instrumental)