Vinyl - R&B / Modern

Jazz, soul and hip-hop influenced the collection of nine songs takes you on a gorgeous journey with rap, instrumentals and soulful vocals.

The album opens with the immediately immersive Cloudy Day featuring the captivating vocal presence of Minna Forouzandeh. As an opening track, it’s a winner. Minna also features on several tracks such as Battlefield, Dark Smoke and Cut to the Cheese, and carries each into the highly-seductive genre of lo-fi/neo-soul. Elegant, and dreamy and all enthralling.

Between these sumptuous singles, the band produce two modern hip-hop tracks both of highly-listenable quality. UK Rapper Isatta Sheriff spits rhymes, fluid and sassy on Stepney Tale. Her life reflected in engaging verses. And the single – Stay Mellow features fellow Dane Blacc El who delivers a smoother rap, with a Q-Tip, Arrested Development style of flow. There are 5.41 minutes here to savour. And interluded between these tracks are three instrumentals, Danish Design Part 1 & 2 and Club Berlin, demonstrating their jazz-influenced roots, with edgy beats, electronic keys and samples. The groove on these is endlessly-playable. Each track earns its inclusion and announces Athletic Progression as a band with an exceedingly bright future.

Dark Smoke is an album to inhale, absorb and enjoy – Scandinavian Soul

Instead of re-releasing the entirety of ‘All Keyed Up’, Time Capsule and curator Pol Valls opted for a cut-down EP. Made up of ‘Eden Celebration’, ‘Melodic Heaven’ and the title track, which is presented in its original form, and as an extended Time Capsule Seaside Mix, it's a remarkable window into the freshness of creativity and vision that helped launch Tankard into a beautiful, lifelong career in music. And yet, as impressive as his story is, from the first listen, it becomes instantly apparent that the rainforest rhythms of ‘Eden Celebration’, the Linn drum jazz-funk of ‘Melodic Heaven’ and the sunset piano boogie of ‘All Keyed Up’ all stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the larger-than-life tales that swirl around Tankard. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. - Test Pressings

Budamunk & J.Lamotta present their collabo project "Searching Skies" via Jakarta Records. Tokyo x Tel Aviv x Berlin.

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The sustained success of J.Lamotta’s varied career – from her solo releases “Brand New Choice” (2020) and “Suzume” (2019) to her features with Suff Daddy and others – has made the Berlin / Tel Aviv artist a growing international name. She keeps the prolific momentum moving with “Searching Skies”, the collaborative album with Tokyo-based producer-mastermind BudaMunk, to drop via Jakarta Records on November 5th, 2021.

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Musically, the LP merges Lamotta’s iconic R&B, jazz-meets-Neo-Soul aesthetics with BudaMunks laid-back, perfectly imperfect lo-fi hip-hop productions. The collaboration couldn’t come at a better time, as J.Lamotta sees her loyal fanbase growing in Japan. Meanwhile, BudaMunk’s consistency for perfectly-imperfect productions have made him a master of the relaxed flow rhythm that stays fresh and keeps you nodding. – Bandcamp

Curtis Harding makes music that exists in both past and present. He's proudly informed by vintage soul and R&B sounds of the 1960s and '70s while showing love and respect for contemporary hip-hop and possessing a mindset that's tuned into the world in 2021. Harding's first two albums, 2014's Soul Power and 2017's Face Your Fear, were outstanding works that confirmed he was as talented as anyone in the retro-soul community, with the addition of a visionary outlook and songwriting skills that set him apart from his peers. Harding's third LP, 2021's If Words Were Flowers, finds him going from strength to strength, with a set of tunes that deliver an emotional impact while finding him continuing to stretch his musical boundaries. The rich bass, echo-laden guitars, and layers of percussion are familiar from his previous releases, and Harding and producer Sam Cohen have added lush string and horn arrangements and massed vocals on several numbers that boost the atmospherics, reinforce the psychedelic undertow of the melodies, and give the music a feeling of thematic unity that adds to the effectiveness of the material, individually and as a suite. Much of If Words Were Flowers was written and recorded during a time of unrest and uncertainty in the United States, and without calling out specific political and social themes by name, it plays very much as a product of its time, with Harding using love as a metaphor to discuss human understanding and compassion as well as its absence (especially on the cool but impassioned "Where Is the Love"). The arrangements often nod to the conscious funk and soul anthems of the late '60s and early '70s, both in their taught grooves and the mingled moods of hope and confusion. And Harding continues to impress as a vocalist, delivering strong, authoritative, and perceptive performances on all eleven tracks. Harding drew the title If Words Were Flowers from the old saying that you should give flowers to those who matter in your life while they're around, not after they're gone, and this music is a gift to a world in need of some loving care; it's never sappy but offers a message of spiritual succor to those who need it, and it's a great, rewarding listening. – All Music

There was once a young African princess who embarked on a huge journey in pursuit of her dreams. She arrived at a mystical island covered in clouds where she met a cunning wizard...sounds like the beginning of some Disney fantasy? The truth is not so different! The Princess is Sena who came from Accra, Ghana to a festival in the centre of Budapest, Hungary and met a musical wizard by the name of DJ Vadim... that was in 2005. What happened that night was the meeting not only of like minded souls, but the beginning of a future journey into sound and space. First came recordings for Vadim's Soundcatcher album, 'Talk To Me' (2007 BBE) which was much lauded by Gilles Peterson at the time... this led to a long process of creating an album. - Bandcamp

From local imprint Darker Than Wax, reaching out worldwide!

Nomad’s Land is essentially an honest reflection of the artist’s life experiences - inspired by people, relationships, psychedelic experiences, and human existence. The album also represents Dominic’s first outing as a vocalist, bouncing between soulful singing, spoken word, and freestyle rap. This vocal element is crucial to the album’s impact, adding a layer of heart and truth to these deeply personal compositions.

Deep diversity can be found throughout the record, from the sino-grime inflected Time Unremembered, to the lush piano-trio vibes on Feeling, to the glitchy breakbeat jazz hybridity of DMT. Yet despite these seemingly disparate shades, Nomad’s Land is a singular statement and front-to-back listening experience, unified by beautiful production and grounded in raw musicality.

With early support from Alex Barck (Jazzanova), Soul Clap, Simbad, Ennio Styles, and Jad & The (Beats of No Nation) 

It's been four years since Eglo Records' Fatima released 2014's Blue Note-approved, critically acclaimed debut Yellow Memories. This September, the London- via -Stockholm, Sweden songstress, returns with her second album, And Yet It's All Love — an emotional, yet entertaining trip through the full cycle of a romantic relationship, told in Fatima's now-familiar soulful style.

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From first singles "Somebody Else” and "Caught In A Lie" to "Waltz" and "Just To Hold You" — listeners are transported from first meet, the blinding honeymoon period and struggle right through to the break-up and eventual fallout. Once again, she calls on a talented array of producers and instrumentalists to paint that picture; from Stones Throw's MNDSGN, J.D Reid (Mabel, D Double E), Purist (Daupe), Taz Arnold (Kendrick Lamar), Swarvy and regular collaborator, Natureboy Flako.

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Early support has already come from the likes of Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music/Worldwide FM), Benji B (Radio 1 / 1Xtra), Toddla T, NTS Radio, Crack Magazine, Pitchfork and Resident Advisor. Up-and-coming San Francisco-based illustrator, sculptor and painter, Monica Kim Garza crafts the album artwork, placing one of her powerfully intimate nude paintings at its centre.

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For the uninitiated, Fatima, has earned a reputation as one of the UK's most respected vocalists. Her debut LP Yellow Memories featured heavyweight collaborations with Floating Points, Theo Parrish and Anderson Paak producer Knxwledge. It was met with critical acclaim winning Gilles Peterson's 'Album Of The Year' at the 2014 Worldwide Awards as well as ranking No.10 in Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 20 R&B albums of the year before being re-released by the legendary Blue Note records. – Bandcamp

“The most curious element about the singer, however, the quality that makes her such a uniquely captivating vocalist, is the way she communicates these troubles—with a honeyed, masterfully wielded croon that leaves you with the impression she's comforting you about them.

It's that groovy, gentle-voiced extroversion that drives her debut LP Yellow Memories, a collection of "all soul music" that oscillates from genre to genre in keeping with the traditions of Eglo Records, the eclectic family of artists assembled by electronic producer Floating Points and label head Alexander Nut. Stylistically, Fatima could be compared to forebears Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and even—at her most whimsical—Janelle Monáe, but her delivery exudes a light sweetness, even when confronting heartbreak.” – Pitchfork

“Listen to Yellow Memories from start to finish and you're immersed in a distinct mood. Introspective R&B and soul is the theme. Much of the music is ambitious. Take the Flako-produced "La Neta," which switches times signatures halfway through, or the Theo Parrish-penned opener "Do Better," which has a sense of virtuosity and drama that's uncommon in modern music. Eglo boss Floating Points is a lynchpin to the operation, having produced five of the record's 12 tracks. His partnership with Fatima has created two of the best cuts here: the climactic "Do Better" and the comparatively pared down "Biggest Joke Of All." The latter is simply a boom bap beat, an amazing vocal performance and a keyboard jam, but its simplicity is exactly what makes it work.

Other guest producers here include Scoop De Ville, Oh No and Knxwledge. None of these are huge names, but all have cult followings in the world of leftfield beatmaking, and every one of these collaborations is a winner. Particularly worth singling out is "Circle," produced by Computer Jay and the ever-impressive Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra.” – Resident Advisor

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No longer content with merely capturing the sound of four wildly talented musicians in a room together, the Australian “future soul” group transforms on their vibrant and psychedelic third album.

For all the dynamism of their music, Hiatus Kaiyote have only a couple of lyrical moods: sultry or ecstatic. Nai Palm is an endearingly stoney lyricist, and, sure enough, she starts off “Chivalry Is Not Dead” with an erotic verse that sounds like it was inspired by a blazed viewing of a nature documentary: “If I were a leopard slug,” she sings, “I would reach out with the blue rose of ours, wrapping myself around you.” Digging more deeply into these feelings—not to mention the genderfucked reproductive practices they imply—could be a worthy next step. But even when she pares down her lyrics to simple paeans of love, lust, and devotion, her voice animates the words with pathos and meaning. On their best album yet, Hiatus Kaiyote shine by building an architecture around these emotions, coming alive when they allow themselves to be more than just a great band. – Pitchfork

Assume Form, James Blake’s 2019 album, detailed his joy at being in love. Blake’s other half, the actor Jameela Jamil, politely requested he find a new subject next time. He has obliged with a record about the pain of sundered friendships. Last year’s lockdowns helped him sort the keepers from the energy vampires; a few of these songs were trialled during Blake’s Instagram Live gigs in 2020.

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We all know losing a friend can be just as painful as losing a lover – “it hurts like the end of the world,” he sings on Coming Back. At first this elegant compendium of digital chamber music and subtle trap pop works like a breakup album. Many affecting tracks detail the sharknado of outrage and bewilderment in Blake’s trademark delicate soprano, offset occasionally by well-chosen collaborators (SZA, or rappers JID and SwaVay) or startlingly pitch-shifted vocals.

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But FTBYH also weighs in on the creative process, the business of music and comparing oneself to others. Lead single Say What You Will is a mellow anthem about self-worth, while Funeral is another key track. “I hold my ear to a shell,” sings Blake pointedly, “I hear something that no one can sell.” – The Guardian

The inaugural release on the independent Hidden Beach record label, Who Is Jill Scott? was produced by the A Touch of Jazz collective founded by Scott’s fellow Philly native and kindred musical spirit Jeff Townes, more affectionately known as DJ Jazzy Jeff. Named after the instrumental track of the same name from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s 1987 debut LP Rock the House, A Touch of Jazz boasts an impressive repertoire of top-quality records produced for the likes of soul stalwarts Michael Jackson, Bilal, Kenny Lattimore, Musiq Soulchild, Floetry, and Dwele, among many others.

Defined by its sublimely crafted ballads, laid-back grooves and sophisticated sonics, Who Is Jill Scott? is arguably the crew’s most inspired achievement, however. In discussing the motivations that fueled the album’s creation, Townes explains, “We did everything here, right down to having an involvement in the cover and the way the project looked. It was reminiscent of the old days when you had your hands in all the facets of making a record. It was very grass roots, and with little thought for the commercial aspect. We didn’t make it with the radio listener in mind, our goal was just to make a really good album that people would love from beginning to end.”

Mission accomplished. Though while Townes’ modesty is endearing, the album is far more than just really good. It’s excellent. An early 21st century masterpiece that has lost precisely none of its luster two decades on. -Albumism

Born in Assam, Gauhati, in Northeast India, but currently based in New York’s storied borough of Brooklyn, jitwam spent his formative years in New Zealand and Australia, before living in monasteries in Thailand, orphanages in South Africa, and washed out apartments in London. Of everywhere and nowhere, his music draws influence from a litany of iconoclasts including, but not limited to RD Burman, Moondog, The Velvet Underground, Yayoi Kusama, Jay Electronica, Jay Dilla, Moodymann, Leon Thomas, Madlib and Asha Bhosle.

Across the album he utilises knowledge acquired through years spent digging through dusty crates, and talents honed as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist. A series of stumbling, jazz/soul-rooted beat sculptures, each buried beneath a haze of fuzzy psychedelia, broken microphone blues, and articulated through a freestyled process he describes as “first thought, best thought”, ज़ितम सिहँ solidifies jitwam's spot as a major emerging talent.

Recalling the fourth world dreamscapes explored by oddball songwriters like Connan Mockasin, Clarence Clarity, Jai Paul, Silicon, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, it represents a time of transition and remembrance for jitwam, while still fulfilling the core qualities he looks for in song. In his words, “Music is a refuge. A shelter from the storm. A place you can go to close your eyes.” – Jitwam | Bandcamp

Amid the swirling sounds and scenes intersected by Los Angeles’ sprawling freeways, John Carroll Kirby is somewhere at the centre of it all, shirt open, hair slicked back. He circles the city’s buzzing jazz movement with his soul-dappled instrumentals and is a keysman, composer and producer who’s been enlisted by some of the most exciting names in contemporary pop: Frank Ocean, Mark Ronson, Harry Styles, Blood Orange, and Solange Knowles, whose incendiary past two albums, A Seat at the Table and When I Get Home, were shaped in part by Kirby.

He sees himself as more of a Ry Cooder character, the guitarist who co-directed the Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club. “He’s a kind of genreless musician,” says Kirby. “He’s just centred around guitar and where that fits into different scenarios. I’m trying to do something similar, but with the keyboard.” – The Guardian

Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter Jordan Rakei is back with his fourth studio album, ‘What We Call Life’, released via Ninja Tune on 17th September.

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‘What We Call Life’ is Jordan Rakei’s most vulnerable and intimate album to date. Its lyrics concern the lessons that the New Zealand-born, Australia-raised, and London-based artist learned about himself during therapy, a journey that began two years ago when he started reading about the ‘positive psychology’ movement. These themes manifest on songs like lead single “Family”, which Rakei says is “the most personal” he’s ever been with his lyrics. “I wanted to hit my vulnerability barrier and be really honest. It’s about my parents’ divorce in my mid-teens but still having love for them no matter what,” he explains.

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With so many artists being influenced by his style, it would be very easy for Jordan to stay in the same musical lane; but, as in life, he is determined to move his music forward. Such introspective subjects are a departure from Rakei’s last album, 2019’s ‘Origin’. Raising big questions about the way that technology and social media interferes with our sense of humanity, ‘Origin’ received praise from The Observer, Mixmag, Complex, and GQ, earned an unexpected shout-out from Elton John, led to a collaboration with rap legend Common, and saw Rakei give a show-stopping performance for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. – Bandcamp

D’Angelo lost his shit over it. Aaliyah’s 3rd favourite track of all time is on it. David Bowie rocked up with it to a TV interview, declaring it “the most exciting sound of contemporary soul music”.

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In 1996, Lewis Taylor released his self-titled masterpiece. A true modern classic, it’s an album that was years ahead of its time. Forget 25 years ago, it could easily have been made right now in 2021. An effortless blend of neo-soul, sophisticated pop, smart grooves and laid-back white funk, it enjoyed rapturous reviews from critics and music legends alike. But the album never managed to make an impact and given what was likely a token vinyl release at the time, the original records have long since been near-impossible to find. Lewis Taylor’s Lewis Taylor remains a holy relic for some and criminally unknown to most. – Be With Records

With the Verve Remixed project, Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, Melanie Charles sets out to take this group of songs and breathe new energy into them. Melanie was immediately drawn to the rapturous voices of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn who inspired her to record arrangements of “God Bless the Child” and “Detour Ahead.” This album is a love letter to the unheralded labor of black women. Melanie asks listeners to be accountable to black women as much as they care for their works. –Rough Trade

While jazz and funk are at the core of Michele Manzo’s musical foundation, the Italian artist deftly draws upon his inspirations in hip-hop, dub, and Brazilian music as both an instrumentalist and producer. But above genres, inimitable grooves are the key driver of his work, and in his grooves one can hear the vibe of a moment being captured and perpetuated for eternity. With this combination of musical depth and raw feeling, it is no surprise Michele has crossed paths with Darker Than Wax, and we feel truly blessed to present his LP ‘ALL RISE’ to the world.

‘ALL RISE’ is a genuine reflection of Manzo’s art form, which sees so many different styles and influences coming together in the most natural, organic way. Everything was recorded live using bass, synth bass, guitar, old analogue keyboards, blended together with modern synths, dub delays and ambient fx - giving off the familiar warmth of boom bap and progressive stimulation of neo-soul. The pervasive harmonies and clever use of chords give the album a real musical depth, but grounded with an effortless, natural approach to creation. - Bandcamp

Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker) fires off in a new direction while trying to bridge a gap with his diverse new EP featuring Afrobeat, R&B, soul, and Kaytranada—sometimes all at once. - Pitchfork

After teasing the project with a stylish Johann Rashad-directed trailer last week, Nick Murphy‘s Missing Link EP has arrived. Billed as “a new collection of tracks that bridge the sonic shift between Chet Faker and Nick Murphy,” Missing Link offers up five tracks in all and even kicks off with a collaboration between Murphy and Kaytranada, “Your Time.” The EP marks Murphy’s first post-Chet Faker project and follows the singles “Fear Less” and “Stop Me (Stop You),” both of which debuted in the latter months of 2016. - Hypebeast

Prince and his all-female backing band 3rdEyeGirl present Plectrumelectrum! A must have for the Prince completionist!

'The soul singer’s latest is a multi-perspective, multi-genre examination of addiction and family breakdown.'

'The R&B legend still stays close to the sounds that raised him, as on the straight-up gospel song “Belongs to God.” But even that inclusion belies an artist more willing to embrace loose ends, disorienting interruptions, and the unknown. On Jimmy Lee, Saadiq shout-sings, whispers, and croons with new abandon. It feels like a refutation of his old reserve, and it also represents a welcome stretch from Saadiq before he takes his sound all the way back to his beginnings: He recently announced that a Tony! Toni! Toné! reunion is in the works.' - Pitchfork

…Walking an idiosyncratic path that zig-zags between ESG-esque post-punk funk, early 80s boogie and something approaching neo-soul, without ever really fitting into any of those categories or sounding like straightforward homage. Whoever is on drums is clearly a big fan of Can’s Jaki Liebezeit: their playing adds a strange, hypnotic intensity to tracks even as laidback and sunlit sounding as 5’s We Are the Sun. Elsewhere, the dubbed-out spaciness of the production consistently gives everything a weird, disorientating edge, no matter how poppy the melodies get.

For all the sparseness of the arrangements – drums and bass, the odd wash of electric piano or blast of fuzzed-out guitar and synth – Sault seem as interested in writing songs as constructing grooves. Virtually every track is concise and to the point, rarely tipping over four minutes, and even the furthest-out moments - 7’s Red Lights or 5’s warped closer BABE – come with really powerful hooks woven through them. The net result feels simultaneously exploratory and confident, a really appealing, intriguing combination. Whoever they are, Sault sound like they know what they’re doing. – The Guardian