ALDORANDE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Aldorande is a slick band with a positive sound. They impressed us last summer with their Summer Body EP and now the crew finds its way back to the acclaimed Favorite label in France once more. On this full length they casts free from planet earth and head off to explore interplanetary landscapes with their usual and distinctive jazz-funk outlook. Opener 'Fenetres Sur Le Temps' immediately has your head amongst the twinkling stars, while your rump is tied to the funky bassline. There is lush and loose drum work on 'Vortex Des Possibles' as well as splashy cymbals and upbeat funky riffs that melt the heart, 'Oracle' is a tight number with lush Rhodes and prickly perc tumbling free. A fine album.

Review: Should you be hankering after some suitably positive music right now - and let's face it, most of us are - then we'd recommend checking out this fine four-tracker from French jazz-funk combo Aldorande. There are two original cuts to choose from: the languid, laid-back and undeniably sunny breeziness of "Summer Body" - all female scat vocals, bustling jazz-funk bass, sweet pianos, two-step beats and boogie synths - and the bolder, more electronic fizz of "Breakfast In Space", which reminded us a little of vintage weather report. Charles Maurice delivers instrumental Dub versions of both, naturally beefing up the basslines and adding a little extra percussive pressure.