DEGO Vinyl & CDs

Review: Dego's latest album is a focused, strip down affair that benefits greatly from extensive lead vocals courtesy of his latest collaborator, rising star Samii. As you'd expect, a few other 2000 Black regulars (Matt Lord, Mr Mensah and Kaidi Tatham) also lend a hand here and there, adding extra layers of warming, jazz-funk influenced musicality to a set rooted in broken beat, modern soul and the jazzier end of the dancefloor spectrum. Highlights come thick and fast, with our picks of an inspired bunch including acid-flecked, deep broken soul number 'En Route', the classic Kaidi and Dego style jazz-funk business 'Proxima Centauri', the sun-soaked brilliance of 'Warp 7' and the neo-boogie excellence of 'Don't Stall'.

Review: Over his long and illustrious career, Dennis 'Dego' McFarlane has made music in many complimentary styles, but it's been broken beat with which he's been associated with for the least two decades. Alongside his friend and regular studio partner Kaidi Tatham, he's developed a particular strain of "bruk" that incorporates elements of jazz, electrofunk, soul, boogie, jazz-funk and, more occasionally, hip-hop. It's this fluid, attractive, synth-heavy sound that's at the heart of The Negative Positive, his first solo full-length for two years. It's as well-made, soulful, slick and musically rich as you'd expect, with a series of stellar vocal numbers joining a swathe of similarly impressive instrumentals.

Review: UK legend Dego and killer keys-man Kaidi Tatham have been in a rich vein of form of late, dropping brilliant EPs on Eglo, Sound Signature and Rush Hour (the latter under their 2000Black alias). Here, they return to Eglo with four more slices of warm, rich, soul-flecked fluidity. As with previous outings, much of the material has a laidback jazz-funk feel, particularly "Orbiting Uhara" and the delicious "The Vault Descends" (think bustling bruk rhythms and darting boogie synths). They also offer up some tougher, synth-laden bruk-funk in the shape of "Man Made", while "Black Is Key" sees them unfurl a head-nodding vocal roller.