Back in stock: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The genre-defining deep house label Kaoz Theory headed up by the one and only Kerri Chandler has a real doozy on its hands here with the talented Devon Miles bring his Afro soul and acoustic guitar skills to a pair of new singles. 'Beautifull' appears twice on the A-side, one as a vocal mix by Kerri with skipping Afro house rhythms and gorgeous melodies next to jazzy horns, and another as an instrumental. The same tune comes three more times on the flip with Opolopo remixing and adding some extra weight for the club. The more meandering original is the one brave DJs go for despite its lack of rooted groove.

Review: Now we're talking. At the time of writing - mid-spring 2025 - Britain has been basking in the warmest March and April since the first Covid-19 lockdown, but dark skies and a cold lack of humanity are prevailing emotions. Far right, fascism, the death of creativity and the onslaught of automation are enough to leave anyone feeling like they've been locked out of the sunshine and have to fend for themselves against a torrent of chilling realities. But not all heroes wear capes. Some are just called Charles Petersohn, and they make sun-soaked, soul-inspiring, warm jazz-inflected deep house that feels born in a more natural period of Earthly evolution. In fact, it was born after time spent in South Africa, one of the global epicentres of this genre, where the producer was involved in an NGO charity project. Immediately catchy, resolutely life-affirming, and probably the grooviest thing we've had all month.

Review: Unusually adept, jazzdancey sonic handicraft from new Rekids signee, Quiet Village. If we at Juno could issue some kind of official rosette or emblem for 'wicked production skills'- on par with a master builder's sextant-engraved headstone - then we'd award Quiet Village with one such memento in a heartbeat. 'Reunion', pressed onto vinyl for the first time here, hears a loose yet effortlessly rhythmic drum break furl, dance about a smooth, nighttime jazz progression for sax and piano. It's giving visions of a down-and-out PI in an 80s neo-noir/romantic drama genre fusion, except this protagonist has just tuned into Rinse FM for the first time - and Rinse FM, in this alternate reality, exists in the 80s. The 'Reprise' version is equally as evocative, sans-ing the drums to allow space to listen to just the melodics, just the overarching ambiences. It's as if Quiet Village know that the true force of the tune, its essence, rests in the core mystique of the aforementioned instrumental combo; the ghost of the drums may continue to play back only in our minds, yet we continue to dance.