New releases last four weeks: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz

Review: The Situation collective, led by Mr. Mulatto and Frank Situation, returns with their new album Audio Proxemics. It's a rich, genre-blurring journey across nine tracks of soulful nu-disco, jazz-infused house and broken beat featuring global collaborators like Javonntte, Venessa Jackson and Faze Action's Robin Lee. The album highlights Situation's deep musical roots with live instrumentation that ranges from shimmering keys to brassy horns and guitars which elevate each track beyond mere tool status. From the club-ready sparkle of 'Mrs Donovan' to the sun-drenched groove of 'Bullit,' this is a warm, musical celebration perfect for summer days and late-night sessions.

Review: Jimi Tenor and Cold Diamond & Mink reunite for another cosmic soul voyage with July Blue Skies, a funk-infused, synth-drenched record out via Timmion Records. Compared to Tenor's previous work, Is There Love In Outer Space?, this one leans into a raw, mystical energy, blending mellow grooves with soundtrack-style funk. Over six immersers, we hear analogue synth extensions across hypothetical planes, evoking a romantic, gridded sky. The infectious 'Sky Train Baby', meanwhile, pulls listeners along a locomotive ride through rivered stars, while 'Venus Of Barsoon' launches into sci-funk territory with drums keeping to a fuzzier logic. On the B, Tenor's flute and sax shine on 'Ikuchi', while the previously released singles 'Summer Of Synesthesia' and 'Tsicroxe' dually release a formerly ambered preservative energy.

Review: For the first time, experimental saxophonist and composer Jimi Tenor finds Norweigan dance powerhouse DJ Sotofett, both teaming up for a collaboration: 'No Warranty Dubs'. Completing the trifecta is Berlin ensemble Kabukabu, the five-piece Afro-jazz-funkers whose original recordings - many of which were overseen expertly by Tenor himself - now come redistilled through a dubwise filter paper. The loose-limbed, lackadaisical energy of Kabukabu's live instrumentation merge fully with Tenor's genre-blurring composites, as Sotofett recasts fifteen tracks into rhythm-driven, bass-heavy versions. The original free jazz and Afro-influenced elements remain present, but they here serve as rawer material for layered studio treatments, channelling echo-drenched edit work and hypnotic repetition, where nothing ever rests to the point of complacency.

Review: The always innovative Emma-Jean Thackray's second album continues her tradition of exploring the edges of standard genres with a bold exploration of grief, selfhood and resilience. Created entirely by Thackray in her South London flat, it meshes jazz, pop, soul, p-funk and grunge into a personal journey in which tracks like 'Wanna Die' contrast frenetic beats with raw emotion while tackling mental health with humour and vulnerability. Featuring collaborations with Reggie Watts and Kassa Overall, the album honours individuality and neurodivergence while processing profound loss and results in Thackray's most intimate and daring work to date-an honest, chaotic, and cathartic celebration of surviving and thriving through pain.

Review: Originally released in 2002, this album remains one of Washington-based duo's most well-known albums, blending trip-hop, downtempo, and an eclectic mix of global influences. While it's often categorised as sophisticated lounge music, its world-fusion approach offers a real depth, from hypnotic opener 'Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes', featuring Emiliana Torrini's airy vocals over a light, looping keyboard melody and deep bassline, onwards. The track's ethereal quality sets a contemplative tone and back s it up with dynamic shifts that make it equally as engaging. 'Facing East' brings in Middle Eastern violin phrases and tribal drums, adding a richer texture. Here, Thievery Corporation excels, weaving together global sounds into a flowing, immersive piece. Tracks like 'The Outernationalist' and 'Un Simple Histoire' fall into the duo's familiar patternipleasant but formulaic dub and bossa nova elements that, while polished, don't push boundaries. However, 'Meu Destino' and 'Exilo' set themselves apart thanks to the authentic performances from Patrick de Santo and Vernie Verla, allowing the music to breathe without overproduction. Helping to validate Thievery Corporation's signature sound, this is a beautifully produced work and somewhat of a landmark in the history of downtempo lounge-hop.

Review: Lamunai Records present an 11-tracker spotlighting the more innovative currents permeating Indonesia's contemporary jazz landscape. Curated by Daniel Adisumarta, it recognises such standouts as Batavia Collective, We Are Neurotic, and Littlefingers, reflecting the diversity and depth of the archipelago's groove-driven output. The tightly woven breaks of Moon Pedestrian's 'Nothingness' contrast its offhand mood of spirituality, while Celetre's 'Mindspiel' presents a wonderstruck imaginarium of broken beaten woodwind jazz. As curator Chandra Drews puts it, "Indonesia's modern groove scene (is) filled with soaring breaks, introspective chord progressions, jaw-clenching grooves, and soul-soothing tones."

Review: Glasgow's Rebecca Vasmant is back with a sophomore album that comes through a new partnership between Women In Jazz, New Soil, and Marathon Music Group. Building on the acclaim of With Love From Glasgow, the bold Who We Are Becoming is another expansive vision for contemporary jazz in which Vasmant leads a 25-piece ensemble. Across the music, she explores themes of identity, growth and femininity and brings traditional jazz tropes up to date with modern textures. Featuring returning collaborators and new voices like Repeat Beat Poet and flautist GOkU, this record marks the first time Vasmant has included her own vocals, which deepens the personal resonance of the powerful sounds.

Review: North London musician Sam Beste is the creative force behind Vernon Spring, a long, carefully fangled project intersecting jazz, soul, ambient and experimental music. Pulling on a string of recording artistic greatness, part-inherited from his dad's record collection which packed Thelonious Monk and D'Angelo, Beste soon found himself in the world of the studio, working with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Kano, Gabriels and Joy Crookes. The Vernon Spring is his own claim to individuation, and the new LP follows twelve elegant songs, considering values of family loyalty and global responsibility in uncertain times, as they clash and harmonise in unpredictable step. Piano, electro-acoustics, spoken word and tactile ambient careens underlie the record, and features from Max Porter, Aden and Iko Niche help curate an equipoised, grounded mental mood.

Review: Norwegian pianist and composer Bugge Wesseltoft, a jazz innovator known for the diversity of his sound, is back with 'Am Are,' which is an expressive exploration of many sonic textures and dynamic contrasts. This album showcases Wesseltoft's inspiring collaborations with a constellation of superb musicians who bridge generations and styles. From sparse arrangements to complex layers of dubs and loops, Am Are highlights the power of human connection through improvisational interplay. Wesseltoft's curated selection demonstrates his passion for projects that spark creativity and celebrate the beauty of musical communication and make another fine addition to his catalogue.

Review: Adrian Younge's latest in the Something About April series is a stunning analogue opus that blends a 30-piece orchestra with breakbeats, synth work and Brazilian psychedelia. It has reportedly been years in the making and is the culmination of Younge's sonic vision as well as being his most expansive and experimental work to date. Brazilian vocalists, fuzzed-out drums and lush orchestration evoke MPB greats like Verocai and Os Mutantes and hip-hop kings Wu-Tang in equal measure. Tracks like 'Nunca Estranhos' and 'Nossas Sombras' are richly cinematic and deeply soulful standouts. More than a closing chapter, this record cements Younge's legacy as a visionary composer.

Review: Ziggy and the extended ZFEX crew return with their most ambitious project yet, a double album that dives deep into the tension between creative instinct and artistic intention. Spanning 15 tracks recorded between Berlin and London, the record sees the collective pushing their signature fusion of jazz, funk, and electronic influences into bold new spaces, with a fresh embrace of disco and highlife grooves. Throughout, vintage synths and off-kilter percussion meet the addition of electric guitar, adding a raw, expressive edge to the band's evolving sound. 'Astras Theme' sets the stage with a swirling, cinematic introduction, while 'Radicalise' brings a frenetic energy, driven by tightly wound rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation. Elsewhere, 'Shine Your Light' channels a cosmic funk sensibility, balancing the album's introspective moments with sheer dancefloor exuberance. With contributions from a diverse lineup of forward-thinking musicians across Europe, the UK, and Australiaiincluding appearances from Oscar Jerome and Tom Driesslerithis record stands as the most dynamic and exploratory incarnation of ZFEX to date. It's a project that refuses to sit still, capturing the restless spirit of a band constantly evolving yet always deeply rooted in groove.