New releases last four weeks: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz

Review: Nutria Sounds is a new sub-label of Kai Alce's rightly revered deep house stable, NDATL Muzik, and it's back with 002 here with an EP by rising Toronto producer Marcelo Cruz, who delivers spiritually rich, dancefloor-ready grooves. 'Mi Espiritu (feat Jaidene Veda)' opens with haunting vocals layered over emotive percussion and bubbly drums, then 'Ceremonia' follows with Carlito Brigante's expressive piano dancing atop hypnotic rhythms that bring to mind sacred rituals. Closing track 'Deeper Dreams' dives into raw, underground territory with cuddly bass and stripped-back drums. It's a tasteful one from Nutria Sounds, which seems set to become a crucial new outlet for organic, soulful dance gems.

Review: The Treasure team keeps up the momentum of its early release with another fruitful dive into the annals of house history. This time, they have dug up more nuggets from FR and have refined them for contemporary floors. 'ET Is Coming Home' (vocal) is a slow and dubby cut with percolating live bass and muted horns next to some Ubiquity style vocal soul. The instrumental allows the superbly loose-limbed and live drums room to really shine, and then comes an epic, 10-minute-plus jazz-drenched house odyssey that's alive with swirling cosmic radiance and busy chords and synths. A real trip for proper music heads.

Review: Detroit native Ideeyah is a singer, songwriter and performer whose soulful vocals and lyrical storytelling touch the heart. Born LaKeisha Johnson, who you may remember from featuring on Theo Parrish's superb DJ-kicks mix. Here she steps up to his Sound Signature label with a new solo EP produced by Meftah. It begins with praise-giving spoken words and cosmic synths on 'Invocation (feat Maimunah Baqui)' then takes in deep and jazzy broken beats on 'Align', heavenly keys and vocal coos on 'Light' and slow motion grooves on '2020' where Ideeyah's effortless smooth and seductive tones melt the heart. 'Eat The Plants' and 'Sweet Chariot' are two more magnificent vocal pieces with gentle live drums and meaningful pads.

Review: Mukatsuku celebrates its 100th release on vinyl with two tracks lifted from the excellent, Japanese only long player Message From A New Dawn from Kyoto Jazz Massive who have recently been celebrating their 30th year anniversary of production and releases . Both tracks here are given full versions and their own side of wax for extra loud play and have been highlights of the ongoing live sets around the world from the outfit. KJM present their vision of the ultimate crossover electric jazz fusion and it all adds up to a fresh take on their iconic sound, crafted to push boundaries and inspire the future of nu jazz.

Review: Ambient Classics From Japan on Mukatsuku features two lush filled classics from the label Form@ Record label from the land of the rising sun....First up, Shuichiro Nakazawa under the guise of Modern Living from 1998 - initially taken from the CD only Art Form 2 compilation although it also popped up on Music From Memory's excellent Virtual Dreams collection - now gets a whole side on loud cut 180 gram vinyl to itself. On the flipside comes Virgo aka Yasutaka Sato with his gorgeous deep techno ambient gem 'System For Zodiac piece, taken from the Landform Code CD, of which only 30 copies were ever made and has never seen light of day to vinyl until now. No repress hand numbered to 300 copies and first 100 come with Japanese Origami paper crane + sticker.

Review: Analog Recital's new album fantastically collides the worlds of lo-fi house and jazz-synth sounds on Inner Tribe Records. Clearly drawing inspiration from early jazz-house production but adding new ideas to that, the record combines dynamic dancefloor rhythms with crusty drums reminiscent of classic hip-hop and live horns as well as traditional African drums. It features Adrian M Nation from Antigua and Barbuda and Millicent from South Africa on vocals, while Aussie Horatio Luna is on bass to make this a truly pan-global and richly musical affair. By merging live instrumentation with late-night club vibes in this way, Analog Recital really impresses.

Review: When this French producer released 'Rose Rouge' on his 2000 landmark album Tourist, it was more than a track. It was a manifesto. Built on hypnotic jazz loops, tight house rhythms and a sample from Marlena Shaw's 'Woman of the Ghetto', it was a vision of dance music that was cultured, expansive and deeply groovy. Its sophisticated blend of electronic textures and classic jazz sensibilities earned it a rightful home on Blue Note Records, elevating it beyond clubs and into the canon of genre-defying music. It remains a defining moment of jazz-house fusion. Two decades on, Jorja Smith brought her unmistakable voice to the track with a smoky, soulful reinterpretation that paid homage while casting it in a fresh r&b light. Joy Orbison's remix of her version on Side 2 injects another layer of evolution. It stretches the track into a deep, slow-burning cut, rich in atmosphere and bass weight, yet restrained and emotive. Together, these versions celebrate the enduring legacy and adaptability of Rose Rouge across generations and genres.

Review: Tweak's latest is another fine trip through rhythm, texture and atmosphere across three originals that are couched in broken beat. 'Generation' leads with lovely laidback grooves and a warm, gloopy bassline as precise electronics merge with a hint of vintage soul. The 'Red Rover' (Rework) is another sunny, horizontal sound with bubbly broken beats and lush flutes adding the hook, then 'Fathorn' explores darker, more tribal rhythms with deep bass and ritualistic percussion. Raw Deal's Freedom Time Remix of 'Fathorn' takes it further with some fluid grooves and expressive brass top notes next to glowing, golden Rhodes chords. A fantastically feel-good and fuzzy sound.

Review: While he's not put out many re-edits of late, Luke Una has serious scalpel-job pedigree. Back in the 2000s, he and then DJ partner Justin Crawford released a series of largely disco-focused edit EPs on the hush-hush Electrik Souls series. Here he returns to the format with the first in a series of reworks focused on his popular, dusty-fingered E Soul Cultura project. He begins by teasing out and lightly toughening up a killer Caribbean cut from the 1990s, Ella Andall's 'My Spirit Is Music' - an insanely rare and hard to find number that the Sheffield-born DJ has naturally tweaked sensitively. Elsewhere, he emphasises the 'proto-house dub' feel of Slick Mission's early UK house number 'Time's Up', before going even dubbed-out and more percussive on Manu Dibango's lesser-known cover of Latin disco classic 'Jingo'.