Juno Recommends Brokenbeat / Nu Jazz: June 2023

Review: In cahoots with legendary Japanese record store Jet Set, Freestyle Records has decided to offer-up a 45 featuring two tidy cuts from Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum 2 album, a second set of inspired cover versions from the multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and producer. On side A the Melbourne-based musician gives his take on Azymuth classic 'Veo Sobre O Horizonte', re-imaging it as a starry, vintage synth-laden shuffle through sun-baked South American jazz-funk complete with woozy horns, Herbie Hancock keyes and eyes-closed female vocalizations. On the reverse Ferguson turns his hand to Carly Simon's 'Why', adding gorgeous horn solos and sunset-ready flourishes to a faithful re-recording of the reggae-influenced number's familiar groove.

Review: Contemporary broken beat great Kaidi Tatham treads new ground as Shokazulu, a new alias. Tatham's M.O. is to add extra verve and groove to the often rigid broken beat sound, a trend that shouldn't have proliferated, given the ostensible rooting in ideas of freedom that jazz should have. 'Uniquely Fresh' sums this up to a T, mixing in all-live-performed funky basslines, jazz chords, intricate drum patterns and augmented melodic ornaments, while getting at something extra-transcendent and space-age. The slap-funk of 'Earth Is Not For Humans' is our highlight here.

Review: Any new tune drop the Jazz N Palms label is something worth getting excited about and this, the seventh, is another fine example of that. It is a label from an Italian beat maker and deep-digging DJ who lives in Ibiza and taps into the new Balearic sound. This one kicks off with the lively jazz stylings of 'Vamonos' then moves onto 'Con Alma', a broken beat dance floor viber layered with tons of percussion. 'Tiburon' brings more sunshine with florid flutes and big horns then 'Guirnaldas' closes with a steamy sax lead and funky breaks for good time sun-kissed fun.

Review: Cruisic are a Tokyo-based two piece dealing in electronically-charged jazz fusion. Ryusuke Kakizawa and Yukinari Iwata kicked the project off in 2019 with a cover of 'Inspector Norse', while last year they did their own rendition of 808 State's 'Pacific-707'. This time around they've invited Baku Furukawa to lend some smooth singing to a cover of Tania Maria's classic 'Come With Me', taking the song into dreamy bossa nova territory and providing they can handle vocals just as delicately as the instrumentation with their on-point covers series.

Review: Jazz N Palms is an elusive entity - are they a label, collective of DJs, or just one person: the producer Riccio? Whatever the case, they've got something of a rep for passionately mixing jazz and tropical music. Known for their regular parties at Pikes Ibiza (a classic spot - don't miss a visit if you go), their M.O. is to spin records only from an extensive collection of rare and exotic waxen slab vaults. Their EP 'Tormenta Tropical' here amounts as much to a tribute to this beloved music: Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms unfurl across just two neat cuts, as they're peppered by incredible guitar solos and bass propulsions. The essence of a tropical storm is thus caught in a sonic ester.

Review: Marshmallow is an album by The Sweet Enoughs, a project by Paul Bender, Simon Mavin and Lachlan Mitchell, also members of the Australian neo-soul band Hiatus Kaiyote. Compared to the latter project, The Sweet Enoughs are relatively obscure: 'Marshmallow' was released, no less, on Wondercore, who specialise in underground rarities from Australia. With its cover looking like an old mood music compilation picked up for 50p in Oxfam, the album ironically draws on easy listening, exotica and lo-fi music, carefully playing with our assumptions and pretensions around the genres. Nevertheless, beauties like 'Lena's Song' and 'Cabin Days' present far greater substance than their faux-exotic veneer lets on. Listen and find out what lurks under paradise.

Review: Three years ago, Dutch multi-instrumentalist and producer Noam Offir unveiled his debut album as Soul Supreme, a vividly realised fusion of jazz-funk, jazz-fusion, hip-hop, soul and electrofunk flavours that boasted impeccable musicianship. Poetic Justice, the rising star's hotly anticipated follow-up, continues in a similar vein whilst aiming higher. The musicianship is, if anything, even better, with liberal use of horns, P-funk synth sounds, Clavinet, warming electric piano motifs, loose limbed drums (blessed with the swing of live drums, but - we think - MPC-powered). It's basically the same old super Soul Supreme sound, taken to the next level. As a result, Poetic Justice is even better than its lauded predecessor. Don't sleep on this one!

Review: This is the sixth album by the Bristolian production duo The Allergies (DJ Moneyshot and Rackabeat), widely known for their funky, hard-hitting hip-hop originals. With cameos from the likes of Bootie Brown, Andy Cooper, and Dele Sosimi, their latest album 'Tear The Place Up' is a rollicking whirl, and has rightfully been touted as "hip-hop meets Tarantino", with many a cheesy thriller film reference and floor-shaking beat in tow.

Review: Jakarta Records return for a new mini-album with fresh jazz visionary and drummer Alexander Flood, whose latest opus 'Oscillate' takes from styles ranging from broken beat, to nu jazz, to breaks, and transports them all to the far fancier, experimental heights. Fans of Tom Misch, Herbalizer, Skalpel and/or Dego will all be pleased, for these are both light- and darkside jazzors, mixing everything from detuned arps ('Deja Vu') and panpipes ('Berlin') into an impressive live-drummed dance affair.

Review: Kryptox returns with yet another incredible album, once more hammering home their untoppled status as the best out their for weirdo jazz at the minute. This one's from Joel Holmes, a jazz pianist mainly stooped in the dance world, having worked with Carl Craig, Roy Hargrove and Common to name but a few. Into The Abyss is a sonic tour of the the present Berlin jazz and electronic scene, with fellow Berliners such as Ziggy Zeitgeist appearing as cameos, cropping up alongside other international guests such as London's Tenderlonious.

Review: Warp continue to expand their horizons (as they always have done), enlisting the the help of musician, MC, singer, producer and drummer Kassa Overall. Kassa is an innovator in the world of leftfield jazz and rap, blending the styles to dazzling extents and working with the likes of Vijay Iyer, Theo Croker, Geri Allen and Yoko Ono in the process. Animals is his third album, exploring questions ranging from humanity to race to freedom - the sound is slinky and smooth, with Kassa's vocal lines ranging from the autotuned to the unaffected. His backings, meanwhile, are both rhythmically free to constrained, with a looseness that recalls a more upbeat Lonnie Holley. Just one glance at its featuring artists, too, should be enough to tell you of the musical ecosystem Kassa emerges from - the LP contains cameos from a rather endless rank: Danny Brown, Wiki, Nick Hakim, Laura Mvula, Francis and the Lights, Lil B and Shabazz Palaces (just in case you were wondering about Kassa's credibility).