New releases this week: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review:  London-based DJ and composer/producer Phil Mison revisits his Ambala project with a fresh collection of immersive, sun-drenched soundscapes, weaving together breezy rhythms and luminous synth work. A defining force in Balearic music, Mison has long explored the genre in various guises, including Reverso 68 and Cantoma, the latter earning a place in chillout's informal "most revered albums" section. On this second Ambala release, he refines his approach, balancing crisp electronic foundations with warmer organics. A cast of collaborators from the Music For Dreams label join, including guitarist Santino Surfers (Jonas Krag), whose fluid solos range from sultry noir to Mediterranean reverie, composer Troels Hammer, and ambient producer The Swan And The Lake. The result is a dreamlike blend of melody and plunge-texture, perfect for late night reflection or hazy afternoons by the sea.

Review: Cassiano's Cuban Soul - 18 Kilates was first released in 1976 and is a landmark of Brazilian soul for the way it blends the groove of American r&b with native rhythms in a way few artists have matched. Long coveted by collectors, the album has achieved cult status and now returns remastered from the original tapes on 180g vinyl so it is sure to fly off the shelves. Cassiano's velvety vocals glide over lush, cinematic arrangements throughout and in doing so, evoke the grandeur of contemporaries like Tim Maia. From start to finish, this album is packed with depth, warmth and effortless cool, which makes it an essential listen for anyone who likes soul, samba and vintage Brazilian brilliance.

Review: New Zealand collective Leisure collides many different musical worlds on their genre-blurring sophomore album, genre-blurring. Soul, r&b, rock and pop all get taken in and worked into a lush sound defined by its experimental energy. There are several standout tracks like 'Money' and 'Feeling Free' that showcase their signature sun-soaked vocals and smooth grooves. Elsewhere, Twister brings a bold, modern take on funk, which has won over both fans and critics with 'On My Mind' a prime example of their boundless creativity and knack for warm textures and adventurous spirit. As such, it's a record that cements the group's place as contemporary innovators.

Review: Alex Puddu dropped his last album, Deliria, only back in September, but has been busy in the studio since then cooking up more of his international disco grooves. Professione Reporter is a stylish funk, soul and disco-pop workout all sung in Italian and recorded at Piero Umiliani's legendary Sound Work Shop in Rome. The album follows the cinematic story of a photojournalist who becomes a gigolo entangled in a glamorous underworld of money, romance and danger. Around that vocal narrative, Puddu delivers sleek, seductive grooves and plenty of authentic vintage flair with a sharp ear for melody and melodrama. Professione Reporter feels like a lost soundtrack to an Italian crime film that is moody, playful, sexy and irresistibly cool from start to finish.

Review: Two years on from the release of his Ubiquity label debut, the hard-to-pigeonhole Balearic/global musical fusion set that was Da Cuckoo YaYa, self-taught producer and multi-instrumentalist Reuben Vaun Smith returns with a fresh full-length. Once again, the warming, colourful and effortlessly atmospheric set is both gorgeous and hard to pigeonhole, with the Yorkshire based artist variously doffing a cap to dream pop, yacht rock, blue-eyed soul, shuffling downtempo soundscapes, soft-focus AOR synth-pop and sun-bright Balearic beats. It's the kind of set that not only impresses on first listen but also grows on you with each successive listen. Few artists can achieve both of these things on one album, so congratulations are most certainly in order.

Review: Aussie quintet, and dare we say boyband, Parcels return this September with their third LP, a 12-track set of sunlit pop-funk that threads wide-eyed joy through tighter songwriting and bolder grooves. Building on the layered ambition of 2021's Day/Night and the dazed soft rock of their 2018 debut, the band now lean into clarity. 'Safeandsound', 'Leaveyourlove' and the newest single 'Yougotmefeeling' hint at a group greater at ease with their own instincts, ditching overthinking in favour of directness. Album material has already slipped into their live sets, including a sharp run at Coachella last month. They're calling it a record about togetherness, honouring the unspoken shared between themselves and their crowd.