Madlib Invasion US Vinyl & CDs

Review: This is the second new entry into Madlib's recently launched Madlib Invazion Library Series. It comes from The Nesta Vaults and finds Jake Ferguson and Heliocentrics man Malcolm Catto offering up their own unique and instrumental take on cosmic funk and psychedelic jazz. The 11-track set is deeply mystic and mesmerising with ethnic melodies leads and plenty of trippy guitar lines over compelling rhythms. At times it's woozy and late length and at others its more experimental and dark in its careful exploration of the unknown. A creative collection that makes another fine entry in this young series.

Review: These seven tracks of scuzzy, lo-fi indie are ingrained with the sound of London streets. The trio of musicians behind it - guitarist Barrie Cadogan, bassist Lewis Wharton and drummer Malcolm Catto - draw on all their 25-year plus experiences of working in multiple genres to serve up blues and rock collisions, psyched-out indie trips, gauzy, summer of love sonics and breakbeat and jazz fusions. The tracks were recorded with minimal overdubs making for an expansive and all consuming sound where the driving rhythm sections do the heavy lifting while the swirling sonics up top take things to a higher level. It might be deeper and darker than you'd expect of this band, but what else would you expect of a record made during this most weird of years.