Review: Actress is back with another masterful diversion away from the tired old narratives of what dance music used to be. Darren Cunningham himself suggests this record is a 'voyage into luxury sonics', and you can find yourself carried away on some truly exquisite musicality whether it's the meandering jazz piano of 'Push Power (a 1)' or the haunting voices flickering through 'Game Over (e 1)'. Throughout, though, there's still that strong sense of Actress as he's always been, anchored by grubby rhythms, passing through a filter unique to his sound alone. This special edition of the album comes with a bonus disc containing the '88' LP, which originally only came out on tape and digital in 2020.
Review: Darren Cunningham continues his inimitable exploration as Actress with a new album reportedly informed by game theory. Drawing on the tactics of chess as a framework for creating and releasing his ninth studio album, the artist himself describes this as a 'voyage into luxury sonics', and indeed 'Push Power (a 1)' has a certain languid piano jazz sophistication to it. But there's still plenty of that rugged, off-centre groove beating away underneath, and in its subdued and singular style, it feels like an Actress record through and through. Profound, moving and bold in its originality, this is yet another triumph for an artist who constantly shakes up the conventions of club music.
Review: Actress (Darren Cunningham) releases his ninth album to date, 'LXXXVIII', coming as the very first presentation of the artist's voyage into "luxury sonics". ?A lifetime in the making, 'LXXXVIII' is the culmination of 25 years' honing mind-shorting, soul-igniting audio infusions for dancefloors, rave dens, festivals and concert halls. Less grainy than earlier works like Ghettoville or more recent albums like XX2RME, this one recalls a more immediate approach, the same onee heard on his forum-bound free downloadable albums, working in a wider stylistic gamut from minimal to glitch.
Review: Scottish artist Barry Can't Swim has made big moves in the last year or so and finally, he capitalises on his ever-growing momentum with a debut album on the mighty Ninja Tune. The multi-faceted talent explores his most broad and diverse range of sounds to date here with 11 sublime tracks that move from deep house to jazz, heavy and percussive Afrobeat to lush ambiance. Each of the tracks feels like a fine technical achievement with complexity at its core but never at the expense of good vibes, such as the choral harmonies on 'Always Get Through To You', smart samples of Brazil's Trio Ternura on 'Dance Of The Crab' and digital and organic blends on 'Woman.'
Review: Of all DJ duos currently operating in British dance music, Belfast boys Bicep might be the hardest to pin down (Optimo aside, of course). Certainly, this debut album is not easy to pigeonhole, though it is an enjoyably cohesive listen. This is largely down to two factors; the frequent use of deliciously colorful and loved-up synthesizer parts, and the duo's innate ability to utilize beats tailor-made for dancefloor devastation. So while keen dancefloor historians may notice sly (and not so subtle) nods to '89 rave, U.S house and garage, Italo-disco, late '90s progressive house, jungle and early British hardcore, the album never sounds anything less than a fine set of Bicep tracks. Expect it to be one of the biggest albums of the year.
Review: Bicep's second album is shaped by the experience of touring their debut long player for something like three years, a period during which they honed and perfected their instinct for tracks that would stand the test of time and repeated listening. What develops is a distinctive style typified by a combination of ethereal sonics and cheeky, memorable instrumental hooks, only set to a variety of beats that reference and indeed fuse the plethora of different dance genres that have sprung up since the acid house revolution if the mid-80s. So we get everything from the electro-tainted 'X' to 'Rever', where an African choir floats over a subtle deep house shuffle and 'Saku', where UKG bass pressure and skippy beats provide a hypnotic background for Clara La San's sweet but ghostly voice.
Review: Bicep's second album is shaped by the experience of touring their debut long player for something like three years, a period during which they honed and perfected their instinct for tracks that would stand the test of time and repeated listening. What develops is a distinctive style typified by a combination of ethereal sonics and cheeky, memorable instrumental hooks, only set to a variety of beats that reference and indeed fuse the plethora of different dance genres that have sprung up since the acid house revolution if the mid-80s. So we get everything from the electro-tainted 'X' to 'Rever', where an African choir floats over a subtle deep house shuffle and 'Saku', where UKG bass pressure and skippy beats provide a hypnotic background for Clara La San's sweet but ghostly voice.
Review: Since they emerged in 2019, there's been a fair amount of hype around Black Country, New Road, with one noted media outlet calling them, "the best band in the world right now". While that might be a little over-the-top, there's no doubting that they're a unique proposition - as this much-anticipated debut album on Ninja Tune proves. Stylistically, they're hard to pin down, variously fusing post-punk guitars, fuzzy Stereolab synths and folksy strings with thoughtful, story-telling spoken word vocals (think Arab Strap), restless bass guitar and drums and sax sounds that have more in common with the more experimental end of jazz than alternative rock. It's an usual mixture, but a hugely alluring and surprisingly coherent one. For The First Time is, then, a genuinely impressive debut album.
Review: Black Country, New Road marks a new chapter as a six piece with this new album of previously unreleased music. It was recorded by therm at the Bush Hall venue in London, a legendary place where they played six special shows at the end of last year. This follows a busy and sold out run of shows and the success of 'Ants From Up There' as Lewis Evans, May Kershaw, Georgia Ellery, Luke Mark, Tyler Hyde and Charlie Wayne find some of their highest nights. Critical and fan praise followed them everywhere last year and that will only continue with this, we sense.
Review: Top class New York producer Tony Simon has been delving into his archives to serve up reissues of a load of his most crucial albums. From the turn of the millennium onwards, he was a pivotal beat maker, joining the dots between instrumental hip-hop, trip hop, jazz, broken beat and downtempo in his own unique way. Downtown Science manages to be both organic and earthy yet synthetic and futuristic all at once, with real instrumentation and great vocal samples next to killer drums.
Review: A decade after Blockhead dropped his seminal Interludes After Midnight album it gets a deserving reissue on Ninja Tune. Blockhead is of course an alias of the revered New York producer Tony Simon who is reissuing all his albums at the moment. This one set a blueprint for the broken beat and nu jazz scene, with elements of trip hop and downtempo also colouring the grooves. Some tunes like 'Never Forget Your Token' have a Latin feel thanks to the keys and breaks, others are more psyched out late night store jams like 'Hungover Like Woah.' All are great.
Which One Of You Jerks Drank My Arnold Palmer (5:45)
Attack The Doctor (4:30)
The Prettiest Sea Slug
The Daily Routine (6:47)
Tricky Turtle (4:42)
Four Walls (5:44)
Pity Party (4:21)
Farewell Spaceman (6:38)
Review: Tony Simon is a hugely prolific producer from New York who serve up a dazzling array of album 20 odd years ago. He found a fine home forth on Ninja Tune who are all reissuing them now on some great looking and sounding vinyl. The Music Scene once again offers up a dazzling mix of sounds and influences from across the world. Hip hop, downtempo, broken beat, jazz and more all feature in his beguiling musical brews as you jump from hypnotic lead to bristle beats and back again.
Review: 20 years on from its initial release in 2004, Ninja Tune share the first ever reissue of Blockhead's Music By Cavelight. The New York-based alias of Tony Simon, this record is the quintessence of Ninja Tune's smoked-out trip-hop sound at the time, and for which Simon himself likewise came to be known. Recalling a time when instrumental beatsmiths were much likelier to consider their crafts artful enough to warrant calling their studios beat-smithies (as compared to the sadly throwaway feel of much instrumental hip-hop today), one can really hear the subtlety and care poured into each vignette here, our favourites among which are 'Bullfight In Ireland', 'Graveyard Hunt' and 'Bloop Bloop'; all play back like studies of a gritty, degage, sun-bathed vision of a bygone big smoke.
Review: Still-rising new electronica artist Ben Bohmer shares his first new studio album in three years, Bloom. Coming off an ambitious world tour in support of his previous album, Bohmer made a point to take time to himself afterwards, returning to the peace and quiet of his studio; the return would also help him process the heartbreak and grief that drove the inspirations of the record in equal measure. The artist embraces his imperfect journey thus far on the forthcoming album's first single, 'Best Life', featuring Berlin-based singer-songwriter duo JONAH. "Life is short and fast," JONAH remarks on the track. "You try, you fail, and sometimes we lose a special person along the way who is irreplaceable, but the memories stay with us, shaping who we are. 'Best Life' is all about that rollercoaster ride of trying, failing, and a reminder of the importance of living each moment to the fullest." The album features a swathe of styles and tempos that earlier tracks in his career feel like breadcrumbs to.
Review: Ben Bohmer's upcoming album Bloom marks a significant milestone in his musical journey, offering a reset from the pressures of his previous successes. The album, shows his growth as an artist, emphasising spontaneity and a return to his improvisational roots. The lead single, 'Best Life,' featuring Jonah, explores themes of life's fleeting nature and the importance of cherishing each moment. 'Best Life also represents a sonic departure for Bohmer, signaling his intention to break free from predefined musical boundaries. The album promises a diverse range of styles and tempos, featuring collaborations with artists like Lykke Li, Oh Wonder and Enfant Sauvage. Overall, Bloom appears to be a deeply personal and musically adventurous project that reflects Bohmer's evolution as a musician.
Review: Simon Greene aka. Bonobo is set to put forth yet another album from his own personal ether; 'Fragments' was born from actual sonic 'fragments' that were later repurposed into twelve full 'sonic affirmations'. A later escape into the wilds of California's deserts formed the bulk of this album's downtempo magnum opi; watch out for collabs with a foray of world-downtempo electronica acts including Jamila Woods, O'Flynn and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. One of his most heartfelt albums, expect all from lilting future garage ('Rosewood') to rave-nostalgic slow builds.
Review: Simon Greene aka. Bonobo is set to put forth yet another album from his own personal ether; 'Fragments' was born from actual sonic 'fragments' that were later repurposed into twelve full 'sonic affirmations'. A later escape into the wilds of California's deserts formed the bulk of this album's downtempo magnum opi; watch out for collabs with a foray of world-downtempo electronica acts including Jamila Woods, O'Flynn and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. One of his most heartfelt albums, expect all from lilting future garage ('Rosewood') to rave-nostalgic slow builds.
Review: Given his impressive track record, hopes are naturally high for Bonobo's sixth album, Migration, which is his first full-length since 2013. Happily, it's a majestic affair, with the producer delivering another sumptuous set of tracks. It was partly inspired by an extended period musing on the nature of personal identity, and the role that nationality plays in that. This concept is translated via thoughtful lyrics, and songs that draw musical influence from the four corners of the globe. It's not a big stylistic leap, of course - his bread and butter remains yearning, emotion-rich downtempo music built around gently jazzy grooves and impeccable live instrumentation - but given that few artists do it better than Bonobo, we'll forgive him for that.
Review: Since first emerging at the tail end of the '90s, Simon Green has become downtempo music's most marketable star, appealing just as much to occasional listeners and 40-something housewives as underground heads. Throughout that time, he's carefully shifted his sound to take in current trends and musical developments, whilst retaining a certain picturesque aesthetic. This fifth full-length, his fourth for Ninja Tune, continues that trend. Amongst the usual shuffling beats and twinkling melodies you'll find garage-esque vocal cut-ups, rubbery dancefloor rhythms, Floating Points style neo-jazz, string-laden two-step and some seriously wonky soul featuring vocals from Erykah Badu.
Review: Now a globally renowned world music innovator, Simon Green, aka. Bonobo's second album Dial M For Money turns 20 this week. As such it gets a special limited edition reissue from Nina Tune which serves as a welcome reminder of its seductive charms. This version has all new anniversary artwork and a special clear vinyl pressing with a rotating view mechanism built into the sleeve. The emotionally intense and richly layered sounds mix up hypnotic electronic machines with organic acoustic instruments as moods go from life affirming and celebratory to existential worries. Jazz, soul, funk and more all feature in this modern classic.
Review: Turkish-Italian DJ and producer Carla Frayman aka Carlita's debut album Sentimental comes on Ninja Tune and the lead single, 'The Moment,' features English producer SG Lewis. Sentimental reflects Carlita's musical evolution in recent times and offers a new dimension beyond her club-focused tracks. The album includes collaborations with DJ Tennis, Sicilian artist Orofino and peers like Mascolo, Elderbrook, Julietta and Cleo Simone. Carlita describes the creative process as both challenging and rewarding and aim to surprise listeners with her diverse musical expression. The track 'Time' has already become a crowd favourite and the rest of the album likely will too.
A Caged Bird/Imitations Of Life (feat Roots Manuva)
Lessons
Wait For Now/Leave The World (feat Tawiah)
The Workers Of Art
Zero One/This Fantasy (feat Grey Reverend)
A Promise (feat Heidi Vogel)
Review: Given the rise in popularity in new school jazz in recent years, it seems a fitting time to welcome back Ninja Tune stalwarts The Cinematic Orchestra. "To Believe" is not only their first album in some seven years, but also one of their strongest releases to date. Opening with the poignant neo-classical/soul fusion "To Believe", the set sees Jason Swinscoe and company attractively saunter between jazz-electronica fusion (Roots Manuva collaboration ("A Caged Bird/Imitations Of Life"), pastoral jazz epics (the sunset ready epic that is "Lessons"), gentle downtempo songs ("Wait For Now/Leave The World"), ambient jazz ("The Workers Of Art") and slowly unfurling dancefloor workouts (killer closing cut "A Promise"). In a word: stunning.
Review: It's astonishing to think that two decades have now passed since the Cinematic Orchestra first unveiled Every Day. While not their debut studio set - 'Motion' appeared three years before - it was undoubtedly the album in which Jason Swinscoe and company perfected their widescreen, string-laden and ultra-atmospheric blend of neo-jazz and downtempo. As this re-mastered and lightly expanded anniversary edition proves, the album remains a timeless classic. It's peppered with genuine highlights, with our picks including Fontella Bass hook-up 'All That You Are' (a slow-burn, emotive, downtempo jazz gem), the jazz-funk influenced dancefloor workout 'Flite' (also featured in bonus 'original mix' form), head-nodding hip-hop-goes-jazz gem 'All Things To All Men' (featuring Roots Manuva in his pomp) and 'Man With The Movie Camera', which started life as a new soundtrack to a classic silent movie.
Review: 20 years have now passed since The Cinematic Orchestra unveiled their soundtrack to experimental, Soviet-era silent documentary film The Man With The Movie Camera. As this deluxe, deliciously packaged anniversary reissue shows, it remains one of J Swinscoe and company's most timeless and on-point works - an effortlessly atmospheric affair that blends neo-classical strings and deep, smoky jazz instrumentation with subtle electronics, swelling ambient chords and nods to contemporary music. This time round, the album - which boasts highlights including the fan favourite title track, the dancefloor-ready 'Theme De Yoyo' and the stirring 'All Things' - has been pressed to coloured vinyl and comes accompanied by extensive new liner notes.
Review: When Marie Davidson announced last year that she would be, "retiring from club music", many wondered what she'd do next. Renegade Breakdown, her first album recorded with a full band (L'Oeuil Nu), answers that question. It sees the Canadian artist and her new collaborators deliver suitably arresting, personal and ear-catching songs built on mixing and matching a surprisingly wide variety of musical inspirations, from Blondie, classic disco and mutilated heavy metal guitars, to Kraftwerk, Billie Holliday, Fleetwood Mac and Daft Punk. It's a big shift for the previously highly experimental artist, but thanks to her skill as both a a producer and performer, one that works magnificently well.
Review: When Marie Davidson announced last year that she would be, "retiring from club music", many wondered what she'd do next. Renegade Breakdown, her first album recorded with a full band (L'Oeil Nu), answers that question. It sees the Canadian artist and her new collaborators deliver suitably arresting, personal and ear-catching songs built on mixing and matching a surprisingly wide variety of musical inspirations, from Blondie, classic disco and mutilated heavy metal guitars, to Kraftwerk, Billie Holiday, Fleetwood Mac and Daft Punk. It's a big shift for the previously highly experimental artist, but thanks to her skill as both a a producer and performer, one that works magnificently well.
Review: Mirrors is Armand Jakobsson aka DJ Seinfeld's first release on Ninja Tune. The acclaimed Swedish producer has stated that he wanted to retain a lot of the raw emotionality that brought people to his music in the first place, and is a real statement of where he is as a producer at present. From the pop-inflected breaks of opening cut "She Loves Me" featuring vocalist Stella Explorer, to the deep and emotive mood music served up on "U Already Know" featuring Teira to the glassy-eyed and bittersweet journey into the ethereal that is "These Things Will Come To Be", Jakobsson once again displays his knack for splendid melodies, killer basslines and immaculately programmed rhythms that have been central to his success in recent years.
Review: Newly signed to Ninja Tune, Ebbb debuts with a five-track EP that shows great intent. Emerging from the same London avant-garde live scene that birthed black midi and Black Country New Road, the band has quickly developed a unique sound in just a year. Their music blends pulsing rhythms, immersive electronic production, sparkling melodies, layered vocal harmonies, and beats that range from ambient to industrial. Described by the band themself as "Brian Wilson meets Death Grips," the EP is experimental and unpredictable yet deeply considered and precise with an idiosyncratic hybrid of sounds that showcases Ebbb's innovative and tightly crafted music.
Review: Cardiff-born DJ and producer Elkka nonetheless presents a 'DJ Friendly EP' here, reaffirming the need to treat DJs humanely and with respect. This EP is, indeed, literally DJ-friendly (at least, it's certainly friendly to the kind of DJ wanting to electrify dancefloors and not clear them), charting just three monumentally depth-charging cuts, all replete with sassy vocal choppage, sizzlingly chargy lead lines and bass builds and an overall wild energy.
Review: Elkka (Emma Kirby) is London Producer and DJ who has quickly rose to a strong international presence on the scene. After making her way as a local DJ in Cardiff to making a handful of EPs, she has made it across the Atlantic ocean and is now be releasing her first full length album on the mega Ninja Tune imprint. Here, you'll hear big room house tracks like 'Make Me' which samples 'All Night Long'. Cathy Dennis. The cross over potential is high here also with tracks like 'I Just Want To Love You'. Expect to hear the name Elkka a lot in the next few years if this release is any sign of what's to come.
Review: The fifth Flaoting Points album Cascade is a culmination of creative evolution. In late 2022, Shepherd found himself in the California desert, crafting a new sonic journey via his acclaimed Promises, where he ventured into airy dreamscapes with saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra, earning a Mercury Prize nomination and a sold-out Hollywood Bowl show in 2023. With Cascade, Shepherd returns to his electronic roots, craving the pulse-racing communion of the dancefloor. This album serves as a sequel to Crush, diving deeper into ravey, experimental realms, unexplored due to lockdown cancellations. Tracks draw inspiration from Manchester's record shops and California's desert landscapes, blending Buchla rhythms and glitching melodies. Shepherd's journey, from orchestral collaborations to laptop productions, underscores his relentless pursuit of innovation.
Review: Floating Points, also known as Sam Shepherd, returns with a new album that pushes his sound even further into exciting new territories. This album, consisting of eight tracks, offers expansive explorations of sounds and grooves, with each piece allowed to develop and evolve over up to eight minutes. Nearly a decade after his acclaimed debut Elaenia, Shepherd continues to blend his experimental inclinations with dancefloor appeal, a fusion that has become a hallmark of his style. Cascade is conceived as a follow-up to Shepherd's rave-reviewed second studio album, Crush from 2019. While Crush introduced listeners to Shepherd's more introspective side, Cascade aims to bring the traditional Floating Points experience back to the dancefloor. Bursting with Buchla rhythms and glitching melodies, it should be more in line with his dance singles. Shepherd describes the album as a continuation, which is reflected in the vibrant artwork by Akiko Nakayamaia colourful sleeve with fluid imagery that mirrors the album's dynamic soundscapes. The album's evocative title, Cascade, suggests movement, beauty and pressure, themes that resonate throughout its paces.
Review: A new album from Sam Shepherd AKA Floating Points is always cause for celebration, but even by his standards "Crush" is rather special. Largely eschewing the ambient jazz soundscape shuffle of 2017's "Reflections - Mojave Desert", it sees the Shepherd showcase his musical dexterity in stunning fashion via cuts that wrap shimmering neo-classical strings around what sound like modular electronics and rhythms that variously touch on broken beat, off-kilter experimental D&B and Autechre-style IDM. Of course there are ambient and experimental soundscapes showcased, but it's the fact that the album contains a swathe of formidably dancefloor-focused cuts in the style that first made him standout that pleases us most. Highlights include recent single "LesAlpx", the dreamy "Anasickmodular" and the "People's Potential" style deep house intricacy of "Last Bloom".
Review: Mahal by Glass Beams melds a diverse array of influences into a unique and enchanting soundscape. The Melbourne-based trio, shrouded in mystery with their mask-wearing anonymity, lets their music speak volumes. Built around founding member Ranjan Silva, their sound draws from the rich heritage of Ravi Shankar, Bollywood, Electric Light Orchestra, and traditional blues.Inspired by repeated viewings of 'The Concert For George', Silva's vision for Glass Beams seems to echo the fusion George Harrison envisioned when introducing classical Indian music to Western pop. The EP opens with 'Horizon,' setting a serene tone before leading into the title track 'Mahal,' an instrumental piece that envelops the listener in its mystical charm. 'Orb' follows with a riveting bass riff, while 'Snake Oil' delves deeper into Indian classical territory, showcasing evocative vocals. The EP concludes with 'Black Sand,' a dramatic and beautiful track featuring interwoven vocals and guitar. As their second EP, following Mirage, Mahal solidifies Glass Beams' distinct place in music, defying categorisation and quietly demanding attention with its almost otherworldly quality.
Review: Berlin-based Korean Peggy Gou has been surprisingly quiet since first bursting onto the scene back in 2016. Here, she returns to action having graduated from Technicolour to parent label Ninja Tune. Many may already have heard EP standout "It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)", a percussively ambidextrous beast based around a bouncy, off-skilter, snare-heavy rhythm track. It has been much discussed online after Gou included it her recent Resident Advisor podcast. On the B-side you'll find tracks representative of her developing style, which draws together elements of European deep house, electro, early '90s U.S house, the rubbery disco eccentricity of Maurice Fulton and the instinctive polyrhythms more often found in traditional African music.
Review: It is now five years since Nabihah Iqbal got widespread critical acclaim for her debut album Weighing Of The Heart, and finally, she is back with another. This one, Dreamer, was two years in the making and finds the London-born artist, curator, broadcaster and lecturer offering up her most reflective and raw work to date. This versatile talent has done everything from composing music for the Turner Prize to being involved in a performance as part of a major Basquiat retrospective. Here she reflects on pandemic experiences having let the ideas develop in her head before she even turned on her machines.
Review: Legendary Norwegian eight-piece Jaga Jazzist always mixed up post-rock, jazz and psychedelia influences in their own unique way. Never more so was that better exemplified than on The Stix. It was the band's third album released back in May 2003 on Ninja Tune with all songs produced by Jorgen Traeen as well as plenty of musicians playing saxophone, flute, clarinet, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards and viola amongst much more, which means it is a texturally, melodically rich album with plenty of soaring highs and emotional themes that ebb and flow in captivating fashion. This special anniversary reissue comes on orange and red double gatefold vinyl.
Review: Peruvian artist in Berlin Sofia Kourtesis has been on an unstoppable rise since she first emerged with a pair of EPs on Studio Barnhus. Brought into the Ninja Tune fold back in 2021, she's developed her debut album in the whirlwind of a rapidly growing profile and the personal struggle of her mother's terminal cancer diagnosis. Through her tenacity, she found a gifted doctor who was able to treat her mother and give her a life expectancy no-one would have thought possible, and so Madres doubles as a tribute to her mother and to the medical professionals who achieved what was thought impossible - as such, it's a powerful, sincere listening experience which fuses deep house with melancholic pop in mesmerising fashion.
Review: Swedish dub funk electropoppers Little Dragon - Yukimi Nagano, Erik Bodin, Fredrik Wallin and Hakan Wirenstrand - present their latest LP Slugs Of Love here via their longstanding patrons Ninja Tune. Following up their 2020 album New Me, Same Us, which had a long time to gestate, the new album comes at a well-timed moment, charting a thematic undercurrent of finding love in unexpected places - just the message we need for 2023. Eccentric and kooky synthiness bolsters their minimal-kitsch, r&b-inflected post-punk sound, best evidenced by the songs 'Stay' (featuring JID) or 'Gold'.
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