Oonops Drops Vinyl & CDs

Review: Lisa Decker makes a return with two new singles here that are taken from her upcoming album which is due in May of this year. It comes two years after her debut with the Japanese jazz trio Nautilus and marks something of a conceptual shift in her sound. 'Love & Hope' finds her turn in a stylish jazz vocal with funky bass loops and organic drums and percussion that straddle many different genres. 'Summer Child' then sinks into a nice smooth jazz-funk vibe with soft focus chords bringing a touch of class to her breezy vocals.

Review: Fresh from making his first appearance on the party-starting Resense series, Shin-Ski (real name Shinsuke Taoka) delivers a rare, four-track "45" featuring a bunch of previously unheard productions from his jam-packed hard drive. He starts as he means to go on with 'On & On', a head-nodding hip-hop club cut crafted from bits of an old soul floor-filler, before smothering another toe-tapping beat with mazy electric piano solos on 'Classic'. Over on the flip, 'Beach' sees the Japanese veteran wrap a boom-bap beat and funky bassline in flanged guitar licks, while closing cut 'That Jazz' more than lives up to its descriptive title. Loose, groovy and musically rich, it should please anyone who loved Guru's classic Jazzamatazz productions.

Review: German label Oonops Drops is ever more essential if you ask us and tidy 7"s like this prove why (as does their mission to focus is on "sustainability, climate protection and socio-cultural values".) 'Bird's Lament' is a top tier tune from Slick Walk x Sneaky with live drum breaks and serene strings making for a reflective late night vibe. On the flip of this limited edition and clear slice of wax is Avantgarde Vak with the sweet hip hop sounds of 'Keep Ya Eyes Up' then Toshiyuki Sasaki with his sublime 'Toshi's Bonus Breaks.'