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Review:  Zy The Way hail from Taiwan and are recognised as pioneers of the jazz scene in Asia. Their signature style is to infuse their work with ancient Chinese poetry and their first outing 'A Different Destiny,' reimagined 3,000-year-old poems curated by Confucius and earned them plenty of plaudits. Now, they unveil two EPs as a prelude to their upcoming album. Collaborating with renowned remixers who operate at the jazz-electronic crossroads, they present 'Ten Acres' with a remarkable remix by Mark de Clive Lowe. Maintaining jazz's essence while igniting the dancefloor, this EP bridges East and West, past and present and shows Zy The Way as a transformative musical force who are pushing boundaries.

Review: Blur Records brings some eclectic magic to its next release and it's one that gets the New Year underway in essential fashion. Venerated Russian DJ and producer Scruscru is behind the beats and goes deep into everything from disco to jazz, starting with 'Alright, Alright' which is a bust of disco goodness with lively bass. Things get slow and sensuous with 'Twilight Voyage' which comes with a touch of nostalgia then Dwaal features on 'Breezy Noon' and blends downtempo bossa and Afro rhythms. More slow disco delights come from 'Nostalji' with Jehan and then 'Kno 2morrow' gets jazzy with some classy melodies to close things down.

Review: Stevie Wonder's 'Pastime Paradise' has thus far been less recognised as an original soul wonderwork, and more so as a sample by American rapper Coolio on the derivative 'Gangster's Paradise'. Though still having been covered by many artists over the years, Major Keys records highlights this enduring 1981 cover of Wonder's 'Paradise' by Latin percussionist Ray Barretto as among their favourites, if not their absolute favourite. Now the label reissue the gem, flaunting its up-to-date, nigh timeless feel; it's the opposite of a miracle that this has never before been released on a 12" single record, despite the fact that it is a favourite on the floors of jazz and soul rooms the world over. It also flips it with Barretto's own 'La Cuna' and 'Mambotango', taken from the same 1981 LP.

Review: Matthew Halsall initially crafted Bright Sparkling Light as an exclusive for his 2023 EU and UK tour. He then decided to put it out on vinyl and has now put together this special Japanese Edition which features its three exquisite suites, each averaging seven to ten minutes. Halsall's affinity for hypnotic drones, tenor sax progressions intertwined with lush flute loops and evocative depictions of Newborough Forest shine through here on an album that beautifully bridges the transition from dewy morning to creeping crepuscule. It's a natural, organic soundtrack from one of jazz finest contemporary talents.

Review: Reissued on Gondwana after an unexpected sea-change, Matthew Halsall's Bright Sparkling Light was originally conceived as a tour-only exclusive, its three exquisites, averaging seven to ten minutes per suite, serving only the most loyal and dedicated of fans eager enough to clasp their mitts around the limited edition at the time of his EU and UK tour in October-November 2023. Now, its rarefied airs get dropped; so too do the folk scramble to lend it a second listen, discovering Halsall's preference for hypnotic drones, tenor sax progressions crafted around lush flute loops, and portrayals of the artist's favourite rural location: Newborough Forest, both at daytime and nighttime. 'The Tide And The Moon' is the closing highlight, nicely closing the gap between dewey morning and crept-in crepuscule.

Review: Yussef Days is a masterful drummer who has invigorated contemporary jazz and broken beat scenes with several different and equally brilliant projects. The Yussef Dayes Experience Live At Joshua Tree Presented By Soulection is the latest and finds him anchoring music that is inspired by the world's most well-known nature reserve. It is a spiritually uplifting selection with the likes of Elijah Fox on keys and synth and features five tracks that will transport you to the blissful location in an instant.

Review: There are seemingly no limits to the music Emotional Rescue will put out. This time they look back to the post punk scene of Bristol in the early 80s. Mouth was a short-lived outfit that put out just a couple of releases, but each one blazed a trail though leftfield percussive sounds, wave, weird jazz and electronics. Andy Guy and Rob Merrill were the main members with the likes of Nellie Hooper also in the band's orbit. This record is packed with tribal drumming and floating horns, broken dubs and avant-jazz but all with a proudly DIY attitude. It's packed with heady moments and wild steppers that havent aged a bit and still sound future.

Review: Roy Ayers made a number of killer disco cuts in the late 1970s, though few are quite as essential as 'Running Away', which has now been reissued by South Street Disco. Built around an instantly recognisable (and much-sampled groove), the extended 12" version is rich in rubbery, rising and falling bass, clipped guitars, spacey Rhodes motifs, superb lead vocals from Ayers and even better backing vocals courtesy of the female quintet who would later become Eighties Ladies (who's superb 'Tell Him' was reissued in 2020). Turn to the flip for another chance to savour Fever album-opener 'Love Will Bring Us Back Together', a deeper and more low-down disco groover that boasts some seriously good Clavinet riffs and another inspired Ayers' vocal.

Review: Kaymany & Asestar hail from Rome, a city where many musicians spend most of their days producing sounds for the television industry and even shopping malls. That's part of the reason the country has such a reparation for great jazz-funk sounds and now adding to that cannon are Kaymany & Asestar. 'Effimera' is glossy and feel good disco with retro future chords, while 'Digressione' has a Bob James style energy to it with its high speed funky bass and incidental chords. 'Capao' closes in Latin fashion with manic keys and more plucked and funky bass slaps making you shake every limb.

Review: Herbie Hancock has been responsible for many era-defining records over the years - "Rockit" being a particularly good example - but few of his compositions have been quite as game changing as "Chameleon". First featured on 1973 album "Head Hunters", the 15-minute epic was revolutionary in a number of ways, not least in its use of a killer 12-note bassline, "percussive" style guitar parts and loose-limbed funk beat. It remains one of the greatest jazz-funk moments of all time, as this timely reissue proves. This time round, it comes accompanied by another "Head Hunters" classic - Hancock's groovy, synth-laden re-recording of his own 1962 composition "Watermelon Man". Two stone cold classics for the price of one: what's not to like?

Review: Wonky meets jazz in this impressive new jazz mini-LP from Japan. Takuya Kuroda is a highly respected trumpeter and arranger born in Kobe, Japan and based in New York City. 'Midnight Crisp' is Takuya's seventh studio album, entirely self-produced and following 2020's highly acclaimed 'Fly Moon Die Soon'. Learning jazz in a higher education environment, he's reapplied his skills to a new solo outing here, blending with his one true loves, afrobeat and hip-hop. The ensuing album is one of myriad midnight moods, tempered by many a virtuosic and mournful piano, digitally-edited drum brush, and trilling trumpet from the mouth of Kuroda himself.

Review: Legendary edit specialist and New York's Body & Soul party man Danny Krivit turns his hand to a famously spiritual house classic by Manchester band RSL that has more than a hint of gospel magic to it. Frankly that makes it perfect source material for the man and he doesn't disappoint: His work is subtle but classic, with some extra gorgeous vocal chants layered in over chunkier beats on the never before released a-side. The jazzy notes from the original and sprinkled percussion all remain next to mad drum fills. This 12" also features a 'Part 2' mix that unfolds in glorious fashion to a rapturous peak.

Review: .with a feelgood charm that has resonated not only with jazz heads, but also the youngest generation thanks to its inclusion in the soundtrack to the magnificent Sing animation. It is one of those that will always get a good reaction and is always worth having in the collection. Here it's served up on a 180 gram vinyl 12" with the more noodling 'Blue Rondo A La Turk' and a vocal version of 'Take Five' with Carmen McRae bringing the soul.

Review: 'Maledetta Quella Notte' is the first EP by Il Mago del Gelato, a new band from Milan (IT) with a strong Mediterranean imprint. This first album of theirs runs through funk, afrobeat and jazz; all the divergent strands make up the project, later convergent and blending in a nigh-perfect balance. Warm, watery, jazz-futuristic and easy on the ears, it's all held together by the uniquely Milanese fusion of vocoder, percussion, 80s synths, and roots guitars.

Review: Oluko Imo is a legendary figure in Yoruba mythology as well as being revered as one of the progenitors of the Yoruba people. He is believed to be a descendant of Oduduwa, the mythical founder and first king of the Yoruba people, but it's also the name of a Trinidadian musician who blends calypso heritage with Afrobeat and jazz from Nigeria. He recorded his iconic album between Lagos and New York in 1988 and it has long been a cult classic. This reissue features the title track from it - a deep cut and steamy rhythm, and 'Were Oju Le (Eyes Are Getting Red)', a horn led Afro-funk workout.

Review: Soul Jazz Records' new must-have compilation "Kaleidoscope" does a great job in celebrating the vibrancy of the UK's fast-growing contemporary jazz scene. For some reason the vinyl version of the release omits the two tracks featured here, hence the label offering them up on a limited-edition 12" single that they say will never be repressed or reissued. The A-side features Sons of Kemet member (and renowned tubist/trombonist) Theon Cross's "Candace of Meroe", a bustling affair that riffs on the polyrhythmic Afrobeat sound of Tony Allen and Fela Kuti whilst taking it in a decidedly jazzier new direction. Over on the flip psychedelically inclined duo Pokus delivers "Pokus 1", a wonderfully low-slung and spaced-out affair that adds mind-altering, mutilated electric piano motifs to a deliciously weighty, low-slung groove.

Review: Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella follow up last year's beautiful "African Spirits / New World Shuffle" with two more lavish instrumentals. "Sun Song" lives up to its name with wave after wave of heated musicianship from the belting harmonies to the light-touch keys. "Nigeria" taps deep into the source too as it drives us through the heart of Lagos with full horns and sweeping keys. Spiritual, sun-splashed and vital.

Review: Enois Scroggins was an American funk and gospel singer from Tulsa, Oklakhoma who developed his own style that he called 'E-Funk'. He passed away in 2019 due to a heart attack, but his legacy certainly lives on, with French label Dd Lahouve Production reissuing some of his finest work here from back in 2012. The neon-lit boogie-down vibe of 'Under My Skin' (featuring Misty Lane) will get you moving with its proper west coast flavour - he was said to be based in Los Angeles for most of his career. On the flip, the low slung disco funk of 'Love Is You' (vocal) provides more reliable mood music.

Review: Melodies International is a real favourite label here at Juno HQ, headed up famously by Floating Points and finds including Mafalda. The third volume of their Melodies record Club is as good as anything the label has put out to date: it features a trio of jazz cuts selected by the one and only Hunee. First is Digital Justice's 'Theme From "It's All Gone Pearshaped"', a 13 minute live jam packed with synth action. On the flip is a spiritual piece from harpist Dorothy Ashby and Frantz Tuernal's 'Koultans'. Says Hunee, "these three distinct pieces of music tap into different layers of my memory."

Review: Here's a killer reissue from the Soul Jazz archives which is finally getting a repress. It's hardly surprising when the reissue becomes as sought after as the holy grail original jam from 1970, a sublime instrumental anthem of soulful, skanking perfection with Cedric Im Brooks flexing his sax in glorious style over a beautifully rough n' ready rhythm. It was shortly after this recording was laid down Brooks went on to form The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari with Count Ossie, which tells you all you need to know about the heritage we're dealing with here.

Review: The Advanced Cookbook Of Mr Selig And Kanzler Z was a short-lived experimental jazz act also known as Cookbook. They put out one EP and two albums, with this 12" being taken from the debut. It came in 1989 and German label the Zoo In You initially and has the vocals of Mr Selig on the A-side, and guitar by Wolfgang Bokelmann and words by Dieter Pougin on the flip. An original will cost you more than a night at the pub and even finding samples online can be hard. Rest assured it is future jazz that still sounds futuristic today.

Review: Next up for BBE is a package of remixes that invites several key artists to add their own spin to Jazzanova's superb reimagining of Sam Sanders's iconic 'Face at my Window'. Kyoto Jazz Massive are first to tackle the single which first appeared on 'Strata Records - The Sound of Detroit - Reimagined by Jazzanova' and bring some intimate jazz clubs vibes. After a Yoshi edit and version with vocalists Sean Haefli, musclecars bring a touch of New York and Chicago house classicism to their version. Both remixers bring new perspective to this timeless classic.

Review: Freddie Hubbard's 1979 version of 'Little Sunflower' is a soul-jazz classic. Since the full version of Hubbard's vocal re-make (the trumpeter first recorded an instrumental take in 1968) only ever appeared on a hard-to-find promo 12", this Record Store Day reissue should be an essential purchase. It remains a gentle, breezy and sunset-ready jazz-dance gem, with Hubbard's emotion-rich vocals and mazy trumpet solos riding Latin-tinged percussion, elastic double bass and some suitably jammed-out jazz pianos.

Review: A cinematic sensation and an instant classic and record breaker, Disney's animated movie 'Frozen' celebrates its ten-year anniversary this year with this special zoetrope double picture disc featuring scenes from one of the, now, most iconic movies of all time moving before your eyes. Included is, of course, Idina Menzel's award-winning score 'Let it Go' which charted around the world and wormed its way into the ears of parents to this day. Not to be slept on, though, is Demi Lovato's rendition that plays over the credits sequence or 'Fixer Upper', the jovial chorus musical number.The perfect Christmas gift for the fan in your life, and trust us, there is statistically one somewhere, no matter how old.

Review: Released earlier this August, Brighton-born jazz musician and producer Chip Wickham's four-track EP 'Love & Life' is a multi-instrumental easy-listening record that has a subtle depth to its sloozy production. The opening track 'Space Walk' sets the bar right out of the gate with an incredible flute-driven story, backed by some gentle, brassy drums and jazz lounge piano. There's a distinct lo-fi quality to it in its vibe, but the sound of the xylophone is just so crisp against the tenor sax - it's like you're right there in the studio with Wickham.

Review: The state51 Conspiracy label comes very much correct early on in the New Year with this two-track grey marbled vinyl 12" in a fancy spot-varnished sleeve. It takes the form of two fresh Santaka reworks of original compositions by Rytis Mazulis and avant-garde choir Melos Collective which were first released back in 2020. Santaka, which means "confluence" in Lithuanian, is the coming together of DJ and producer Manfredas and drummer and producer Marijus Aleksa and here they layer up disembodied vocals and dark jazz melodies on 'Ramybe' and then 'Autoportretas' is a textural ambient exploration packed with fascinating sound designs.

Review: Kalita Records are proud and honoured to announce the first ever official reissue of the four choice tracks from Randolph Baker's privately pressed sought-after 1982 disco album 'Reaching For The Stars', plus an unreleased instrumental take of 'Party Life' sourced from the original 24-track analogue master tapes.

Originally recorded at Jim Morris and Rick Miller's Tampa-based Morrisound Studios, 'Getting Next To You' features both a mixture of both local Florida talent plus jazz superstar Nat Adderley and bassist John Lamb at their finest. Originally pressed in a limited run of just one-thousand copies, with no distribution and most copies being sold in the local city and on Randolph's own merchandise table at the back of live gigs, original copies have long been sought-after by both collectors and DJs alike, acknowledged as a true grail and masterpiece in the disco scene and deservedly demanding extortionate figures to those lucky enough to find their own.

Here, in collaboration with Randolph, Kalita Records have chosen to re-release the four choice tracks from the album: 'Getting Next To You', 'Jazzman', 'Callin' Me' and 'Party Life'. The former is an in-demand horn and chant-filled disco masterpiece, which, as Randolph explains, concerns unity and "everyone on the same level in other words, everyone just loving life". It is arguably the song that Randolph is most well-known for in the disco and funk scene and perfect for the modern discerning dance floor. 'Jazzman' is an instrumental track with prominent trumpet and saxophone solos working with funky basslines to produce a truly great jazz-funk groove. It was "a tribute to Nat Adderley and Duke Ellington's bass player, John Lamb, for being so generous and saying yes to the project". 'Callin' Me' is a soulful disco number featuring the lead vocals of Laurie Erickson and is "about being on the road and ensuring loved ones that you will always come back home no matter what. It was like a promise to ensure loved ones they didn't have to worry". Lastly, 'Party Life' is a joyous disco track with a strong funk bassline and horns. As Randolph recalls, it "was the joy like after an actor finishes a movie. There was nothing but joy. It's finished; let's celebrate big time. Where everyone in the studio yelled at the top of their lungs - The End!" Here, with access to the 24-track master tapes we have been able to include the original version plus an unreleased instrumental take, allowing us to focus on the infectious bassline and make it even more ready for the modern dance floor.

Accompanied by extensive interview-based liner notes and never-before-seen photos.

Review: The cult Melodies International label run by Floating Points and Mafalda starts a new series here. Melodies Record Club will find each curated by a different guest DJ or producer with the first one selected by the always on point Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet. He picks some of the tracks he used to spin at the legendary Plastic People and first up is an extended version of 1975 tune 'De I Comahlee Ah' by jazz stars Jackie McLean and Michael Carvin. Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath takes care of the flip with the big band energy and excellent horn work of 'MRA.'

Review: Matthew Halsall's Gondwana label is seeing a busy August what with the imprint flooding our jazz charts with reissues and, of course, new releases such as this wonderful collaborative effort from The Gondwana Orchestra and Dwight Trible. Trible's voice is like silk, running up and down the delicate waves of melodies from the collective, with "Colors" and "The Creator Has A Master Plan" both capable of making the toughest of audiences feel utterly uplifted. On the flip, "Love Is Everywhere" shines bright amid a flurry of flutes and intricate drum percussions, while "You've Got To Have Freedom" rides off a much smoother, deeper sort of vibe that's got a little funk at its core. Wicked.

Review: Future Jazz Ensemble is a project from Italian producer Nicola Penna, aka Nasty Boy, who has also recorded for Sahko Records and ANMA. Aside from some self-released records, this is the first official offering from the project which offers a noirish sound nodding to nu-jazz in in its subtle assimilation of electronic processes into a jazz context. Skittering drum machine patterns collide with snatches of instrumentation, with noirish Rhodes chords as a common thread binding everything together into a moody, musically dexterous whole. If you cherish fresh approaches which hold true to the roots of jazz culture, you're sure to love this record.

Review: Jazz N Palms turn out another of their standout re-edit EPs here and the sixth in the series is no less special than the previous five. As ever, the MO is that the London collective offers tidy revisions of all a wide range of jazz and jazz-funk obscurities. This one kicks off with a Bob James style jam full of instrumental funk and then goes on to the glossy samba rhythms and woodblock hits of 'Santa Ana.' There are more languorous sounds on the stretched out solos of 'El Sabe' then the pace picks up for the energetic shuffles of 'El Sabe.' Last but not least is 'Exotic Flavour,' a freeform cut with wandering bass and steamy sax lines.

Review: People of Earth shakes things up for #016 with a limited 12" from Charolastra entitled Karuna. Only 200 copies pressed of this continuous play, crossover jazz release. Brought to the realization with some of ATLANTA's most talented instrumentalists. It is an amalgamation of genres but the underlying emotions are immediately recognizable. Grief, loss, regret and the transcendental power of the spirit to overcome these hardships. Blending elements of jazz, IDM, broken beat, drone, and dub, while it may be difficult to put your finger on Karuna it doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

Review: Greek bass player Petros Klampanis has his 'Chroma' tune reworked by tow contemporary talents here on the Visions Inc label. Jon Dixon gets fist with a nice rough edged but punchy rework built on bulky and rickety beats. The lush chords are draped over the top to bring melancholic feels and are sure to work the floor into a lather. The Alex Attias edit is more manic, with wild jazz keys, tumbling drums that feel like they may collapse at any moment and a symphony of chords that rise out through them to take you into the next dimension.

Review: Parisian label Chuwanaga presents a new project from Saint-James label co-founder on this dazzling 12". Latitude is a seriously and proudly French artist who oozes sophistication and pop hooks that drip with attitude. The musicianship too is of the highest order - irresistible jazz-funk that glows at every turn. First off is the uptempo 'Leo (Extended Mix)' with big vocals from Parisian singer Club Celest and tight, clipped beats packed with funk. 'Attitude' is more loose and star-gazing with its glowing chords and bustling rhythms. The Mato dub of 'Attitude' is a fat bottomed dub fleece out with all the neat tricks and effects you need on a sunny afternoon.

Review: Hands up all of those who thought Basement Jaxx's Simon Ratcliffe would end up making slowly unfurling spiritual jazz with famed London improvisers Binker Golding (saxophone) and Moses Boyd (drums)? Us neither. To give Ratcliffe credit, this debut single from his new jazz-wise project is simply stunning. Golding's wild sax solos and Boyd's brilliant drumming catch the ear and provide an air of authenticity, but it's Ratcliffe's contributions - drowsy sunrise electronics and meditative synthesizer motifs on A-side "Village Of The Sun", sparkling piano motifs on "Ted" and warm bass on both - that tie everything together and ensure that both tracks are worth far more than the sum of their parts. A surprise, yes, but the results are both thrilling and spellbinding.

Review: Ferg Ireland is back with his heavy trio of jazz cats for a second sizzling record drop. Ireland himself is on bass, Nathaniel Facey is on sax, and James Maddren plays the drums as the group emulates trios like those of Sonny Rollins. This is busy, bluesy jazz that was all record live in one take. The tunes bubble and boil with spontaneity, the vibes are real and raw and it all adds up to one helluva involving sound. 'When You Know' is stately and serene, 'Mel's Mood' is unrelenting and 'Lips' is the more seductive offering to round things out.

Review: Ten Lovers always manage to find a perfect sweet spot between jazz and house on the music it serves up. This new various artists' effort proves the point well: Marcello Cassanelli lunches the trip with groovy and nodding bass synths and airy vocal cries on 'Fantasia.' Zarenzeit then sinks into a bubbly groove with killer drums and sun-worshiping synths before Stefano De Santis drops some excellent broken beast on his squelchy synth workout 'Song For George D.' Future Jazz Ensemble takeoff into the cosmos and Caruso gets romantic on 'Vestimenta'.

Review: The Artless Cuckoo label has done a fine job of showcasing the work of lesser-known German outfit Ghia his year by releasing an album of rediscovered 1980s recordings as well as a special 7". Now Thank You has put together this 12" package with three different versions of 'Don't Leave Me Alone.' The original dropped in 1987 and was an instant euro-pop classic. An OG copy on wax is tough to find these days so often fetches three figures. Soon as you hear the tune though you know why - it's effortlessly catchy with mounting tension and super creative vocals.

Review: Ocha welcome back Robert Matos for more of his steamy Afro-jazz cum house fusions. 'Midnight Jazz Journey' is a real spiritual trip with the mutterings of Ron Trent buried deep in the middle. The cosmic chords ring out with real soul as live drums tumble and delicate percussion dances up top to make for a life-affirming sound full of rich and lush musicality. Casamena then dials it back a little and layers in some warming house drums for his club mix while the Coflo Backside mix is a heady broken beat dancer.

Review: Reissued by Before I Die after being singled out as a choice cut from a recent Swedish library music compilation, 'UFO' is a cosmic funk jam by one lesser-cited duo known as Falk & Klou. This being their only collaboration, the fused efforts of Carl Johan Fogelklou and Fredrik Segerfalk make for an otherworldly experience, with lasery sound FX and a strange narration complementing this toothy electro-funk oddball. The remix by Andi Henley (Ruf Kutz) on the A-side cements the track's importance.

Review: Pete Cunningham's hybrid electronic/acoustic jazz collective Ishmael Ensemble has been right at the forefront of innovation when it comes to those sounds. For his latest project he links up with lyricist and MC Rider Shafique. They first met some six years ago when Cunningham was struck by "his powerful way with words." As such they got in the studio, Cunningham embraced a more bass heavy sound to his style and drew on his love of the likes of dub kings King Tubby and Adrian Sherwood. Coupled with Rider's voice and you have a superb new record.

Review: Earlier this year, French disco and jazz-funk combo Chatobaron joined forces with fellow Parisian Dimitri From Paris for the rather good 'I Like (The Music That You Play)'. While that was a wholehearted disco workout, this speedy sequel sees the band (and their high-profile collaborator) explore their West Coast jazz-funk influences via an inspired workout full to bursting with killer instrumental solos, dusty grooves, memorable motifs and a genuinely killer, cowbell-sporting percussion brerak. This time round, there are no Dimitri From Paris remixes; instead, dubbed-out disco favourites the Idjut Boys are on hand to smother the track in tape echo and dub delay. The result is a typically spaced-out, low-slung affair that naturally makes the most of the band's killer bassline and layered percussion sounds.

Review: Piero Umiliani aka Moggi, is the man behind Omicron Records and plenty of seminal library records from the 1970s. The Italian jazz musician, most famous also for scoring many film soundtracks, here has one of his most dance-y tracks served up by Four Flies. It features an original version as well as a special edit retouched by Jolly Mare. The original was recorded in 1978 under one of his many other monikers, Rovi, as a way of not over saturating the market with his name at the time. It is a cosmic beats that chimes with the emergence of that sound and still does today.

Review: Individuality, Harmony, Wit.
Originating from the heart of Asia - Taipei, Taiwan, Zy The Way is a fusion collective spear-heading a new musical movement in a digital age. As the offspring of a film director, entertainers and multi-genre musicians, Zy The Way aims to create artistic content that will rock your socks. We believe that true balance is achieved not through the uniting of different social groups, but when we come together with our stories as an individual. Voices and vision, musical styles, personalities, and our own beliefs, Zy The Way is the fabrication of our collective imagination, where no one is left out.

Review: Some expansive, cinematic, orchestral spiritual jazz for you here, from the trio of talents that Fumio Itabashi, Kuniyiki and Henrik Schwarz. While the latter two are generally better-known for their deep and sometimes tech-tinged house and ambient productions, the original mix of 'Watarese' (featured here on side B) is a dense, immersive jazz soundscape laden with evocative Japanese vocals, improvised piano, moody orchestration and definite nods towards vintage free-jazz. Spiritual Life supremo Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell provides the remix and, somewhat predictably, steals the show. His take is gently rhythmic, sun-splashed spiritual jazz full of hand percussion, fluid piano motifs and rubbery double bass.

Review: "The dampness of the rainforest, the hostility of the mangrove ultimately did not suit him. So he left his natural environment for the tranquillity of a freshwater body". So goes the (translated) back story of this new EP from Laurent Bardainne. The 'he' in question is a Tiger who ventured across Europe, Asia and America and apparently picked up various musical styles along the way. Whatever you make of that, the tracks here are gold: "Marvin" is smooth jazz fusion with percolating drums, "Porsche 944" has a joyous lead sax and more crisp boom bap drums, while "Aout" is a soaring bit of heartfelt soul Daptone might put out. The Drop Vibes rework of "Porsche 944" features a vocal roller and closes things in fine fashion.

Review: The latest release on ever-crucial French jazz outpost Heavenly Sweetness welcomes the work of Bardainne Jaumet, a collaboration between accomplished French saxophonist Laurent Bardainne and Versatile regular Etienne Jaumet for four musically rich excursions into cosmic disco, Library music and the golden age of European synthesiser exploration. This is perhaps not what you might expect from the pairing of these two artists, or indeed the label, but the sheer compositional power and production of these two is simply undeniable. Grandiose statement pieces from two incredibly talented minds meeting on the same astral plane with a well-appointed studio as a vessel.

Review: When it comes to music from Brazil, most of what we get released over here is classic material - forgotten gems, long-lost recordings or essential MPB albums from the venerated old masters of the form. But here courtesy of Mr Bongo we have new music courtesy of acclaimed contemporary singer-songwriter Dora Morelenbaum who has a stunning voice that puts her right at the heart of the country's vital new musical wave. For reference, just dial into her Vento De Beirada EP from 2021 which now lands on vinyl. It's full of her sensuous tones and gentle rhythms that shimmer in the sun in all new downbeat and dreamy ways.

Review: Dream was a Norwegian psyche rock outfit that saw plenty of success before disbanding in the latter part of the 1960s. From the ashes of that group, Christian Reim set out with a new project with another group, Bash. After years of exploring pop and rock he carried on down that path but with more and more of a love of jazz. The band had a fine line up of jazz talents and this live recording from Club7 in 1973 is them at their peak of their powers with lots of crowd noise adding to the atmosphere alongside several surprise interjections that bring it further to life.

Review: sTia is the nom de plume of Natia Sartania, a Tbilisi-based musician who runs the CES Records label and is co-founder of the Georgian Music Legacy Collection. For this new seven-track album she lays down her signature piano with electronic ambiance and some squeaky pedal sounds A late hip-hop instrumental also features as do plenty of melancholic melodies and collaborations with Luna Flowers and Sabana, the founding members of key Georgian hip-hop collectives KayaKata, LTFR and Temple Pharmacy. Another promising young star of that scene, Nikala, also features on the flip.