Amoeba Music

Soulful, mellow, modern UK reggae project based around the duo of UK reggae / electronic dub heavy Nick Raphael (best known for his electronic dub project Manasseh) and DJ / producer David Hill, both well-known and connected in the London scene. This album has excellent production and many guests throughout, with quality musicians playing real instruments in a classy and classic reggae style that is more retro than modern overall. About half of the tracks have vocals, but I like the instrumental ones best overall, though track 2 (with Jamaican legend Ken Boothe) is ace too. Read more

A really nice set of modern dubs with organic instrumentation and laid back grooves, dubbed out with some extra-spacy reverb, delay, and other effects. This is the companion work to their 2022 album On The Grove, and it features dub versions of 8 out of the 12 tracks there. The vocals have been almost completely wiped away here, with only an occasional snippet swirled into the dub effects. Great instrumental grooves in a very classic reggae style. Read more

Awesome electronic pop from local Berkeley-based artist Maryam Qudus, who has also released 3 albums as Doe Eye, and who has worked as a producer and engineer on albums by Toro y Moi, Tune-Yards, and Thao With The Get Down Stay Down, among others. This album is her first album as Spacemoth, and features an assortment of catchy guitar and synth melodies, real and electronic drums, and her excellent voice. Reminds me of Stereolab, Broadcast (especially circa Tender Buttons), Wye Oak, and Jane Weaver, but it’s still quite unique, with her own style and sound shining through. Overall, super fun stuff, and local too… highly recommended! Read more

Fascinating collection of modern reggae tracks that feature singers from around the globe. This idea and conception / production of this project came from Adrian Sherwood, legendary producer behind the entire On-U Sound catalogue, including Tackhead, Creation Rebel, African Head Charge, Singers & Players, and many more. It’s cool to hear this kind of music in other languages, especially since reggae really has become a global phenomenon over the last few decades. I love tracks 2 (Likkle Mai from Japan) and 4 (Temi Oyedele from Lagos, Nigeria). Other highlights include track 1 (sung in Chinese, based in Shanghai), track 3 (Hindi / London), track 5 (Arabic / Tunisa) and track 7 (Romani / London). Production styles range from classic roots, upbeat steppers, slow dubby beats, and even one track with a dancehall riddim on syndrum / digital drums. Overall a really fun release of contemporary grooves in a wide range of languages… enjoyable and unique stuff! Read more

Gorgeous sophomore solo album of sensuous, sensitive, and sentimental folk music by Brazilian singer / songwriter Martim (Tim) Bernades, who is also in Sao Paulo psych-rock band O Terno. He plays guitar, synth, piano, percussion, and bass, as well as composing the arrangements for the string and horn sections. It’s a mellow yet dynamic record, with nods to the softer side of classic bossa nova, samba, Tropicalia and MPB styles of the 1960s and 70s. His sumptuous vocal melodies are enhanced by his lovely falsetto, which reminds me of Caetano Veloso and Milton Nascimiento. I also hear the influence of Jorge Ben’s magnificent 1974 album A Tabua De Esmeralda, along with the subtle, delicate beauty of the amazing 1972 eponymous album by Nelson Angelo E Joyce. The title means “One Thousand Invisible Things” and it’s easily one of my favorite albums from 2022, a remarkable gem that I think almost anyone who hears it could love. Read more

Local Berkeley-based musician and producer who has worked with Superchunk, Bob Mould, Sparklehorse, & Death Cab For Cutie. He has released around a dozen solo albums under the name Beaunoise since 2011, creating engaging ambient, IDM, and electronica music with lots of synthesizers. This is his first album under his own name, and it’s a really great cosmic journey through ambient synth zones. A cohesive album with elements of new age, space music, krautrock, and occasionally some more experimental sounds. Fantastic stuff, plus it’s local too! Read more

Awesome new collection of classic Jamaican tracks, mostly from the late 1970s and early 80s. A pair of tracks from 1995 slip onto what is otherwise a fairly narrow comp chronologically, but they are both really nice, so it’s all good. Soul Jazz is legendary for their themed reggae collections, and this one spotlights an unusual batch of material that doesn’t usually get much exposure. Overall, a great set, with funky grooves galore and it offers a unique look at how disco culture was embraced in Jamaica and fused with reggae. Some real gems here! Read more

Excellent archival collection of unreleased solo work from this musician, arranger, producer, and composer who lived in Chicago. Before he passed at just 45 years old in 1976, he worked on a number of great albums and singles, especially from the local Chess & Cadet labels, including soul legends The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Minnie Ripperton, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Rotary Connection, along with blues legends Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. His daughters helped to compile this set, and their words and stories about their dad can be heard in snippets on the album during various interludes and at the beginnings and ends of certain tracks. The music has soulful, sometimes funky grooves, with jazzy and spacy elements. Lots of simple early drum machine rhythms here, and no real drums. Tracks 2-17 feature a lot of synths doing pieces in a style that I’d call “cosmic funk” or “space funk” maybe? Track 18 is where things change over from synths to acoustic piano, and about half a dozen tracks all have vibraphone on them as well, for some more laid back, loungey grooves. Really great music, recently unearthed for your enjoyment. Read more

Collaboration between two interesting modern musicians whose work together transcends their individual efforts. Dawn Richard is of African-American and Haitian descent, and was in the group Danity Kane, a Sean Combs / Puffy-led soul / R&B ensemble that had some success in the 2000s, before her solo career began in 2011. Her most recent solo album (Second Line, also on Merge) was a critical success that merged her native New Orleans funk with intense electronic beats, footwork rhythms, and more, all with avant-garde sensibilities. Zahn, meanwhile, has made several instrumental jazzy post-rock albums with mellow electronic flourishes over the last five years. Here, they create a masterful symphony of neo-classical ambient zones with deep emotional resonance. Beautiful, subtle arrangements with Richard contributing her powerful lyrics and vocals to a backdrop of sweeping orchestrations featuring piano, bass, cello, violin, viola, sax, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, guitar, and synthesizers. It’s a lovely orchestral suite that reminds me at times of the mighty Promises (by Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders). Gorgeous sonics that feel very potent and spiritually intense in the same ways later-period Talk Talk does. Highly recommended. Read more

Italian born, US based artist Moreno Visini (who has also released several albums under the alias Zeb) is back with another postmodern fusion of funky global beats and dubby electronic grooves, with a specific focus on North African and Middle Eastern instruments and textures (similar to “belly dance music”). If you dig other globetrotting Wonderhweel artists such as Chancha Via Circuito, El Buho, and Novalima, or the terrific work of Cheb I Sabbah, this should be right up your alley. Aside from the reggae/dub & reggaeton elements and “arabian desert vibes” throughout, there is also some cumbia flavor on a few tracks, which also have lyrics in Spanish. Read more

Excellent new comp of reggae and dub tunes crafted by the legendary Adrian Sherwood and his stable of regulars at his On-U Sound studios in London. Lots of great stuff here, and most tracks are unreleased elsewhere. A mixture of great modern reggae with sociopolitical diatribes, horn-led instrumental reggae gems, dubby downtempo trip hop grooves, spooky minimalist dubs, and more... Overall, a fantastic collection of dubwise riddims from one of the greatest and most consistently prolific reggae producers of the modern era. Read more

Really interesting and diverse compilation of pieces recorded between 1965 and 1976 and released on French artist and entrepreneur Pierre Barouh’s Saravah label. Everything from French Pop, folk, and funky soul to intense jazz grooves and earthy jams influenced by musical traditions from around the globe. The Art Ensemble of Chicago backs a pair of French vocalists on a pair of tracks, which are both incredible. There are also bluesy soulful groovers, jazzy funk, several French Pop nuggets (including Areski & Brigitte Fontaine), and one all-out scorcher with tribal drums and jazz flute soloing to go with some brief vocals. There's even one cut that sounds like a hippy drum circle with tablas and harpsichord (what?!) and either bowed cello or bass, pretty incredible and unusual to say the least. A fascinating trip back in time to a place where anything went and everything was gloriously stylized into what we hear here. Highly recommended! Read more

At least 25 different people play on this fantastic record from a sizable ensemble from Toubab Dialao, Senegal, a village on the coast of West Africa with a population of less than 3000 people. Like their debut from 2021, this release displays a wide range of styles and textures. From traditional Senegalese folk music with organic instruments to post-modern afro-pop with psychedelic synths and hip hop inspired beats, it really goes to a lot of interesting zones. I love that about it, and every track here offers something unique while still all feeling like a natural evolution of their expansive sound. Take a journey and feel the traditional and modern rhythms and instruments pulsating in harmony… Mostly sung in Wolof, except for one track in French. This is a real gem from a faraway place, totally amazing work! Read more

Another fantastic album by Pedro Canale, a musician & producer from Buenos Aires, Argentina who has been active since 2006 and was an early contributor to the seminal ZZK collective in his hometown. He is one of the most important & influential artists in modern Latin American electronic music. He creates mostly mellow / downtempo global grooves that are influenced by various Latin American, Afro-Latin & Caribbean rhythms such as cumbia, folk music of the Andes, and reggae. This is his 5th full-length album, and there are some great contributions from guests here, including vox from lovely Colombian singer Lido Pimienta & Colombian avant-cumbia group Meridian Brothers. RIYL: Nicola Cruz, El Buho, Quantic, Dengue Dengue Dengue, Frente Cumbiero, plus other artists on the Wonderwheel & ZZK Records labels. Terrific! Read more

Excellent percussive, global, groove-centric album that fuses jazz, electronic music, and various global traditions, especially Afrobeat and Indian percussion. This creates a wild modern hybrid that defies classification. Korwar is a drummer & percussionist who was born in India and is now based in the UK. He is active in the currently flourishing London jazz scene. He plays drums, percussion, vocals, and electronics here, with guests contributing various other instruments. Tamar Osborn (of Collocutor / Flock, etc), plays baritone sax and flute throughout, and she also co-wrote six of the tracks. Magnus Mehta (Penya, Collocutor, etc.) contributes percussion. Al MacSween (Kefaya, Flock, London Odense Ensemble) plays synths and co-wrote four tracks. A handful of vocalists contribute as well, and it was produced by Photay, who also helmed the great self-titled WEMA album from 2022 on !K7. Stefan Betke (Pole) mastered the album and cut the lacquer for the vinyl. A wonderful adventure into some deeply thrilling post-modern pan-global sounds with an obvious anti-colonial stance which comes through via the song titles and the spoken elements on the first and last tracks. Phenomenal stuff! Read more

Killer upbeat fusion that mixes traditional African grooves and instrumentation with modern electronic beats and textures. Incredible, high-energy dance music that fuses pan-African melodies and rhythms with electronic music beats of various styles. This duo of Nadjib Ben Bella (an Algerian-French DJ/producer) & Aero Manyelo (a South African house music DJ) handle the production, with contributions from a number of vocalists and musicians, including members of the great Congolese groups Mbongwana Star, Staff Benda Bilili, and Kasai All-Stars. An awesome and fun journey, with lots of infectious rhythms and melodies. Overall, an incredible album of postmodern African music! Read more

Excellent new record from this talented harpist from the UK. This is her 6th full-length release, and her sound has gradually moved away from pop and jazz covers and toward pure jazz and improvisation over her last few albums, and she has even recently performed live with UK trumpeter Matthew Halsall and his Gondwana Orchestra. Whiting is in great form here, and she also wrote and produced all of the tracks on the album. Her rhythm section is perfect for her, with Aidan Thorne laying down some solid upright bass, and Jon Reynolds providing supple drumming throughout. After Amanda guested on his last few albums, UK multi-instrumentalist Chip Wickham returns the favor and contributes flutes on two cuts, along with tenor sax on another. Baldomero Verdú adds some percussion on about half of the album. Overall, this is some lovely instrumental jazz with harp at the core… perfect for fans of Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, or anyone who digs either jazz or the harp as an instrument in general Read more

Masterful new album of groovy, soulful jazz with orchestral flourishes from this Chicago drummer / producer. Features a large ensemble with over a dozen artists total. Incredible tunes and lots of wonderfully complex and layered instrumental arrangements throughout. The spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane seems like an obvious reference, but there’s also some more modern influences, along with lots of gently funky beats… and that’s not a slight, I love the grooves here! All compositions by McCraven himself, backed by an incredible supporting cast. Includes Jeff Parker (of Tortoise) on guitar, Junius Paul (upright & electric bass), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Brandee Younger (harp), plus several more people on horns, some strings, piano, and extra percussion. A really beautiful record overall, crafted with care and detail. Read more

Excellent debut album of exploratory modern jazz by this UK supergroup of sorts from the modern London scene. The music is sometimes intense, rhythmically charged, and funky, other times mellow and spacious, with lots of interesting textures and incredible improvisational interplay. Personnel for the quintet is Bex Burch (Vula Viel), Sarathy Korwar, Dan “Danalogue” Leavers (Soccer96, The Comet Is Coming), Al MacSween (Maisha) and Tamar Osborn (Collocutor). The pieces were all improvised in response to texts by Burch, and recorded live in one day during their first session all playing together. Really wonderful stuff overall, with lots of great improvisation from everyone involved. Read more

Far-ranging eclectic collection of works by this Indian singer, including everything from rock, jazz, pop, soul, funk, & disco. She was born in Bombay in 1945 and trained in Indian Classical music and opera from a young age, later adding jazz to her repertoire. Her first big breakthrough was with Ornette Coleman, singing on his 1971 opus Science Fiction. She eventually had major success as a solo artist in Europe during the latter half of the 1970s via a series of LPs and singles that deftly fused pop, rock, soul, funk and disco. This collection focuses mostly on that period, with some early “psych-rock” oddities and a couple of tracks from her short lived period in jazz. Everything from early garage psych, avant-garde jazz, incredible space disco, uptempo electronic funk, disco, and soulful pop-funk. Overall, a great set from this groundbreaking woman artist. Read more