Amoeba Music

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

Great new album of spacy, tripped-out longform psychedelic jams with ambient and electronic touches. This LA musician supposedly recorded the album in a Chilean copper mine, but perhaps that’s just a myth, or a metaphor for the subterranean sounding grooves here? They do feature tons of reverb and sound like they could have been recorded in a cave… Kosmiche / Krautrock influences are notable, especially Can and early Kraftwerk, as well as some “4th world” style processed saxes and flutes that sound like they are straight from Jon Hassell’s seminal early work with Brian Eno, Michael Brook, and Daniel Lanois. There are some industrial-sounding rhythms as well, and an overall sonic palette that is rife with trippy sound effects. All instrumental, a beautiful cosmic voyage into a dark yet beautiful realm that is alive with detail and super fun to explore. Nice! Read more

Stunning solo debut album from this Native American bassist / composer / singer from the Abenaki First Nation. Based in Portland, Maine, she is also a member of Boston’s all female folk-rock trio Lula Wiles. Here, she incorporates Native American ballads, songs, chants, and stories from various tribes within the Wabanaki Confederacy (an alliance of four tribes based in parts of Canada & the Northeastern US), shaping these ideas into loose yet potent jazzy songforms. Her vocals are powerful and beautiful, and her bass playing is solid too. The rest of her sextet is also great, especially dummer Savanah Harris. Miriam Elhajli contributes stellar guitars, and she also sings on track 3. The trio on horns (Allison Burik, Noah Campbell, & Taylor Ho Bynum) are all excellent too. Some incredible, dynamic songs with female vox, one with supple bass melodies set to a spoken Native American story, one mellow instrumental ballad, and one cut with a subtly funky groove and some truly great horn interplay that wraps up with a haunting chant backed by some Native American style drumming. A fantastic release from this young talent! Read more

This sophomore release has some really great, mostly downtempo neo-soul grooves, led by Kaina Castillo's soft, lovely, sensuous voice. With nice earthy organic production and a laid back feel, it is charming and sweet. She’s a first generation Latina (her parents are from Venezuela & Guatemala) who is now based in Chicago. This album really dials in a specific sound, and the production has a subtle restrained funkyness that blends well with her lush, mostly hushed vocals. Sleater Kinney and Helado Negro guest on one track each, and one cut features Sen Morimoto, who also co-produced the album with Kaina. RIYL: Cleo Sol, Raveena, Jamila Woods, Solange, Al Green, Kali Uchis. Read more

Brand new, first of its kind collection featuring lots of amazing dance party gems by this French artist & record producer (née Daniel Bangalter). Ranges from soulful pop & electronic funk to spacy disco and classic 1970s pop. He had a major hand in every track here, writing and producing most of them himself, with just a few co-credits. Lots of spaced out synthesizers and groovy disco drumbeats to go with these catchy tunes, which are occasionally slightly wacky. Several of these tracks were at least minor hits at the time, a few were big smashes, and it’s great to have their quirky genius compiled in one place. Bonus trivia: He is the father of Thomas Bangalter from Daft Punk. He was an early influence on his son’s musical path and career, as well as that of Daft Punk’s French peers Air & Phoenix, who all say that his advice helped them out. Très fantastique! Read more

This album is an incredible journey featuring some truly cosmic spiritual jazz in the tradition of the legendary Alice Coltrane. It’s centered around the gorgeous, supple piano & keys of Botofasina, who actually learned from Coltrane as a fellow member of the ashram she founded in southern California. Following her death in 2007, Surya has now been the musical director there for several years. Carlos Nino produces and contributes his subtle, earthy percussive touches to most cuts, though a pair feature Surya solo on various keys. Guest vocals by Dwight Trible (Build An Ark, etc.), Mia Doi Todd, and Swamini Satsang. Radha Botofasina (Surya’s mother) plays harp and sings along with her son on one piece. Overall, a gorgeous album of meditative, tranquil, rapturous ambient bliss that obviously comes from a very spiritual place. Beautiful and moving music! Read more

Great album of groovy, soulful slow burners in the bolero style, a Latin rhythm usually associated with slow, often sappy romantic songs. Here, this extremely prolific Austin, Texas musician (known for his work in Black Pumas, Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds, Grupo Fantasma, The Echocentrics, & Money Chicha, among others) turns the trope into something modern and truly special, adding hip production and subtly funky grooves. Nine different guest vocalist (all singing in Spanish) appear on most of the cuts, with three very nice instrumentals. Fantastic production and a great vibe overall. Read more

Gorgeous album of mostly mellow pop songs with lush, organic orchestration and retro-style production by this quartet from Minsk, Belarus. Several guests contribute various orchestral touches throughout, including violin, viola, cello, and flute. Despite being based in Eastern Europe, this album sounds like a combination of classic Brazilian music from the early 1970s (especially Arthur Verocai’s classic 1972 S/T debut) mixed with a bit of light, airy sunshine pop of that same era (think The Free Design & The 5th Dimension but a bit more chill). Definitely some mid-to-late period Stereolab vibes here as well, which makes sense given those influences. Fans of either Chris Cohen’s great breezy pop or Brazilian artist Sessa’s lovely “Estrela Acesa” from 2022 should dig this too. Sessa even co-wrote and sang on one track here, and Moscow’s talented Kate NV guests on vox on one cut as well. Very nice! Read more