Nu-Jazz | Broken Beat 335 Items

The Mechanical Man is something of a hero amongst deep house heads, so US label Selections are rightly buzzed to have him on board. He opens up with a lively broken beat number lavished with a superb r&b vocal sample and sunny chords on 'Be Down.' He sinks into a more cuddly and smoky house groove on 'Let It Ride' and allows the pensive leads to take over as you head through the stars. 'The Night In The North Area' has a fresh bassline darting about underneath muted chords that bring a Detroit feel. Last of all is the soulful joy of 'You Know It's True', another one with a classic sample smartly worked into a scuffed-up deep house shuffle.

Soulful, jazz-infused broken beats from Berlin! Incredibly talented jazz pianist and producer Yoofee debuts on Casa Voyager! A must-have for both: sensitive souls and sophisticated groove lovers. Tested and approved.

Following a collaborative release on Sherelle and Naina's Hooversound Recordings and EPs on Sneaker Social Club, Wncl Recordings and his own Club Glow (ran alongside Denham Audio, LMajor and Borai), contemporary UK breaksmith Mani Festo readies four typically lairy cuts of gun-finger, rush-in-the-rave energy.

Mani Festo has become something of a breakbeat assassin in recent years with a deserved spotlight being shone on the producer as one of the brightest artists to emerge from within the dark 'n' dutty UK breaks and electro scene. What you see is what you get from Mani Festo; what you're getting is a screwface and a smacked jaw.

'Leviathan' kicks things off with its stripped-back, grime-like textures - distorted kicks, frantic claps and growls from the belly of the beast blend on a minimal-breaks sequence that packs quite a punch despite its uncluttered soundwaves. 'Tethys' follows in a similar vein; distorted screams come from a brass-creature deep in the darkness, scattered percussion and step-tipped production blur the lines between garage, breaks and electro.

Large wubs and basslines guide the listener front left (just make sure you've got your protective earplugs in!) on 'Night Drive' before 'With U' strays down an emotional and introspective route with its otherworldly atmospherics, jungle tones and contemplative stillness - a creative combining of both heaven and hell.

This record is a soundtrack for imaginary movies, private documentaries and unreleased TV-series. Let yourself go and unleash your fantasies. Someone calls it library music

The third release in the series of 12” EPs featuring reinterpretations of tracks from the album “People Need People” - the brilliant album by Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella released in 2021 - features the excellent collaboration of two American artists from the Detroit scene Tall Black Guy and Andrès. Terrel Wallace AKA Tall Black Guy, raised on bread, Motown, jazz and early hip hop... he has become a standard bearer of the current hip hop beat scene. With a steady stream of sample-filled productions and clever flips, he has won fans all over the world. His production skills are showcased in his own rendition of “Nigeria”, where he calls on Broken Keys AKA Tommy Sheridan DJ, producer, vocalist and multi-Instrumentalist from Cleveland, Ohio. On side AA instead, DJ Andrés, now a revered figure of the Detroit scene praised by the eclectic Moodyman and Carl Graig among others, delivers a house version of “African Tribes” worthy of the most important dancefloors, in which he mixes soul-jazz parts with fragments of vocal samples and spoken words, all sublimated into a musical mixture with a strong deep house impact, with rhythm and mood typical of the black culture. Originally conceived as a trilogy, this successful reworking series will eventually embrace a further fourth chapter including two new Fred P. interpretations of the tracks “African Spirits” and “Tribes

Pique-nique Recordings is proud to present People’s Dream, the latest solo release from NYC-based vibraphonist and electronic producer Will Shore. Inspired by Francis Bebey and Don Cherry’s electronic music from the 70s and 80s, People’s Dream draws heavily from modal jazz, minimalism, and dance music. It blends tightly composed percussive phrases with freely moving melodic improvisations that feel as much at home in a DIY loft space as they do on a custom-built sound system at Nowadays. Shore says: “The vibraphone is the thing that I know best, but I’ve always found the instrument quite limited. Its pure bell-like tone can seem too pretty to evoke a wide range of feelings. I normally find ways to obscure that pure sound: I distort it, pitch it down, or layer rougher textures over it. But for People’s Dream and Lucid, instead of obscuring the sound quality, I decided to embrace it. I used the vibraphone for not only melodic parts but also as a driving rhythmic element. I let the entrances and exits of melodies appear and disappear in a dream-like way, and added electronics and percussion as texture, to create a more cinematic atmosphere.” On the B-side, UK producer and label-head Tom Blip (Blip Discs) flips Lucid into a driving, bass-oriented club track, fit for vibrant dancefloors this summer. On the back of successful collaborations with East African artists Swordman Kitala and Mubashira Mataali Group, Blip unleashes a trademark peak-time drum track designed to elude any dream-like state.

This is the second in the 12” EP releases series featuring reinterpretations of tracks taken from the People Need People album, Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella’s brilliant collaborative jazz dance album released in 2021. After Joe Claussell’s fantastic work on “Inner Light” on the previous 12”, the same song gets here a further interpretation by the great Anthony Nicholson, one of the most respected producers and key characters in the tribal / afrocentric house scene, with more than 30 years of experience in the field. We also asked DJ Spinna to put his artistry on “New World Shuffle” and the result is uplifting: Bridgette Amofah’s original vocals shine over a sunny house groove full of keys and moog lushy layers, in a distinctive ‘Spinna feel’. Yet another meaningful perspective on the “People Need People” original release, which will soon receive another significant treatment by none less than Tall Black Guy, Andrés and Fred P! Stay tuned!

Vanguard captures the iconic Bristol Sound. The early days of the iconic Bristol Sound are captured in a new album including an exclusive re-release of the very first track from Massive Attack and tracks from Smith & Mighty, Purple Penguin and more. The curated tracks are also linked in that all were originally released with bespoke original covers from legendary Bristol street artists, including Banksy and Will Barras, tying its release toVanguard’s current exhibition Bristol Street Art: The Evolution of a Global Movement at M Shed, Bristol, running until October. Compiled by DJ Boca 45 (Scott Hendy), Vanguard brings together the seminal tracks that defined the rebellious era which saw the birth of the Bristol Sound for the first time. Featured tracks include an exclusive re-release of Any Love - the first ever track by Massive Attack released on Massive Attack Records in 1988, Smith & Mighty’s breakout hit Walk On, Purple Penguin’s downtempo classic Memphis and other trip hop classics. The LP celebrates the globally recognised Bristol Sound whose experimental breakbeat rhythms and influence still dominate the scene today. Along with classic tracks from the ‘90’s into the ‘00’s and beyond, the album uncovers lesser known cuts by some of Bristol’s pioneering musicians such as One Cut and West Country hip hop’s finest Aspects. The explosion of the Bristol Sound coincided with the boom in UK street art which led to fruitful collaborations between artists and musicians. Finding inspiration in each other’s work, street artists frequently designed rave posters, logos and cover art while DJs provided the beats to accompany street artists’ clandestine painting. Vanguard The Album pays homage to these relationships with a beautifully put together gatefold LP featuring iconic cover art designed by some of the biggest names in street art such as Inkie, Dicy, Will Barras and Nick Walker. These early works capture the boisterous energy of the era and confirm Bristol’s status as an extraordinary cultural melting pot. The double vinyl record also features extensive sleeve notes written by Bristolian writer and curator Jamie Hombre as he reflects on these ground breaking cover art collaborations.

Jason Hogans follows releases for Planet E, Moods & Grooves, & Third Ear with his dedut 12" on the mighty Sound Signature.

Ralph Heidel is one of the young musicians that represent the spirit of Berlin’s new musical ecleticism better than others. He is part of the avantgarde circles that mix modern jazz and contemporary classical music with elements of new electronica and experimental ambient music.

Soul Service is a new label from the Atlanta-based party crew of the same name. For their first trick, they enlist the fine sounds of Italian Afro house and disco man Gledd, who shows his skills across blends of Latin, jazz, house, and world music influences. 'Jazz Con Sabor' opens with lots of frosty cymbals and big horn stabs over shuffling drums, then 'Dile' has a more playful and funky skip to it that soon infects your soul. 'No Lo Quiero Saber' (Latin mix) is deeper, more percussive and packed with sunshine from the expressive vocals.

"Blossometry" is the new EP from French beatmaker Flow-er. In a chill and downtempo atmosphere inspired by Kaytranada, Moonchild, and Dam-Funk, the six tracks oscillate between neo-soul and modern-funk. Several guests enhance this release, including US female rapper Tanajah, already noticed in North Carolina. "Luxuriant Excursion" highlights the guitar and future beats inspirations of Pomrad and the groove of Vulfpeck !

Bread & Souls is a new project dreamt up by Italian entrepreneur and music lover Franco Fusari. Franco invited Mark de Clive-Lowe on board to direct and produce an album of collaborations with some of our favorite artists including the likes of Bembé Segué, Vanessa Freeman, Paul Randolph, Rich Medina, Tommaso Cappellato and more...

Opening with the broken beat, soul-drenched I See You featuring Detroit’s Paul Randolph on vocals along with Taku Hirano on percussion Chapter 3 is here! Vanessa Freeman and Bembe Segue absolutely radiate on the head-nod of Little Did I Know, complete with Marcus Machado lacing classic D’Angelo-meets-Prince guitars. You heard the Domu remix on Chapter 1, and finally here’s the original! The EP wraps up with two remixes courtesy of Alex Attias and LTJ Xperience. Alex reworks the Bembe Segue featuring Never Gonna Leave into a deep tech house dancefloor workout while Italy's LTJ Xperience’s remix brings the mid tempo 4/4 to Rich Medina and Bembe Segue on Working On It (original version still to come!).

Uk/nl reeds player, composer and producer Finn Peters presents his new 10", Red, Green and Blue; The three track EP of Nu Jazz/Broken Beats is being released on the artist's own Mantella Records imprint and sees a return to solo recording (after a decade hiatus) for the award winning Jazz maverick, beloved of Gilles Peterson and fans of cosmic jazz.
Influences include Compass Point Records, Africa Bambaata, Yusef Lateef and Walter Gibbons. It is heavy sounding with Mpc3000 and SP 12 drum breaks, heavy African and Brazilian percussion, ethereal flute choirs and analogue synths a plenty.