Review: Lay-Far Dance Orchestra - Skybreak (In-Beat-Ween Music)

The sky is has been broken by the Lay-Far Dance Orchestra with 'Skybreak' - think the best Peterson/Forge Dingwalls session ever - yep, this is it!

Hard to believe, even for us long-time fans of Lay-Far at YATM (see review HERE from 2016) that he's gone and got himself an 'Orchestra' and moved away from his remixes that "never disappoints"; as with his remix of 'Origins' (see review HERE). 

But could there be a better time "join thee dots between jazz and dub, techno and soul, funk and house" for Lay-Far (aka Alexander Leyfa) as is joined seasoned jazz professionals: Michail Fotchenkov (drums), Viktor Glazunov (percussion), Timur Nekrasov (sax, flute) and Maxim Glonti (keys),  

So on the face of it, you'd imagine it's going to be a jazz-funk base with spaced out synths at the soulful end with BRUK boarders to edge the acid funk.  And it is all that, particularly on 'Where You From' and can also reach deep into his Russio-Boom-Bap with the fantastic 'The Harp Of Boom' which also echoes the Melbourne/Naarm cinematic/beats/jazz/hip-hop scene that's as energenic as ever.

Because Lay-far has been so active a DJ/producter/remixer having appear of countess label's his contact book is very big so we've got Seven Davis Jr. (on 'Aquarious Love' that's not a 60s hippy trip but more like a heavy Billy Cobham doing 'Gabriel'!), Antoha MC on 'Feel The Moment' that adds jazz-skat to an Lonnie Liston Smith at Earth Wind & Fire before the set ends with Russian DJ/Producer Lipelis and his dreamer vision of 'Where You From'.

The 'Where You From', the original version, is deeper into late 70s/early 80s Brit-funk of Light Of The World/Beggar & Co. ('Rising Sun' on the office decks earlier by coincidence) but, with a nod to Space-disco Atmosphere and Lonnie Liston Smith again, 'Take Flight' (Part 1) and 'Take Flight (Part 2) are a supa 12" in themselves as a 10 minute special.

And whilst 'Soul Constant' doesn't sound it, what a fantastic flute gang jazz dance monster it is: proper 100mph major tune.

So, not one duff track to report so think Soul Weekender/Caister/Canvey/Jazz Rooms and all the other great events you'd love to hear  this at and would you believe it, there's a very limited audiophile 1⁄4” tape edition too! 

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: Vinyl (27th March)  https://band.link/skybreak

Artist: Lay-Far Dance Orchestra 

Title:  Skybreak

Release date: 3rd April, 2026

Label : In-Beat-Ween Music

Catalog Number : TBC

Format: VINYL / Digital / Bandcamp / on limited edition audiophile 1⁄4” tape.