Review: Shakti Soundsystem - Shakti Soundsystem (Anova Music)

Trippy space funk for kraut rockers warping in summer enlightenment; Namaste everyone!

Shakti Soundsystem is yoga without Shavasana, Here & Now without punk, Mad Professor vs. Massive Attack, System 7 with Ibiza and countless other spiritual nirvanas for body, ears and minds to dance to.

So it's no surprise to find out that Shakti Soundsystem is a six-piece 'commune' of supergroup of member of Garden City Movement (check out their album, 'Never On Time' - see review HERE), RAS and Alligator Ladies who live an improvised underground live session.

And this album is a bit in the spirit of a 'free' Don Cherry/Headhunters jam session, 'Dream' being the most jazz-funk in the widest sense of Gong goes 'Silver' with kraut-rock of CAN and Berlin squatters favourite band Amon Düül.   

Traditionists might argue that there should be a 20 minute plus length opus for true "future-facing psych" but if you're got a Bulbul Tarang and an array of modular sythns,  I'd say you argument stops there: check out 'Ambi'!

Seven tracks for fans of Or Kantor vibes (see review HERE) who will love this and it's got a lot of elements to make it 'Album Of The Week' and a great way to make our way into June.

Did somebody mention Hawkwind vs. Klaus Schultz?

Artist:  Shakti Soundsystem

Title:  Shakti Soundsystem

Release date: 30th May, 2024 

Label : Anova Music

Catalog Number :  TBC

Format:  Digital + 7" single 

Review: Charles Webster X China Charmeleon feat. Girly - Many Blessings (Stay True Sounds)

To say Stay True Sounds stay true to thier sounds might be a truism, but when you've got the talents of Charles Webster on board, you don't really need much more of a recommendation!

Stay True Sounds amazed us with the Webster & Muzi track 'Bakulindele (see review HERE) and they're back with some heavily percussive 'Webster' action.

If you can remember back to the Doctor Rockit's 'Café De Flore' with the Charles Webster's 'Latin Lovers Mix' or my introduction to Kahil El'Zabar (Chicago legend of percussion) with the remix of 'Running In The Streets' (Mix One & Mix Two, 2004), you've been a fan of Charles Webster as ever since as he seems to know just the touch to make great tracks greater and he's definitely got the feel for the ever growing South African house scene with both 'Free' and 'Many Blessings'.

Girly is from Delft Western Cape and 'Many Blessings' celebrates the musical heritage of Jo'burg and Cape Town (Ed. watch out for them penguins) whilst Atmos Blaq, originally form Dobsonville in the Soweto area, is another talent that's evolving out of the 3-step movement.

Already picked up be Colour & Pitch Sessions (see below), this is blessed!

As featured:

Colour and Pitch · Colour and Pitch Sessions with Sumsuch - May 2025

Artist: Charles Webster X China Charmeleon feat. Girly 

Title:  Many Blessings

Release date: 30th May, 2025

Label : Stay True Sounds

Catalog Number : STS

Format:  Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Urbs & Cutex - Wherever You Are (feat. T.R.A.C.) + Bird Of Paradise / Memories (Compost / Beat Art Department)

Wherever you are this release is perfect for 'Wherever You Are' -  what'd mean they taken their time?

You'll remember Urbs from the album 'Im Geheimland' (see review HERE) and now he's re-acquainted Cutex, this instrumental hip-hop trip of Viennese Whirls is a perfect addition to the groove, so much so, Compost has set up the Beat Art Department to deal with it.

So summer park cool, even Central Park, 'Wherever You Are' with instrumental and rap of New York MC, T.R.A.C. (he of Visioneers) plus more sunshine with 'Bird Of Paradise'  and 'Memories' this is ya jazzy beats sorted in one EP.

It's been 22 years since Urbs & Cutex released their album 'Peace Talks!' so the new album, 'On Our Way' is eagerly awaited and due out next month so stay tuned.

Artist:  Urbs & Cutex 
Title: Wherever You Are (feat. T.R.A.C.) + Bird Of Paradise / Memories
Release date: 30th May, 2025
Label : Tru-Thoughts Recordings
Catalog Number  BAD 016-1 / -3,
Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: The Offline - The Offline in Session (DeepMatter Records)

This week we find Hamburg's The Offline totally online with a 'live' collection of six of the best.

The Offline (aka Felix Müller) brings us the follow-up to the Instrumental, Breaks, Soul-Jazz, Funk, Soundtrack, Jazz-Funk soaked album from a couple of years ago, 'La Couleur De La Mer' and we find him, his guitar, and the band.

As a live 'session' with tracks from  'La Couleur De La Mer' with EPs 'Les Cigales' and 'En clair-obscur' (what is it with these live sessions in Germany, also see Jazzanova's 'In Between Revisited' the live version - see review HERE). 

We were impressed with Matt Wilde's beats vs. jazz vs. soul as fans of golden era Dwele/Roy Hargrove (see review HERE) whilst The Offline can add a sense of Italian OST/Bob James cool a la Calibro 35/Malcolm Catto and a host of your favourites from the Melbourne area (Surprise Chef, Robohands, Karate Boogaloo etc).

Artist: The Offline
Title:   The Offline in Session

Release date: 27th May, 2024

Label : DeepMatter Records

Catalog Number :tbc

Format: Digital / Bandcamp  

Chris Hill - Drums [1-6],
Timor Litzenberger - Bass [1-6]
Felix Müller - Guitar [1-6],
Felix Behrendt - Rhodes, Mellotron [1-6]
Hans-Christian Stephan - Flugelhorn [1,3,5,6], Trumpet [2,4]
Kimo Eiserbeck - Flute [1-6], Saxophone [3,4]

Review: WheelUP - Inner Light (Tru-Thoughts Recordings)

Pretty sure I was hanging out with Robert Luis (head honcho of Tru-Thoughts) at WeOutHere when Danny Wheeler (aka WheelUP) was DJing and he said, "Wait 'til you hear the album!" - and now we can.

Nothing if not varied is a Tru-Thoughts relelase whether individual or as a label, the last album we saw was Hot 8 Brass Band's 'Big Tuba' mardi-gras (see review HERE).

We've previously heard the single 'Flash' featuring Abacus (aka Harry Bryson of Pola & Bryson) that echo's golden-era bruk of 4Hero etc when DNB could be infused with all manner of influences which was followed up with the busy stutter soul of 'Safe In Your Arms' featuring Liv East on vocals along with Abacus.

Talking of which the 'Inner Light' WheelUP (aka Danny Wheeler / Daniel Moyo) found this on a recent tour of China, the birth place of inner chi / life force / tai chi / Qi Gong etc. 

Funnily enough Gilles Peterson has said of WheelUP that, "He does it every time!" which is the same as label boss Rob Luis was telling me at last years' WeOutFestival.

P.S. Don't forget BiggaBush's 'This River' (the Gerry Hectic Towpath Extension) on Tru-Thoughts for more varied dnb influences.

30.05 WheelUP ''Inner Light'' Album Launch - Cafe 1001
14 June – Album Launch – Alphabet, Brighton

Artist:  WheelUP 
Title: Inner Light
Release date: 30th May, 2025
Label : Tru-Thoughts Recordings
Catalog Number  TRUDD644
Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson & Carlos Niño - Openness Trio (Blue Note Records)

If you know your Carlos Niño, you'll know that that's he's a deeply spiritual man that loves thoughtful ambient jazz, be open to the debut on Blue Note for the 'Openness Trio'.  

 

With a past that's gone from underground hip-hop, to The Life Force Trio (with Dwight Trible, who recently featured on the Colletiivo Immaginario album 'Oltreocenao', see review HERE) to the enormous Build An Ark project to the Surya Botofasina coupling 'Everyone's Childen (see review HERE) to last year's trio with Surya and Nate Mercereau 'Subtle Movements' (and there's loads more), he's constantly evolving.

This must be the most ambient spiritual jazz album Blue Note has ever released with sunshine and joy, love and peace from Nate (guitar/synths), Josh (sax) and Carlos (percussion).  Five tracks recorded in five different sessions in Ventura County and LA, expect gentle, reflective and meditative tracks like the lead track, 'Hawk Dreams' (see below).

Did I tell you that I once met Niño many years ago in London, in a cafe opposite Rough Trade East and he mostly talked about his love of swimming in the Pacific (he was living in San Diego at the time) and being close to nature and his time with his son, with whom his was DJing with on his radio show, as well as going through his "60's period" of rediscovering The Beatles.  Well he's done 'From Beatles To Beatniks' and more and I for one will be playing this out mindfully at a summer festival coming near you soon.

BUY LINK: Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson, Carlos Niño "Openness Trio"

Artist: Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson & Carlos Niño

Title: Openness Trio

Release date: 11h July, 2025

Label : Blue Note Records

Catalog Number: Vinyl / Digital

Review: Gene Siewing - I've Been Blessed EP feat. Ingrid Arthur (Intent Recordings)

Older folks may recall the 'Bless This House' TV show in the 70s but this is the so much better as Gene Siewing joins force with Ingrid Arthur to tell us 'I've Been Blessed', gospel-jazz-house at it's best!

Towards the end of last year, Gene released the 'You're The One' EP on Intent Recordings without and hint of intention that his next release in the one.  It might be my imagination that I've heard quite a few tracks like this but this one stands out. Miss Arthur tells us, "to have this treasure, in my heart, to share with people that I’ve never even met before" before we get the full Gospel choir joining in with "I’ve been blessed".

'

With two remixes, 'Luv 2 Do' is even more summery whilst the 'Saxy Dub' is what it says on th tine as it features more sax by Fuasi Adul-Khaliq and more a jazz-skat by Ingrid that's added with the choir in towards the end.

Gene is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and is currently in Berlin which seems to be the perfect combination for a mid-state house party; indeed we are blessed.

Artist: Gene Siewing 

Title: I've Been Blessed EP feat. Ingrid Arthur

Release date: 30th May, 2025 [Pre-Order 23.05.25]

Label : Intent Recordings

Catalog Number : 009 

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Le Dune - Sugar Remixes (Quatro Bambole Records)

Just when you thought it was safe to immerse yourself in this years' Giro d'Italia and dig out your 'Oh!' so trendy Bianchi Pride short sleeve jersey (in green of course) only to find out your passione celeste is now italo-disco on the remix, with 'Sugar'!

This has come at us sideways with no less than four remixes: Fimiani Dolce & Salato, Sparkling Attitue Mar Adriatico, FrescoEdits Re-Drum, Costariva Balneare Mix: anyone of them sounds like that they could give Mapei-Quick Step, Team Jayco-Aluna, Lidl-Trek or Alpecin-Deceuninck a run for their money.

What's so fun about his set is that there's no drastic variation in the mixes, just a different emphasis on the core ingredients being: bass (Davide Codazzo), Congas (Roberto Chiga), 

Electric Guitar (Emanuele Pagliara), Keyboards/Synths (Andrea Rossetti) and Vocals (Vincenzo Destradis).

There's strong Chic disco to this but based in Rimini overlooked the sea and the Italo-Balearics communities.  It's recommended for anyone who loves Pino D’Angiò/McFadden & Whitehead/Raw Movements and Italian disco and don't forget the original that came out last summer.

BUY LINK: https://wordandsound.net/release/159315-QBM025-Le-Dune-Sugar-Remixes

Artist: Le Dune

Title: Sugar Remixes
Release date: 23rd May, 2025
Label :Quatro Bambole Records
Catalog Number: TBC
Format: 12" / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Peter & Kerry - You, Me and The Moon (Sonar Kollektiv)

We're a broad church at YATM and so are Sonar Kollektiv as they release Peter & Kerry's first album since 'La Trimouille' in 2012!

If you're a fan of the work of The Sound Lab radio show, you'll hear lots of indie-pop like Peter and Kerry but this has the added stamp of Sonar Kollektiv approval; note 'All I Got Of My Dreams' is not a radio edit.

So would it be coincidental that Kerry Leatham is from Essex, whilst Peter Lyons is from Southampton and their mutual interests when that met were The Simpsons and Fleetwood Mac.

There's defintely more than a touch of the 'classic' Fleetwood Mac songwriting and production here, whilst having got back together in 2016, there's now a touch of post Covid-19 darkness going on vis-a-visa 'I Hope We Never Fit In' (a title taken from some graffiti that Peter spotted on his way to his East London Studio).

Title: Peter & Kerry

Title: You, Me And The Moon

Release date: 27th May, 2025

Label : Sonar Kollektiv

Catalog Number : SK513D 

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Nightsteppaz - Want Me (with Franck Roger Remix) (Vibe Me To The Moon)

Can you believe Franck Roger is back with Vibe Me To The Moon with a remix of 'Want Me' by the Nightsteppaz? 

After Franck Roger's 'Can U Believe' EP (see review HERE) on his Vibe Me To The Moon debut so it's no huge surprise he's back with U.S. label that was started up in 2017 by DJ Nightsteppaz. 

The title track 'Want Me' does extactly what it says on the tin, with 'Lonnie Liston Smith' space synths vs. 80s deep space house with big vocals that resonate from New York, Chicago and San Francisco to the beaches of the Balearics.  

I know what your thinking - is there a dub version?  You're right, there's the Frank Roger remix version and the Franck Roger Dub!  And a remix in Mr. Rogers hands means 'Want Me' becomes and almost different animal, staying on the Med coast with Speedo shaped electric guitar for big hair funky-riffs.

All three versions are perfect for any club but if you need a winner for the weekend, this is it.

BUY LINK: Nightsteppaz - Want Me on Traxsource 

Artist: Nightsteppaz

Title:  Want Me (with Franck Roger Remix)

Release date: 30th May, 2025

Label : Vibe Me To The Moon Records

Catalog Number : TBC

Format:  Digital