Review: Anushka - My Mother's Mother (BBE Music)

African inspired love song for grand mother's everywhere taken from the forthcoming album 'Ancestry' (did you see what they did there?) along with a remix from South African/Mozambiquan wunderkind, Thakzin.

This is somewhat different to their earlier single, 'Really (Nothig Is Cool)' with the Max Wheeler dub (see review HERE) and we know Thakzin from various appearance on Foliage (see review HERE) and as a DJ, he has been laured by this likes of BBC 6 Music DJs like Jamz Supernova and Benji B and played out by Osunlade, Atjazz, Louie Vega, Laurent Garnier and many more.

Now, put that together with Gambian Kora player Jally Kebba Susso and you've got a might Grand MF remix from a Thakzin Perspective and a Perespective Dub.

BBE are on a roll at the moment with a re-press of Madlib's 'WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip' album (see review HERE) and Anushka's forthcoming album, it's hard to keep up; but don't mis out on this remix!

Artist: Anushka 

Title: My Mother's Mother (with Thakzin remix)

Release date: 13th June, 2025

Label :  BBE Music

Catalog Number: BBE776SDG3

Format: Digital / Bandcamp   

Review: Nomi Ruiz & Eli Escobar - Love Louder (Razor-N-Tape Records)

When you've already made a name for yourself as a vocalist with Hercules & Love Affair, Jessica 6 and countless collaborations, Nomi Ruiz teams up to 'Love Louder' together on Razor-N-Tape Records with a full album.  

Yes that's right!  Jessica 6, the Brooklyn-based Nu-disco/pop trio that were on Peacefrog who had that crossover connections with ANOHNI and hipsters Hercules & Love Affair.  All very NY trendy so add to that background DJ/Producer Eli Escobar's credentials, whowonder why these Nuyoricans haven't released a debut album until now after thier first collaboration in 2011.

One reason may well be that whether it's his own productions, edits or remixes, Escobar is prolific and he's perfect at getting that Disco/Latin/percussion/dancefloor combination perfect.  So it's cool that he's happy to play to the support to Nomi's singing talents on these eight tracks; that said, it works in a delicate synth-pop way like the title track and 'The Spell' that draw on that Love Affair tension/angst.  

'Heathens' and 'Full Fantasy' are upbeat enough for dancefloor plays but the album is indeed full of tension as in Nomi's own words, "We live in a world and a city where this sense of imminent loss surrounds us” and never a truer word said in the two weeks leading up to the release but they have both had mutual friends pass recently and 'Go Be Gone' catches the theme perfectly and at the same time, it's a love letter to the ever changing landscape of NYC itself (Ed. insert your local urban centre as it's a global issue).

Whilst we would all like to dance our summers away, this album is a reminder of other things; possibly the two themes come together with 'Blindside' (can we have an extended more dubby version?), 'Glitter & Gold' and the city sex theme of 'Juice'.

They've moved quite a long way from the DFA template (Ed. haven't we all?)   We've said it before, we're always impressed with a Razor-N-Tape project and 'Love Louder' is no exception.

 
BUY LINK: Nomi Ruiz & Eli Escobar - Love Louder

Artist: Nomi Ruiz & Eli Escobar 

Title: Love Louder 
Release date: 27th July, 2025
Label : Razor-N-Tape.
Catalog Number : RNTR082
Format :  LP Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Reinel Bakole - Humble Me (Independent)

No pie eating going on here as Reinel Bakole returns with a new track, 'Humble Me'!

After featuring on Muito Kaballa's album, 'The River' on Batov Records with 'Let Go' and 'All This While' - by coincidence, the next release on the label after Sababa 5 & Canay Doğan's double AA single 'Biga​̂​ne'/'Namdar', see review HERE - what do you do?

Well, Reinel Bakole went on a trip to Brazil and comes back after a year with new track, 'Humble Me' after working on a new album with producer Helocim back in Brussels.

MPB meets Popcorn soul meets beats a la R&B golden era Ms. Badu with a touch of jazz harp. 

What with Pink Butter (see review HERE) giving us some Swedish twist to keep it cool as we don't an pie or Kate, keep it humble.

Artist: Reinel Bakole
Title:  Humble Me

Release date: 25th June, 2025

Label : Independent

Catalog Number :tbc
Format:  Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: Demarkus Lewis - Love Still Lives EP (Vibe Me To The Moon)

When DJ/Producer Demarkus Lewis isn't running his own Grin Music label, there's plenty of other labels that he's been on in the past 25 years that want him back so it's a big deal to welcome his return to Vibe Me To The Moon for DJ Nightsteppaz. 

After Nightsteppaz's 'Want Me' (along with a Franck Roger remix - see review HERE) plus Mr. Franck Roger's own 'Can U Believe' EP (see review HERE) on Vibe Me To The Moon, DJ Nightsteppaz has reached out to another prolific producer for 'Love Still Lives EP', Demarkus Lewis.

Lewis, described as a "Seasoned House favourite", has got his Vibe Me To The Moon follow up to 'Listen & Understand' (from 2022) that is full of love as it's title indicates with tracks 'Touch My Love', 'Cold Heart' and 'Love Still Lives'.

The cold (heart) vocal efx are warmed up by the synth pad, particularly on 'Love Still Lives' and the uptempo bounce of 'Touch My Love'.    

All three tracks are perfect for any club but if you need a winner for the weekend, 'Touch My Love' is it.

Released the week after the summer solstice, this is a hot one for the dancefloor - you'll love it. 

BUY LINK: Vibe Me To The Moon Tracks & Releases on Traxsource

Artist: Demarkus Lewis 

Title:  Love Still Lives EP 

Release date: 27th June, 2025

Label : Vibe Me To The Moon Records

Catalog Number : Vibe Me To The Moon 024

Format:  Digital  

Reviw: Joy Spheres Rees - Solina (BBE Music)

With some of the best in the Naarm / Melbourne community, Allysha Joy, Hidden Spheres (AKA Tom Harris) and Finn Rees have got together for futher explorations in soulful/Balearic bounce-hop for 'Trust The Feeling' by Joy Sphere Rees - did you see what they did there?

Yet another BBE find as who wouldn't want the trident of Joy (as in 30/70 - see review HERE) along with Close Counters (see review HERE) and with Finn Rees (see review HERE) plus the meat in the sandwich so to speak, Tom 'Hidden Spheres' Harris.

This album couldn't have been timed better with the soltice as 'Solina' is a hot ray of sunshine in more than worrying times.  With Joy's vocals and some beachside beats  like 'Caves Sands' (sultry flute) , 'Trust The Feeling' and 'Caught In The Wind' all seems to have a grounding in nature and a love of the elements.

Perhaps 'Surrender Love' best reflects the ablum as the leading "Balearic House to Street Soul, Alternative RnB and Jazz" with a touch of elementry instrumental hip-hop ('Always Leaving').

The previous singles, 'Trust The Feeling' and 'Promise Me Love' give you the two extremes of the set, the sexy 'Sade' end and the up[per] beat DJ end.

It's a shame the jazz end of 'Delta Spirit' isn't longer but this is definitely an album that'll grow in stature and if you don't get the LP now you'll be kicking yourself later.

BUY LINK: SOLINA | Joy Spheres Rees

Artist: Joy Spheres Rees 

Title: Solina

Release date: 23rd May, 2025

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number: BBE805

Format:  Vinyl LP - Gatefold (Limited) / Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: The Cure - And Nothing Is Forever (Cosmodelica Electric Eden Remix)(Polydor)

How I would have loved to have been in the room when the big wigs were selecting the folks that were going to get their hand on one of the 16 tracks that make up, 'The Cure - Mixes Of The Lost World' but if you're on this site, you'll be most interested in Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy in her 'Cosmodelica' remix guise and the track 'And Nothing Is Forever'.

 

The Cosmodelica Electric Eden remix (being Cosmo, Joe Goddard and Al Doyle) predictably takes a Robert Smith/The Cure morose ballad into a dancefloor favourite that boarders on disco a la The Rapture in Ibiza.

Murphy being known as the bearing of torch of David Mancuso's Loft Party, host of the Balearic Breakfast radio show plus the 'Classic Album Sunday' show on Worldwide FM, DJing with Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) in Ibiza a couple of weeks ago at the Cafe del Mar and having breakfast with Joe Goddard (Ed. What a life!)

Not only that, she was very charming when I met her in the Jazzdance tent at WOH Festival last year so I'm more than happy to fall in love with The Cure again, did I ever tell it was because of the The Cure I ended up living on the the same road as Small Wonder Records (the label for thier first single (Ed. Another day).

Out on a double album of 16 tracks, there's so much more to The Cure and their remixer fans to check out and we'll be hearing more from the Cosmodelica Electric Eden 'supergroup' with Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Al Doyle (LCD Soundsystem) and Lou Haytor 

BUY LINK: www.juno.co.uk

Artist: The Cure

Title: Mixes Of A Lost World

Release date: 12th June, 2025

Label: Polydor

Catalog: 758644 7

Format: 2 X LP Gatefold ; Digital

Review: Feiertag - Embers (Sonar Kollektiv)

This EP is hot, like 'Embers' of the fire - 4 tracks plus 'Lost Spirit' featuring Jono McCleery.

Last summer we had Feiertag's 'ON/OFF EP' that followed 'Roots' (see review HERE) and before that 'Feel Me' (featuring Nego True) / 'Law Of Attraction' (featuring OSHUN) (see review HERE) so we know even with burning embers, Joris Feiertag just can't stop.

'Somewhere Up There' keeps him in the high atmospheric bouncey opener that sounds strongly Dutch; possibly as it's central to 'Embers' as he reflects on loved ones that has passed.  Whilst the 'Wanderer' picks things up and bursts upon us like a sunrise.

I may not surprise anyone that the Jono McCleery guest on the track 'Lost Spirit' makes it the stand-out for radio play as with Jono's 'Reconcile' album from late last year (see review HERE).

Clearly there's some genre chemistry going on here from post-Dutch trance to Bruk to house and more which makes it ideal for summer 2025.

Title: Feiertag

Title: Embers

Release date: 20th June, 2025

Label : Sonar Kollektiv

Catalog Number : SK522D 

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Liz Vice - The Call (Liz Vice Music)

Introducing 'Woman' and 'Never Been The Same', the first two singles taken from forthcoming album, 'The Call', by singer songwriter Liz Vice.  

The independent project features the amazing Roberto Di Gioia (he of Web Web, see review of their latest album HERE) on keys, and was co-produced by Grammy Winner, bass player, producer extraordinaire, and former Bowie collaborator, Timothy Lefebvre.

As good as the introspective 'Woman' is, 'What Have We Done' is so soul-folk deep like a female Terry Callier with a Web Web/Jazzanova vibe.

Which is equalled by the tracks like 'Face Value', the title track, the previous single 'Woman', the southern R&B funk of 'Other Side' and what out for the ended on 'Missed You'..

This album is bound to be picked up by a major label soon so get in at the start, when you're getting compared to the likes of Aretha Franklin and Marvis Staples, you know you'll get the call soon!

Artist:  Liz Vice 

Title: The Call (album)
Release date: 20th June, 2025
Label: Independent
Catalog Number: TBC

Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Skinny Hightower - Analog Theory (CastOver Records)

The new full-length album by Tyler Gauldin and Skinny Hightower is here with an 'Analog Theory'.

  

Skinny Hightower, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer and Internationally recognised jazz artist is joined Tyler Gauldin on sax for a new EP, Analog Theory which, by its title, gives the clue that this is more than just jazz fusion.

Tyler says, “Rarely have I been able to express my musical ideas so freely... The way Skinny and I collaborate is seamless—one idea flowing into the next. These tracks are a perfect blend of our artistry.”

And they share 'Taxi' and 'The Real Calyso' (with Radio Edits) with a real jazz groove, 'Taxi' could be driving to any destination from the deep south to the mid-west; Skinny himself coming from Wichita, Kansas and having deep gospel roots.

Whilst we like the electronic side of things, there's definitely still more to investigate in the world of 'Analog Theory'.

Artist:  Skinny Hightower

Title: Analogue Theory EP
Release date: 20th June, 2025
Label: CastOver Records
Catalog Number: TBC

Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Jackstraw (BE) - Amani (Ostowana)

Jackstraw (the Belgian DJ and producer) presents 'Amani' as a "powerful Afro House journey that radiates warmth, rhythm, and soul" in vocal, radio and instrumental versions. 

This is a light Afro percussion with emotive vocals and deep melodic textures, Amani (that translates as "peace") is on a mission to get/keep the dancefloor going and it's full of equinox sun: "Perfect for sunrise sets, sunset rituals, and deep dancefloor moments, Amani is a celebration of heritage, harmony, and house music with heart". 

Still groovin' to Souhail Artwork's 'AFROGORO EP' from last week (see review HERE), Ostowana have picked up another summer anthem.

Artist: Jackstraw (BE)

Title: Amani

Release date: 20th June, 2025

Label: Ostowana

Catalog Number: OST116

Format: Digital