Review: DJ Soch - Let Me Tell You EP (Wolf Music)

DJ Soch tells Wolf Music exactly what they need to know about the olden days of massive house tunes like this new track, 'Let Me Tell You' - a trois, or a tre! 

As a follow-up to Toronto Hustle x Sean Roman's 'Social Narcotics' (see review HERE) this message of "Hope" by DJ Soch is perfect low-level Gospell soul that's pumpin' higher.

Love the keys and church organ on 'Power Mix' and the vocals on the 'Original Mix' as both tracks are high intensity bangers - in fact, due to church organ, the label say they fell in love with the track as it's a "real Timmy Regisford tops-off jam": yes it's that hot, even in a heat bubble.

The Italian DJ, producer, label owner (Black Angus Records), DJ Soch house roots go deep into his 40 year love affair with all things Detroit and Chicago including techno, disco, funk, hip-hop and, of course, house itself.

And on the flip, as you can't compete with the A-side, there's a track called 'Chewing Gum' which bounces up and down as a Prince Palmer Remix that's said to be reminiscent of prime time Strictly Rhythm!

The guys at Wolf seem to be getting hotter as they approach Cat. No.100!

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: Music | WOLF Music

Artist: DJ Soch

Title: Let Me Tell You EP 
Release date: 24th July, 2025
Label : Wolf Music Recordings
Catalog Number: WOLFEP088
Format: 12" vinyl Pre-Order / Digital 

Review: Curió Curió - 'Curió Curió’ (Mr Bongo)

Don't be put off by the cover as this 'Curió Curió’ isn't as curious curious as it would appear with Mr Bongo getting deep into modern Brazilian MPB tropicalia! 

Rooted in Brazilian MPB and shaped by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation, Curió Curió is the meeting point between Rio-born singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, their self-titled debut album is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music but a deeper question that runs through every track. Where does one belong when home becomes plural?

“I have been living in Europe for nine years”, says Monteiro. “At some point I realised I was no longer the same person I had been in Rio but I was not fully from here either. The album comes from that question: where do I belong?”.

That question is never answered directly. Instead it is carried through images, fragments and gestures. A barefoot figure looking out across Guanabara Bay in ‘Tô Chegando’, a family calling someone back in ‘Vem pra Casa’, a voice learning to trust itself in ‘Menina Passarinho’. The album moves between cities and emotional registers without settling, tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves.

Braun’s production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without obvious reference points, only later pulling in rhythmic and vocal elements that hint at Brazil without reproducing it. “We wanted it to feel authentically Brazilian without being cliché, like something you recognise but cannot fully place”, says Braun. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo’s interest in process as much as outcome.

Many of the album’s defining moments come from chance encounters. The choir on ‘Bem Querer’ emerged from a bar conversation that led to a group of non-professional singers gathering in a room to capture a shared energy. “The euphoria of people being together has that authentic samba street vibe”, Braun explains. “That feeling cannot be simulated”.

Elsewhere, the record opens itself to more intimate moments. ‘Vida que Entorna (Interlúdio)’ was recorded in a single take over field recordings from a family birthday in Brazil. “The song is about my father being ill”, Monteiro says. “When we listened back to it we were both very moved. And that was it. It was ready”.

The push and pull between collective expression and personal reflection shapes the listening experience. There is a sense of movement throughout, between dancefloor and interior space, between immediacy and memory. “In the first moment I want people to feel joy”, Monteiro says. “To move, to dance, to feel present. Then later I want them to reflect. To think about where they come from, who they miss, what home means to them”.

That duality extends into the themes of love, work and creative identity. Songs like ‘Amor Doente’ and ‘Mar sem Dar Pé’ circle around relationships that resist clarity, while ‘Menina Passarinho’ captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For Monteiro, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both inevitable and difficult.“For a long time I was afraid to invest in music because it matters so much to me”, she says. “This project was a way of accepting that I need it in my life”.

The album closes with ‘A Cor do Meu Sonho’, a quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the central question open. “I started to understand that I can belong to many places at once”, Monteiro reflects. “And that can be something to embrace”. Lyrics from the song ‘Raiz’ translate in English to “I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant change is my companion”. With Curió Curió, that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://bfan.link/curio-curio-1

Artist: Curió Curió

Title: 'Curió Curió’ 

Release Date : 24th July, 2026

Label : Mr Bongo Records

Catalog Number : MRBCDLP343

Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Lonely Deckchair - Lonely Deckchair (NuNorthern Soul)

Could there be anything sadder than a lonely deckchair, on a beach, a discarded member of the a family?  Well, trust NuNorthern Soul to pick this one up and make it part of the family group! 

Lonely Deckchair first washed up on these shores as one of the 'Summer Selection Six'  hits (see review HERE) along with B.J. Smith, Sasha Foam, Roots Artefact, Visions Of Light and Perth Lewis (don't forget his new 'Cherry Moon' EP, see review HERE).

So quite tricky for a sub-3 minute 'early evening transition' track to stand-out amongst that lot but 'Adaflo' clearly did and it now lines-up as one of the 10 tracks of the self-titled Lonely Deckchair album.  

Thankfully to other tracks are in the 5-6 minute bracket with 'Aguadulce' approaching 9 which makes sense as a lead track as Lonely Deckchair (aka Andrew Wright) is a solo music project he's created that's is shaped by his memory of childhood summers rooted in Aguadulce on Spain's southern coast; great use of Seagulls squaking and waves lapping on 'Aguadulce'.

And whilst there is ambience there's this childish (in a good way) innocence and excitement undercurrent to 'beach life'.  Like the opener, 'Rayman's Kingdom' with is Trans-Europe Express chilled to Augusto Pablo's melodica echoes and guitar twang.

And on the subject of dub, 'Carr’s Dub' bring together "Andalusian oud, aching orchestral swells, congas and distant rave piano, nodding gently towards Mediterranean club culture without losing the album’s emotional centre".  In truth, the keyboard and bongo arrangement reminds me of the glorious party sounds of Mr. John Shuttleworth which makes it even more of a seaside sensation in my books.

This album, is a mix of enough Balearic beach groove electronica and dancing percussion like 'Dripfed', Sunrun' and 'Warren's Apology' that's deep into his "faded photographs, silent Super 8 footage and half-remembered family holidays", kayaking and hill climbs in the Mediterranean; as opposed to Blackpool 'Kiss Me Quick' hats and coastal amusements and bingo.

'Alhambra Space Station' is one to save for you're Festive holiday time dub mixes whilst 'Caminante del Agua' (meaning “water walker”) would neatly follow Ellie Wilson's 'Listen To The River' (see review HERE) as it's spoken word points out that its difficult to listen to Mother Earth from a the 'seaside' past.  

I suppose, today there's the options of paddle board, jet skis, wind surfing and more  technical ways to relax on a beach, leaving the hallowed symbol of holiday enjoyment as an even more loney deckchair.   But wait, get this album and enjoy it on your own ...or in a group, sitting down... or dancing up!

PS. I was going to mention that its the type of album that Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s, Jazz FM, Soho Radio and more) would have in his bag at the legendary Pikes Bar that he's recently been playing at only to find there's a hour long 'Lonely Deckchair mix' by label boss Phat Phil for us to enjoy  - see below - Brilliant!

BUY LINK / PRE ORDER:  Lonely Deckchair | Lonely Deckchair

MIX RECORDED LIVE AT PIKES, IBIZA MAY 2026: 

Phat_Phil_Cooper · Lonely Deckchair Full Album Promo Mix Recorded at Pikes, Ibiza

Artist: Lonely Deckchair

Title: Lonely Deckchair

Release date: 24th July, 2026
Label : NuNorthern Soul
Catalog Number : NUNSLDLP001V / NUNSLDLP001D
Format: Limited Edition Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: De-Phazz - belooped (MPS)

Bet you had to look twice at MPS and De-Phazz! But it's true, downtempo's lounge kings have gone to the land of the Black Forests to eat the jazz gateaux.

We've only just heard that Christian Prommer (he of the Verve remix of 'Winter Wonderland' by Shirley Horn - see review HERE) have a new album coming out only to find Germany's De-Phazz (who also had a Verve remix of Ella Fitzgerald's 'Wait 'til You See Him') have broke into the famed MPS label's vaults for some serious beloopin'.

De-Phazz founder Pit Baumgartner has been granted access to the archives of, full name, “Musik Produktion Schwarzwald” to flip electric jaCzz lounge back to their soul, Latin, trip-hop roots for a modern dancefloor/listening bar.

This means global stars such as Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald and George Shearing (and more if your lucky) get out of the Cheapo/Charity Shops/Thrift bins ....

 

steering toward a more contemporary sound. The result is a musical collage that combines the “Most Perfect Sound” of the 60s to the 80s with the electro-organic vibes of the lounge pioneers, proving that timeless jazz and modern dancefloors are no contradiction.

Like Prommer, this album is going to be a must for fans of "St. Germain, Floating Points and refined grooves at all speeds" in-between: put it on repeat.

Release Dates are as follows:

01.05.2026 De-Phazz & George Shearing - “Continental” feat. Malia
22.05.2026 De-Phazz & Ella Fitzgerald – “This Girl’s In Love With You”
12.06.2026 De-Phazz & Oscar Peterson - “Wave”
03.07.2026 De-Phazz & Monty Alexander – “Love & Happiness”

ALBUM RELEASE 24.07.2026

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://MPS.lnk.to/belooped

Artist: De-Phazz

Title: belooped

Release date: 24th July, 2026

Label: MPS, Musik Produktion Schwarzwald (Edel)

Catalog Number : CPT 670-6

Format: Vinyl / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Make It Disco - What You Gonna Say EP (The Disco Express)

'What You Gonna Say' when Make It Disco says what it exactly is on the tin-can these guys Make It Disco?  Yes they can!

Don't forget TDE have just released Ayce & Spirit Of House featuring Lawrence Rowe & Phebe Edwards 'Stronger EP' (see review HERE) but this 5-track EP is stronger in a different way.as East London's Make It Disco makes his debut on the label with "modern disco-funk that's as timeless as it is fresh.. [that draws] inspiration from the golden era of late-70s disco, soul and boogie, the producer and bassist delivers a set of irresistibly catchy originals, packed with infectious melodies, rich live instrumentation and his signature slap bass grooves".

We're talking Chic, Rose Royce, Chaka, Ellerman et all with the tracks showcasing the vocals of Yvonne Park (SAULT, Emeli Sandé) on the title track with rolling rhythms and big strings, 'No Matter' featuring Ebony G is more soul-discog and 'Be My (Only One)' sees Silla take centre stage on a feel-good groove built for repeat listens and packed dancefloors alike.

Of course, The Disco Express founder Bustin' Loose can't resist a remix of 'No Matter' and the set ends on more vintage disco musicianship with modern production finesse as Monsieur Van Pratt Delivers a "Groove-Heavy Remix of” 'Be My (Only One)'.

Make It Disco (MID?) is clearly "one of the scene's most exciting new names" and TDE is the station, goods yards and all disco transportation this guy needs..

Once more, The Disco Express proves they are at the cutting edge of match Disco-House from 1970s to the present day under the watchful ear of Bustin' Loose (aka Tom Lilly) as leader; don't forget our interview with Tom of last year, see HERE.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://thediscoexpress.bandcamp.com/album/what-you-gonna-say-ep

e & Felmann,Funky Love EPThe Disco Express,

Artist: Make It Disco 

Title: What You Gonna Say EP 
Release date: 24th July, 2026
Label : The Disco Express
Catalog Number : XPRESS116
Format:  Digital / Streaming / Bandcamp

Review: Henna Onna - Maboroshi EP (feat Kuniyuki, Satoshi Fumi Remixes) (Deeppa Records)

You don't get to say, "Armenian jazz-house and broken beat fusionist" that often but Henna Onna is one, if not the leading one when it comes to some jazzy deep house.

And the six track EP 'Maboroshi' goes even futher east with remixes by Kuniyuki ('Shibuya Oiran' as a deep dub version) and Satoshi Fumi ('Enoshima').  Both remixes are great, Satoshi is the most upbeat and synthed out acid-warp bullet train: definitely for dancefloor action, whilst the 'deep dub' emphsizes the Japanophiles elements (Ed. one for Nick Luscombe - see HERE).

Talking of Luscombe, he's one that'd appreciate the "modal synth lines that pull from Eastern tonal reference" of the original mix of 'Shibuya Oiran' (and the spoken word) whilst on the digital release version you get Kuniyuki's original remix (the dub is on the 12" and the digital release) which emphasises the strings and synths.  The other digital bonus is the beatless 'Shibuya Oiran'.  I love it when far and future sighted labels like Deeppa do this as there's a version for everyone.

The title track is another from the ambient temple jade garden with the waterfalls and bird song that'll calm anyone down as opposed to the upbeat original deep space bongo house version 'Enoshima'. 

Not a lot of 'Armenian broken beat' going on here but that's more than OK with the 8 tracks that are!

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://www.juno.co.uk/products/henna-6onna-maboroshi-ep-feat-kuniyuki-satoshi-fumi-vinyl/1151625-01/

Artist: Henna Onna

Title:  Maboroshi EP (feat Kuniyuki, Satoshi Fumi Remixes)

Release date: 20th July, 2026

Label : Deeppa Records

Catalog Number : DEEPPA19

Format: Vinyl 12" / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Hill Collective - Fire In Orbit (Batov Records)

This is a 'Fire In Orbit' that's as if its been sent by Sun Ra himself and has landed on Batov Records - don't get burned, order now!

 

Batov Records' last three released albums; Bolbec's' 'Foutu Félin' (see review HERE), Kronstad 23's 'Dødehavet' (see review HERE), and Ori Kaplan & Lihu Melamed's 'Reverie' (see review HERE) were at the leftfield jazzy, cinematic, libarary, glogal, folky psych end, Brighton's Hill Collective are at the Sun Ra end and they're hot!

For a debut album, its even more impressive that these jazz-adjacents on the south coast have migrated locally in 3 years of gigs and festival appearances (Love Supreme and The Great Escape).

We're told that the tracks were recorded over three unhurried days at Sea Breeze Studios by the band themselves, the album moves through chorus–solo–chorus forms, call-and-response and collective improvisation — led by alto saxophonist Pete Piskov and a flexible, often double-digit ensemble whose influences (Eric Dolphy's angular lyricism, Art Ensemble of Chicago's collective consciousness, touches of Latin rhythm and Arabic modality) are absorbed rather than quoted.

Don't be scared off by the cover or the mild-mannered single, 'A House Is A Home Like Honey', the other 3 lengthy tracks, the title track, 'Keep Breathing' and 'A Song for A Blossom Baby' are all spiritually deep. .

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: Fire In Orbit | Hill Collective

Artist: Hill Collective 

Title: Fire In Orbit

Release date: 17th July, 2026

Label: Batov Records 

Cat. No: BTR137

Format:  LP vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Pete Piskov - Alto Saxophone, Percussion

Joe Edwards - Drumkit, Congas, Percussion
Joe Snelling - Double Bass
Luke Congdon - Piano (1, 3, 4), Keys (2)
Chris Luu - Keys (1, 3, 4), Piano (2), Vocals
Vincent Malloch - Electric Guitar
Will Roberts - Trombone
Ivy Loska - Cornet
Jay Orpana - Flute, Vocals
Max Generowicz - Violin (3, 4)
Sudhi S Pooniyil - Tabla (4)

All compositions by Pete Piskov
Recorded by Joe Edwards and Will Roberts at Sea Breeze Studios
Mixed by Pete Piskov
Mastered by Will Roberts

Review: - Animal Invisível - Animal Invisível (Nublu Records)

Debut albums that are self-titiled are often the best and  Nublu Records and Animal Invisível are keeping this addage alive with this new album, 'Animal Invisível'!

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Guri Assis Brasil announces the release of his debut solo album as Animal Invisível, an instrumental project fusing 70s Brazilian grooves, jazz, and psychedelic rock.

Recorded remotely between 2020 and 2023 with an exceptional lineup of musicians—including Pupillo, founding drummer of Nação Zumbi, and acclaimed trombonist Antonio Neves—the album captures both the isolation and creative connection of its time. Tracks range from the dancefloor energy of "Estriquinada" (a Brazilian boogie inspired by Marcos Valle and Lincoln Olivetti) to the harmonically complex "Dendê" featuring string quartet arrangements.

The album showcases Guri's versatility, blending influences from 1970s Brazilian instrumental music that married samba and American funk to jazz, alternative rock, and modern French electronic acts like Air. His guitar serves as the convergence point for layers of sound featuring Hammond organ, horn sections, psychedelic synths, and even vocoder experiments.

A Live Session directed by Rafael Rocha (Noize Record) will accompany the album release, featuring musicians from the recording in action.

About Guri Assis Brasil: Guri began his career in 2001 in Porto Alegre as a member of the band Pública, earning two MTV VMB Award nominations (2007, 2009). Since 2010, he's been based in São Paulo, working as a studio and live musician with some of Brazil's most respected artists while developing his craft as an arranger, producer, and composer.

Nublu Records presents a limited edition gatefold LP pressed on Cherry base eco-mix vinyl and housed in full color gatefold jacket with archival dust sleeve and full color LP labels. Only 300 are being made for the world and will not be repressed.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER (): https://ffm.to/animalinvisivel

Artist: Animal Invisível

Title: Animal Invisível   
Release date: 17th July, 2026
Label : Nublu Records
Catalog Number: NUB072
Format:  Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Rossano Snel - The Fire In The Forest (Strings and Hopes Berlin)

Too much World Cup?  Set yourself up with Rossano Snel and 'The Fire In The Forest' that'll definitely keep you warm this summer!

Regular readers will recall Rossano Snel (she of 'And I Miss You'/'Kena' - see review HERE and the album 'Sketches Of Tallinn') and you'll be excited by this forthcoming 'The Fire In The Forest' EP).

There might be only 2-tracks, 'Sunrise' and 'Try It With A Little Tenderness' (Ed. this one doesn't sound much like the one you know), after his appearance on Session Victim's 'The Disconnect' EP (see review HERE), us leftfield jazzdance types are warming even more to the Berlin-based Brazilian pianist Rossano Snel

After making her name in contemporary classical, ambient and experimental field (think The Wire magazine) she's now gone 'soul-jazz' influenced with this piano/Hammond organ/drums as it's sounds Shirley Scott meets The Bad Plus and Chris Dave; and who doesn't like the sounds of that!

After appearing on Black Loops' 'Always Moving' album last year (Freerange Records), releasing a piano version of Nirvana's 'Lithium' (see below) on his album 'Carbon' as well as having a release on renown classical label Deutsche Grammophon (the label that also brought you the Carl Craig / Moritz von Oswald 'ReComposed' project, 2009), Mr. Snel can turn his hand to any genre

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/rossanosnel/the-fire-in-the-forest

Artists: Rossano Snel 

Release: The Fire In The Forest

Release Date: 16th July, 2026

Label: Strings and Hopes Berlin

Cat. No. TBC

Format:  Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Yarni - Anemoia - The Remixes EP (Stanhope Records)

Yani's 'Anemoia' get the remix that nobody was expecting but now we've got another seven tracks focused on the dancefloor - get ready to make your move(s)! 

You'll recall that we say to the original release last year, "If you put together the spirit of Galliano, Urban Species, Brand New Heavies, Roots Manuva, Ty, early Cinematic Orchestra and similar together, Yani's 'Anemoia' isn't too far from that: yes, it's that good!" So, is a remix going to top that?   If you're a multi-instrumentalist like Yarni there's a fair chance the you and your mates would give it a good go; especially if you aim to make them more dancefloor friendly.  

And the Yarni Jazz Dance Mix of 'Spell Over Me' is a winner to start with with that killer trumpet solo (James Atashroo) and Latin influences make it a must for this World Cup season.

And why wouldn't you go all D'n'B balearic dub with a remix from Sheffield based buck. on 'The Romantic Ghost' (the one featuring Plumm).  There's another remix the same track by Still (Argentina), that's picks up on the balearic dub potential with some Latin-house.

There's also two remixes of 'Sunrise Sunset' (featuring Scarlett Fae); one by Benedict (also Sheffield) for a full-on 8 minutes and Sharkkat (London) in the uptempo temple rave bath.

You'll remember our favorite track when the album came out last year was 'Neon God' and tell me I'm wrong (see review HERE) so what could  the much admired (by BBC 6 Music's Tom Ravenscroft, Nemone, Steve Lamacq), Echo Julliet so on the remix?  Well, she's snuck in a signal, electric light dub and percussion heavy post-jazzdance.  Brilliant!

There's no surprise that Benjamin Harris (aka Yarni) has returns to end the EP with another remix by him of 'Spell Over Me' moving from Jazz Dance to UK Garage which nicely manoevres around the vocal and that triumphant trumpet.

You'll have to wait to early October for the full EP but sign up now on the pre-order so you don't miss anything.

Release Schedule:
12/06 : Yarni Jazz Dance Mix - "Spell Over Me" (out now)
14/07 : Benedict remix - "Sunrise Sunset" + Full EP Bandcamp Exclusive
07/08 : Echo Juliet remix - "Neon Gods"
02/09 : Sill remix - "The Romantic Ghost"
02/10 : Full EP - All Platforms

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER:  https://linktr.ee/YarniAnemoiaRemixes

Artist: Yarni

Title: Anemoia - The Remixes EP

Release date:14th July, 2026 (Bandcamp exclusive)/Other Streams full EP: 2nd October, 2026
Label : Stanhope Records 

Catalog Number : TBC
Format:  Digital / Bandcamp