Jazz de Ville

Tata Vasquez and his Orchestra - Ecstacy

Super obscure New York Latin Jazz superbly produced by Eddie Drennon of the massive Disco hit of the early 1970's "Let's do the Latin Hustle". 
Drennon was also a well known arranger and producer on the underground Latin Circuit and produced this way out, leftfield and very different to the typical "Salsa" style release current at that time. 
Some very jazz oriented playing on top of the "El Barrio" Vox Pop sounds of the streets and underlaid with some funky and fiery latin percussion. 
"Suite Guaracha" was picked up on by the London Ibiza crew in the 90's and the Ursula 1000 & Gamm Nu-Jazz crew in the 2000's, played all over the alternative club circuit but has still managed to stay under the radar since then, but now a staple of the Worldwide Sound appearing on DJ Playlists in the hippest spots from Tokyo to Hamburg, New York to Barcelona. 
Very different from the usual run of the mill late 70's Fania outings which might be a clue as to it's somewhat unique sound stylings. 
Funky, gritty, raw, fat jazzy and spooky backing vocals. 

Taggy Matcher - Push Push

Stix Records, a sub-label of Favorite Recordings, proudly presents Push Push, the new album by acclaimed producer Taggy Matcher aka Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart (Voilaaa, Mr President, The Dynamics, Uptown Funk Empire, Metropolitan Jazz Affair, Da Break, …). After the success of his previous LP Singasong, Taggy Matcher returns with 8 tracks exploring his wide range of Reggae & Dub influences, each time magnified by a fine crew of vocal guests as LMK, Birdy Nixon, Alexandra Charry, Hawa, John Milk & Elodie Rama. With a great sense of authenticity, they all bring their own touch to Taggy Matcher's compositions and covers. Always faithful to its inspirations, brilliantly produced, Push Push is your new invitation to follow the Lion to Zion. 

The album starts with "Push Push", a title already released last year as a vinyl single 7", in collaboration with rising singer LMK, who you may know from her successful previous reworks on Taggy's last album ("No Love Allowed", "My Man"). Sharing the same love for the early 80's Digital Rub A Rub productions, lyrics are about street harassment of women… with a pinch of humor! 
On "Little Things", Taggy invites old mate Birdy Nixon for a cover of an early rocksteady classic by Hemsley Morris. With the vintage bounce we love combined with modern sounds and productions, the song is all about tenderness and simplicity. 
"Volvere Mañana", the song has this very cumbia hip move with the participation of gifted singer Alexandra Charry from Cali in Colombia, where they both composed the song. Then, Taggy invited Boris Pokora to play the "gaita" local flute to give the song its proper Colombian Caribbean coast flavor. 
The album continues with "Two Dimes" featuring longtime collaborator Hawa (from Mr President to Mr Day and other numerous projects). This shaky disco reggae rockers is all about getting ready for the party… but with two dimes only! 
"Q Fashion" is a song full of wittiness and self-mockery wrote during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Parisian Soul singer John Milk was stuck in Paris while Bruno was in Lyon. On this minimalistic digital reggae tune, they give the ingredients to perfect your next quarantine outfit. 
Discoish reggae tune "Get Enough" featuring Birdy Nixon has a simple and successful recipe: just mix a big dose of Lovers with the same amount of Rockers and you've got this 100% soulful song. 
On "Suit and Tie", Taggy and John Milk go Pop with this version of Justin Timberlake, which fits perfectly with John's tender and mellow style. 
Finally, Elodie Rama with Taggy Matcher pay tribute to Erykah Badu and her legacy to the Soul music scene at the end of the nineties. The mood is jazzy, mellow and warm, with a tiny Lee Scratch Perry early 70's vaporous vibes.

Moods - Music Ruined My Life

Dropping in the wake of front runner singles ‘Talk About It,’ and ‘Music Saved My Life’,’ the Dutchman’s notorious fusion of soul, R&B, and alternative influences takes a whole new dynamic courtesy of his first fully live recorded offering.

Recorded live in the city of Leiden during the peak of the pandemic alongside a full band, the LP taps effortlessly into the balance of soulful and jazz-inspired undertones that have hallmarked the project since breakthrough single ‘Love Is Real.’ A tastemaker favourite and label staple, the LP shows a more intricate and uncaged spin on the Moods sound, which has been consistently hailed by tastemakers globally and sampled by the likes of Logic.

The supple guitar plucks and resonating brass of ‘Deeper Water’ sets the LP in motion, building towards the funkier and perkier swells of album cuts such as ‘Ecstasy’ and ‘Push Pull.’ Capped by ‘Return To 4ever,’ a sultry and deeply atmospheric fusion of jazz and contemporary soul sounds, the eight-track endeavour shows that for all his streaming and collaborative success, the rich musicianship of the Moods project has not waivered.

“There really wasn’t a huge concept or target for this record, it was more about tapping into the pure joy of making and creating music,” he explains. “The pandemic was such a weird time, there was a lot of uncertainty in all aspects of life. So it almost felt like the perfect time to try something new. Having the band together in one room was a real rush, I liked how the record came together and how each artist brought their own energy to the project.

“I enjoy working with vocals, and I think the vocalists I have worked with on projects so far have been amazing. But when you take that element out and focus more on the instrumentation and arrangement, it’s a really different experience, and that’s something I really enjoyed for Music Ruined My Life.

Moods garnered more than 30m+ streams globally for debut LP Zoom Out, and has continued to leap from strength-to-strength courtesy of his soulful take on the boundaries between electronic and contemporary R&B.

Mankuku Quartet - Yakhal Inkomo

The Mankunku Quartet's Yakhal Inkomo album is one of South African jazz's most revered, and one Gilles Peterson has included before in a special "best of genre" radio show. It might clock in at only just over thirty minutes but there is pure bliss packed into the four compact tunes. Initially, the record was only put out on a small local label so it soon became a much sought after and hugely expensive classic after it was recorded by tenor saxophonist Winston "Mankunku" Ngoz in 1968. The b-side track 'Doodlin' is a Horace Silver composition and 'Doodlin', and 'Bessie's Blues' is a John Coltrane number, but Mankunku's own tracks on the a-side more than hold their own.

D'Sound, Pher & Cory Henry - Good Nature

D'Sound is ready with their third single from the coming 25th anniversary collab album "25" due for release 21st January 2022. The new single “Good Nature” features Oakland artist Pher and American R&B/Soul singer-songwriter Cory Henry. Pher is an emerging artist with a characterful and intriguing new voice, while Cory Henry is internationally renowned artist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and keyboard master. Cory Henry is also well known for being a former member of the four-time Grammy winning fusion-influenced jam band Snarky Puppy. “Good Nature” is out Friday 22nd October and is D’Sound’s second announced Norwegian-US collaboration on the album.

Quantic & Nidia Góngora - Almas Conectadas

‘Almas Conectadas’ (Connected Souls) is the sophomore album from renowned British producer Will “Quantic” Holland and Colombian folklore singer-songwriter Nidia Góngora. Bubbling with symphonic flourishes, the release explores the unique, rich, and mystical musical traditions of the Colombian Pacific Coast while being recorded at Quantic’s Brooklyn-based studio and creative powerhouse Selva. Delving into the concept of the album, Nidia explains:

“Almas Conectadas refers to the interrelation of cosmic energies, the aura and the way they manifest from the abstract; we are more than body and flesh and there are countless elements that connect us as beings that interact in the universe, physical contact does not always exist to be connected.”

The new album follows the duo’s critically acclaimed debut ‘Curao’ which alongside a world tour, received support from Q, Songlines, PopMatters, The Guardianand was named BBC 6Music’s Album of the Day. Their work together has grown into one of the most influential partnerships of Quantic’s career, including the formidable collaboration “Tierra Mama” from Quantic’s latest solo album ‘Atlantic Oscillations’.

Daniel Casimir - New Waters

Hotly tipped London-based composer/bassist Daniel Casimir returns with the third and final single from his forthcoming solo debut album Boxed In out November 5th via Jazz re:freshed. 'New Waters' pairs vocalist Ria Moran’s breathy vocals with swelling strings and Casimir’s weighty production treatments to concoct something both grand and soulful. 
 
Singer Ria Moran says “‘New Waters’ explores the idea of someone coming into your life and changing your perspective on how you act or see things.  We all fall into patterns of behaviour that can feel hard to change sometimes, but the lyrics symbolise moving into a new phase, a new direction to somewhere more peaceful and freeing.”
 
Featuring Casimir’s quintet of fellow British jazz luminaries, including Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd, Al Macsween & James Copus, Boxed In astutely bridges traditional and contemporary jazz forms with enveloping strings, woodwind & brass arrangements, but under its intricate musical surface seeks to confront some necessary hard truths.
 
Reflecting on the institutional barriers black musicians and composers face in today’s music industry, Boxed In represents Casimir’s debut set of compositions written for orchestra, an opportunity never presented to him despite his many years studying at various leading music schools across the UK.
 
“I’ve always been interested in writing for orchestra but I’ve never really been given the opportunity, despite going to conservatoires, doing a masters etc. I was just never given that choice. I was one of only two black musicians in the conservatoire during my four years. These things have become so normalised that you can almost miss the injustice of it.”

Milton Wright - Friends & Buddies

Repress!

Athens of the North is proud to present Milton Wright's stunning alternate version of the now Classic Miami soul LP 'Friends & Buddies'. An altogether more stripped down, folky soul affair than its highly respected, much sampled brother is now available on Vinyl, CD and Digital for the very first time. 

Shelved at the last minute then re-recorded and overdubbed, only a few promo copies of this early version escaped from the studio and are deep in the collections of the very few previously in the know. 

The master tapes burnt in a fire at T.K Disco in Miami in the early 80s so even the label has not heard this in 30 Years. Many reissues of the second version of Friends & Buddies LP have come and gone, but Milton's original vision has remained hidden until now. 

As searingly honest and stunningly soulful as any seminal Marvin Gaye or Terry Callier LP, it stands tall amongst its exceptional peers as one of the true pillars of quality 70s soul. 

Alfa Mist - On My Ones

Beautiful new stuff by Alfa Mist!

Quantic - I Won't Fade Away

After a deluge of dance producers sampling QSO's classic 'Pushin On' the original composer Will Holland decided the time had come to take the wheel himself. 'I Won't Fade Away' features the timeless vocal of Alice Russell but veers away from previous channels, deep diving into UKG through an analogue lens, tape hiss included. By mining the less obvious vocal aspects and taking unexpected steps through broken beats, Quantic has cooked up a genuine dance floor anthem just in time for our return.

Maestro at Lotti's Hoxton hotel

RCO Club Night

In co-operation with the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra