New music round-up ::: May 2023

'Riff' by Soft Power

From the soon-to-be-released third full-length effort, 'Raw Bites', from Soft Power comes new single 'Riff'.  The Helsinki-based sextet, who now find themselves within the perfect label home of RR Gems Records (home to projects by luminaries including Muriel Grossman and James Brandon Lewis) have cultivated a phenomenal career based upon their uncompromising sound which fuses 60s soulful grooves with a sensational psychedelic jazz aesthetic.  The album continues with the band's impassioned statement of intent which has resulted in some fantastic music being released dating back to their debut in 2015.  With an album packed with some fairly brilliant and eclectic compositions, 'Riff' serves as a perfect introduction to the project - presented as a self-contained adventure in its own right with its own gripping twists and turns.  A real pleasure!

'Flight Time' by V.B.Kühl

In a fantastic follow-up to the single release 'Duck Rogers' unveiled just a few months ago, the brilliant Frankfurt-based DJ and producer V.B.Kühl offers up another slice of his inimitable electro-dance-funk compositions this time with the brilliant 'Flight Time'.  Containing all of the distinctive elements of V.B.Kühl's signature sound, including his unwavering affections for music born of a 'no rules' and boundary-less approach, 'Flight Time' bursts with the kind of energy and personality synonymous with the prolific artist.  Whether the releases are under his own name, another project alongside Rabii Harnoune or one of a vast amount of remixes for artists like Lakuta, Badge & Talkalot or sUb_modU, the self-professed "groove addict" continues to pioneer new ground amassing a treasure trove of music along the way.

'Don't Call Me (On My Birthday)' by Kasia Konstance featuring Dylan Jones

It certainly feels as if we're overdue for new music from the Polish-born, London-based artist, Kasia Konstance.  The versatile singer, songwriter and flautist has understandably been busy as a part of the All Day Breakfast Café super group which has seen a consistent touring schedule recently along with remixes by Jess Camilleri and Risa T released last year in support of the groups' 'Builders Brew' EP from 2021.  The 'Cosmic Dust' EP - also from 2021 - proved an excellent formal introduction to Konstance as a burgeoning solo star and the release of new single 'Don't Call Me (On My Birthday)' continues her presentation of R&B and neo-soul inspired gems.  Known to excel as part of collaborative efforts which, in the past, have included tracks alongside KinKai, Thelonious Coltrane and Lorenz Okello, Konstance can now add work the trumpet of Ezra Collective's Dylan Jones who adds a sublime dimension to this excellent single.

'Eeko' by Jules Brennan

We could call Jules Brennan's approach to music-making as "prolific" but it would still feel like we were doing a disservice in truly being able to capture the sheer volume of releases attributed to the "JPB" name along with the vast array of genres and styles adorning his repertoire.  Based in Kyoto, Japan, the multi-instrumentalist and producer has cultivated an inspired career from music that boldly fuses elements of jazz-funk with pop and intricately-woven samples creating high-energy dancefloor-friendly numbers as indicative of current single 'Eeko'.  Further to the release of 'Eeko', Brennan can also proudly boast to have his 'Wamono' full-length - initially released in 2022 - now available for the first time in vinyl format.  Fans of the Tokyo-meets-Brit-funk fusion project will no doubt rejoice at the opportunity to reconnect with the release and its subsequent reissue will make a more-than-worthy introduction to prospective new fans of Brennan's music.