Jamie Lidell At Juno Download

Review: It's difficult to make dance music with 'real' instruments, as so many second rate punk funk acts have proved, but Miami proves to be an anomaly. BBF have taken inspiration from jazz influences for this album, which makes for an adventurous, at times breathless work. At one end of the spectrum there's the seductive piano lines and soaring woodwind of the title track and "Miami Titles", while at the other there's the high tempo, syncopated rhythms and deranged brass of "Skiffle It Up" and "Broken Pieces", which features a contribution from Jamie Lidell. Another contributor, Nina Kraviz, helps to turn the air blue on the abrasive "Verwahrlosung", but in the main, Miami is a work inspired by warm sea breezes and ice cold cocktails.

Review: It's been three years since Jamie Lidell's last full-length, Compass, and in that time he seems to have rediscovered his early passion for distorted electrofunk. Like the track that launched his career, Super_Collider's 1997 machine-funk masterpiece "Darn Cold Way O'Lovin", Jamie Lidell delivers a hard-edged contemporary take on P-Funk that allows his soaring soul vocals to take centre stage. There are audible nods to masters of the genre - Roger Troutman on the talkbox-endowed "Do Yourself A Favour", Prince on "I'm Selfish", George Clinton on the filthy synth-funk of "Why_Ya_Why" - and production that harks back to the days before his pop breakthrough, Multiply. It's not exactly a return to form - he's not released a duff album yet - but it's certainly a riotously enjoyable set.