Eight Weeks

Review: Hoorah! It's been a long time coming, but the album from this Canadian act is finally here. We got a taster for their new retro/contemporary jazzy sound with a single in August. The EP featured the breaks-driven "Soul Sugar", the 70s funk indebted "Driving To Montenegro" and the jazzier "Blow", all of which made it to the album. Now joining these tunes are the likes of the fretlessly rhythmic "Blues For BL", the crazy flute frenzy of "The Kelly Affair" and the gentle piano intricacies of "Snowfall".

Review: Veteran duo Amadou & Mariam's new long player sees the pair 'extend an invitation' to a place that is, they say, 'more a state of mind than a spot on a map'. Here we have a selection of some of the results of that very invitation: Frikstalers take things in a trippy, Macarena on downers direction, King Coya delivers a hypnotic, synthpoppy gem, it's all about the Mediterranean sunsets with Bomba Estereo, while Sidestepper wraps things up in a simple style with his light and fragile remix of "Cherie".

Review: Two slices of juiced-up funk on a familiar theme on this split single, as Angelina Goalie & The Football Funkateers drops a splendid Latin funk instrumental cover of Aretha Franklin's everlasting "Rock Steady", while Texas Toni Needle and Thread drop a chopped up edit of a Stevie Wonder classic.

Review: For the uninitiated, Around7 is a Parisian beatmaker with a difference. Composing mainly with an MPC in the old hip-hop fashion, he makes deep, jazz-soaked jams that sit somewhere between Guru, DJ Cam and Moodymann. This 19-minute 'LP' for Phil Weeks' Robsoul Jazz imprint is something of a surprise gem, flitting effortlessly between bossa-influenced 4/4 cuts (see "Broi"), sampladelic deep soul beats ("The 7th Sin"), stoned trip-hop (the Jazzamatazz flashback vibes of "Butter & Fly" and "I Love BBQ") and head-nodding nu-jazz ("Kick It"). The overall quality suggests that we could be hearing more from him in coming years.

Review: Here we have two rare-as-hen's teeth cuts from disco-era boy/girl duo Aurra. They largely released on Salsoul and had the likes of Larry Levan remix them, so you can kind of guess what to expect. "Satisfaction" is classic early 80s electro-boogie that recalls the sleazy glamour of Prince proteges Vanity 6. "My Lovin Is For You" is more the kind of jheri-curled smooth ballad that the likes of Champagne were known for.

Review: Given his encyclopedic knowledge of music, you'd expect any compilation put together by Bill Brewster to be full of unlikely gems and lesser-known anthems. That's certainly the case with After Dark, the first in a new DJ-focused series from the Late Night Tales camp. From start to finish, Brewster's selections are spot on, from the lowdown, slo-mo disco oddness of Sheffield chanteuse Marti Caine's "Love The Way You Love Me" and wide-eyed, acid-laden kosmiche of Coober Peder University Band's "Moon Plain", to the dirty electrofunk of Zed Bias's "Koolade" (featuring Toddla T, of all people) and mid'80s percussion fest of Martin Kershaw's "Keep On Pokin". If that wasn't enough, Brewster has also unearthed a decent Jamiroquai record. The wonders never cease.

Review: Oh gosh! Some fine 70s Hawaiian funk right here, unearthed by the good sorts at Killer Funk. First up is Brass Eruption's "Disco Daddy". A wild jam of electro funk boogie, disco and classic horn-laced funk, it ignites with vibrancy and worms its way into a frenetic groove. Explosive Matter's "It's Lava Time" originally began as 13 minute wig-out. Now condensed to a tight three minutes of slap bass and screaming horn licks, you can only wonder what carnage the epic original caused! A 'must have' for fans of funk and disco alike.