Okay, so this album requires fairly little conceptual explanation. Reel People consists of London’s Oli Lazarus and Mike Patto and this is a collection of remixes of tracks from their second album, “Seven Ways to Wonder”, released earlier this year. These boys are at the top of the soulful house music production pecking order, and specialise in turning out big room tunes with uncompromising 4:4 beats, warm chords and keys, and catchy garage vocals, regularly featuring in DJ sets from the likes of Louie Vega, Kenny Dope and Aaron Ross. The retouch treatment here comes from an armoury of pretty big guns, with impressive remix pedigree, including 4 Hero, Bugz in the Attic, Dennis Ferrer, Karizma, Domu and Kyoto Jazz Massive. If this all sounds good to you, then you’re going to love this collection. If it doesn’t, then don’t buy it! It’s as simple as that. Two notable highlights are Karizma’s take on “Upside” and Dennis F’s Out on Bail remix of “Alibi”, both guaranteed to raise the roof at Southport and Soulheaven.

Tom Breslin

Jazzy Sport is now synonymous with cool as you like, under the radar beats in all forms and the ‘Pound for Pound 2’ compilation is a simple, no messing demonstration of exactly why that is. We’re treated to new Soul, Latin-Jazz Funk, mid-tempo Detroit House, Tech-House, and lashings of Hip-Hop (some in English, some in Japanese and some purely instrumental), from the likes of Ras G, Cro-Magnon, Ta’raach, Gagle, DJ Mitsu, Grooveman Spot and Jazztronik (whose wonky, electro-Samba stormer, ‘Warp’ is just superb). My highlight comes in the shape of ‘The Digital Church’, a groovy, head-nodding soul number from London’s very own Leon King (this man deserves to be a star) that sounds like Jazzy Jeff producing Dwele at his best. All in all then, a great collection that manages to maintain the quality of the first ‘Pound for Pound’ set, released back in 2006.

Tom Breslin

‘A Life of Consummate Ease’ comes to us on ATIC Records, the label set up by Andy Turner (better known as Aim) upon leaving Grand Central, and the influence of both Aim and the wider Grand Central stable is heard throughout Gripper’s music. This is to say that there is a plethora of styles and sounds at work on this album and you never quite know what’s coming next. ‘The Interpreter’, for example, is a frantic trumpet blast of Latin Jazz, whilst ‘Zombie’ is a bouncing, Trackmode-esque slab of synth-house and ‘Backwater Prophet’ takes up Rae & Christian’s instrumental Hip-Hop mantle. Amazingly, though, the quality is consistent right across the board and so it is this impressive variety that is the making of this album. For me, the high point is the return of Niko, another Grand Central stalwart, putting in a powerful performance when providing vocals on ‘The Daddy’.

Tom Breslin

In the world of Drawbar the Hammond organ is undoubtedly king. For the humble Hammond is the musical centrifuge around which every one of the eleven tracks on ‘Flight of the Tempest’ rotates and that, as it happens, is no bad thing. Admittedly, I wasn’t immediately taken with the Drawbar sound – thinking that I had heard it all somewhere before – but I can now say that it’s a definite grower. It’s a simmering stew of soul, jazz, a little Hip-Hop and a lot of funk that’s been bought to the boil under the heady influence of film scores and library music. Not at all bad for a crew of organ fanatics from Hastings!

Tom Breslin

Lulu Rouge consists of Danish DJs Buda and T.O.M., long-time cohorts of Denmark’s other well-known House-master, Trentemoller, who contributes here on ‘Lulu’s Theme’.  Unsurprisingly then, the music on ‘Bless You’ is, for the most part, techy, minimal (in the meaningful sense of the word) House music, under-pinned by big, reverberating bass-lines that are the result of a strong Dub Reggae influence. ‘Melankoli’, with vocals from Alice Carreri, is much like Eva Be’s Best7 productions, whilst the aforementioned ‘Lulu’s Theme’ has a definite Basic Channel meets Get Physical vibe about it. ‘Bless You’ certainly isn’t happy, sunshine music; it’s haunting, eerie music for the night, but, with Winter well and truly on its way, this could be just what you’re after.

Tom Breslin

As Nottingham’s answer to Flying Lotus, Lone is an expert in the field of surreal, off kilter, wonky-tonk Hip Hop beats and with song titles like ‘Green Sea Pageant’, ‘Sea Spray’ and ‘Buried Coral Banks’ it is hardly a major surprise that much of his work evokes a warm and unmistakably oceanic feeling. Every sound has been tweaked, compressed and manipulated to within an inch of its life, creating the slightly unnerving, but nevertheless very welcome, sensation that the music (without wanting to borrow too heavily from Alan Partridge’s ‘Deep Bath’ metaphor) really is just washing over you. You get the idea. This is top-drawer ambient, electronic music and the initial comparisons with Boards of Canada are altogether justified.

Tom Breslin

This is Black Grass’s third album on Brighton’s Catskills record label and, as usual, his productions skills are crisp, clean and tight, like a tiger. The man’s versatility knows no bounds and he takes his core Hip-Hop approach and applies it, on ‘Three’, to Reggae, Funk, Boogie, Latin vibes and all things in between. Whatever the variation though, the Black Grass sound essentially always has the feel-good factor at its heart and, although this is no bad thing, I have to confess to finding the boppy, twanging, Jurassic 5-esque Hip-Hop style (that is so eagerly embraced in the UK) a little tired. The real standouts on ‘Three’ all seem to appear whenever Dionne Charles turns up on vocal duties. ‘Without Your Love’ cuts a fine figure of a freestyle boogie number that would slot seamlessly into a classic Unabombers DJ set, whilst ‘How Much Can You Take’ and ‘Hold Fire’ are two prime cuts of soulful Funk that respect the authentic ingredients and shy away from any semblance of ‘fusion’.

Tom Breslin

Holy cow! That’s right folks, stop rubbing your eyes, it’s a new album from Goldie. That part-time Bond villain, original metal head and all round Drum ‘n’ Bass don is back. And with some vengeance too! You might expect that he has mellowed in his slightly older age, turning away from kidney-bursting bass and ear-drum-shattering high hats, but not so. Oh no, Sine Tempus revives the iconic, industrial Metalheadz sound without reservation and tracks like ‘Something About You’, ‘Inside Your Soul’ and ‘Say You Love Me’ will render junglists old and new positively bugging in their bass bins. Of course, Goldie’s penchant for meandering orchestral moments is also indulged, but this is not necessarily to be sniffed at. For me, the true joys on this album (originally produced in 2004) come when a more melodic, happy medium is achieved, and ‘Invisible’ and ‘Chances’ are two perfect examples of that uplifting and jazzy, yet still tough and rolling D’n’B sound that is all too rare these days. Note, this album is a digital release, available through the Metalheadz website only.

Tom Breslin

Nick Van Gelder, former Jamiroquai drummer and key mover and shaker during London’s Acid Jazz heyday, clearly knows a thing or two about making soulful, funky records. Which is why I can’t help but feel a little disappointed upon listening to ‘Choose Music’ (especially given that it’s released through BBE, a consistently brilliant label). The songs are written, produced and, for the most part, played by Van Gelder himself, with vocals from Akwaaba People’s Mazen, and the style is an unashamedly straightforward brand of ‘soulful’, jazzy house music. Many people will undoubtedly love this record – fans of the likes of Reel People, in particular – but to me it is underwhelming and unmemorable. It’s destined to be successful as a piece of inoffensive, background bar Muzak, but a man of Van Gelder’s talent surely has more to give.

Tom Breslin

There’s little of note to be said about The Ipanemas that hasn’t already been said before. Essentially, all you really need to know is that, having formed in the 1950s, their experience and pedigree is unrivalled within Brazilian music and that there are no finer proponents of the afro-bossa nova sound (that they so lovingly pioneered and perfected) alive today. This, their fifth album, is quite simply wonderful. There is no gimmicky concept or technological trickery, just sublime, timeless music.

Tom Breslin