Record of the Week
Following the summer release of his single 'Be The One', which was championed by Craig Charles on BBC 6 among others, Victor Davis is back on track, just like his wonderful songs back in the day on Jazzanova-Compost-Records. Lovely, catchy, soulful goodness, now with Spanish and Portuguese versions to bring some Latin heat to the autumn.
Victor Davies is a London-born multidisciplinary artist, musician, producer, filmmaker, and painter whose work seamlessly bridges the worlds of music and visual art. Born to an English mother and Sierra Leonean father, Davies has spent a lifetime drawing inspiration from his diverse cultural heritage, creating a distinctive artistic voice that has resonated with audiences worldwide.
A musician from the age of fourteen, Davies first emerged on the international scene with his critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, prompting Q Magazine to remark that “Davies’ caressing tones could sell sunshine to an Australian.” His follow-up album, Hoxton Popstars, achieved major success in Japan, with the single Fire reaching number one and holding the top position for two consecutive weeks. His third album, Hear the Sound, featuring a duet with Grammy-nominated Brazilian vocalist Bebel Gilberto, further cemented his reputation as one of the most original and genre-defying artists of his generation.
Davies’ music is characterized by a sophisticated fusion of soul, jazz, acoustic, pop, and world music influences. Inspired by artists such as Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield, he has developed a sound that is both timeless and contemporary, earning him a devoted international following. Over the course of his career, he has toured extensively throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, including eight tours of Japan and sixteen headline performances at the country’s prestigious Blue Note venues.
His collaborative work has seen him write, perform, and produce alongside some of the most respected names in music, including Quincy Jones, Richard Bona, Roy Hargrove, Louie Vega, Bebel Gilberto, Smolik, Maryla Rodowicz, Marysia Sadowska, and Skubas. As a producer, Davies expanded his creative reach with the acclaimed Sony Music albums Follow You and Once in a Lifetime for singer Mika Urbaniak, projects that received widespread praise and industry recognition, including awards for Best Pop Album.
Alongside his achievements in music, Davies has established himself as a highly regarded visual artist. Working primarily with heavy acrylics, his paintings possess a distinctive sculptural quality, combining bold colour, texture, movement, and emotion. His canvases reflect the same rhythmic energy and improvisational spirit found in his music, creating immersive works that blur the boundaries between sound and image. His paintings are held in private collections internationally and continue to attract collectors drawn to their vibrant emotional depth and expressive power.
For Davies, painting, music, film, and video are not separate disciplines but interconnected forms of storytelling. His creative philosophy is rooted in the belief that artistic expression transcends genre and medium. As he explains: “Music is music. I don’t see any boundaries when it comes to genres. I try not to give myself those limitations when I’m creating. In the same way, art is art. Whether I’m painting, making music, film or video, I’m simply using different mediums on the way to the same destination.” Today, Victor Davies continues to expand his artistic universe through music, painting, film, and multimedia projects.
Whether through a song, a canvas, or a moving image, his work remains united by a singular vision: to create experiences that connect deeply with the human spirit and celebrate the limitless possibilities of creativity.
This vinyl release symbolises a moment in time. Four tracks, eight artists, and a blueprint for dance music before the world knew what it was. Generally referred to as Garage, House or Loft music in the 80s, Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan shaped the sound from its roots. Larry, resident DJ at Paradise Garage, New York, Frankie at The Continental Baths in New York and later at The Warehouse in Chicago, both prolific remixers and some of the first career DJs. Two close friends.
Countless genres. One feeling. It’s hard to imagine that the other artists on this release could be equally as influential. Syreeta Wright first worked at Motown before spending decades singing and writing songs with Stevie Wonder. Gwen Guthrie began playing piano at 8, sung with artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to Madonna, wrote songs for the likes of Ben E. King, Roberta Flack and was known as ‘The First Lady of The Paradise Garage’ during the heyday of the club. Adeva began work with Frankie Knuckles after already going platinum on her debut album, featuring a hit house remix of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’. This is all before mentioning Womack and Womack who moved bodies and souls from ‘Teardrops’ on the dance floor, to family rooted gospel and
soul foundations.
Re:versal Records
Using the world’s largest archive at Universal Music, we’ve dug through over 100,000 releases, sourced original DAT tape masters, found rare remixes and curated a refined collection of defining dance and electronic music. We’re bringing deep cuts, rare remixes and classic dance tracks onto club ready and collectable heavyweight vinyl.
Over the past three years, Jalen Ngonda has grown from cult favourite to bona fide soul torchbearer, taking his sound from intimate club stages to arenas and international festivals. Today he returns with the announcement of his second album, Doctrine Of Love, released June 5 via Daptone Records, alongside the unveiling of its electrifying title track. With Doctrine Of Love, he steps fully into his role as both a disciple and pioneer with the title track setting both the emotional tone and musical blueprint. Built around a finger-snapping rhythm, soaring call-and-response backing vocals and a gospel-charged crescendo, ‘Doctrine Of Love’ is an instant dancefloor classic:
“I wrote that track when I was trying to do anything to get out of the studio,” Ngonda recalls with a laugh. “I was listening to a lot of James Brown at the time and that was an inspiration. ‘Doctrine’ to me was a word no-one ever uses. I took it to be like a certificate, the ‘Certificate of Love’ - look, I think maybe I meant ‘doctorate’, but we wrote it and recorded it and now it's a whole thing. I just write the song. The listener can interpret it however they want.”
That playful blend of reverence and irreverence defines Ngonda’s artistry. A devoted vinyl digger whose grandmother gifted him “a shitload of Stax and Motown 45s” as a teenager, he remains steeped in the sound and spirit of classic soul. “I listen almost exclusively to music from the ’60s. The ’50s, the ’40s. Pretty much nothing past about 1972,” he says. On stage, dressed in sharp 1950s tailoring and moving with gentlemanly poise, he embodies the charisma of a golden-era leading man, a modern spirit questing for vintage authenticity, a Marvin Gaye for the Discogs generation.
An instant classic brimming with confidence and swagger, Doctrine Of Love distills everything that made his 2023 debut Come Around And Love Me such a breakthrough (now on 348 million+ streams), and pushes it further. His debut album leaned into the early 1970s glow of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, this new collection is set somewhere closer to 1968, rich with mid-’50s New Orleans R&B, girl group melodrama, folk-rock shimmer and the grit of Chicago and Detroit soul.
Born and raised in Maryland outside Washington D.C., Ngonda’s journey began at 11 when hearing The Temptations on the radio “blew my mind”. Self-taught on guitar, drums and keys, he cut his teeth playing drums in church before studying at LIPA (The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts). After busking across London and honing his craft, he signed to Daptone Records in 2022 - home to Thee Sacred Souls, The Womack Sisters, Lee Fields - and released his acclaimed debut album the following year.
Since then, Ngonda’s ascent has been relentless. From London’s 300-capacity Moth Club to the 5,000-plus Hammersmith Apollo, from early festival slots to commanding headline crowds at Glastonbury and We Out Here, he has proven that authentic soul still has the power to move modern audiences. Collaborations with Gorillaz and Jordan Rakei, and support slots alongside Thee Sacred Souls, Freddie Gibbs and Olivia Dean, have further cemented his reputation as one of contemporary music’s most compelling performers.
Doctrine Of Love is an album steeped in history but never trapped by it. Every drum break, string swell and falsetto run feels lovingly crafted yet utterly alive, the sound of an artist absorbing decades of influence and transforming it into something distinctly his own. A musical sponge soaking up rock and folk influences as much as soul, Ngonda remains a renaissance soul man at heart:
"It's no exaggeration to say that every day of my life I wish I would wake up in 1964 in Detroit recording with the Funk Brothers. But that's not my life. So what I can do is express my thoughts and my fascination with that sound and period and just be an artist. The Doctrine Of Love holds that every thought and action should be guided first by compassion for others, because love is the highest measure of human worth.”
Mediterranean Echoes is the new album by acclaimed Greek musician, composer and oud virtuoso Alekos Vretos. A revered artist in Greece and across Europe, Alekos Vretos fuses Arabic modes, Greek melodies, Latin rhythm and jazz improvisation, into a sound that feels timeless and fresh. Through a deep understanding of both Eastern and Western traditions, Vretos explores how ancient instruments and global sounds can coexist in harmony, resulting in unique music that stands at the crossroads of tradition and modernity.
Recorded in a contemporary acoustic setting, an ensemble of master musicians performing with oud, clarinet, piano and double bass, create their own individual sound that comes together to showcase Alekos Vretos’ enchanting compositional skills. At the core of 'Mediterranean Echoes' lies a sound that is lyrical, spacious and deeply interactive, where composition and improvisation remain in constant dialogue. With the oud at the centre and an ensemble developed without drums or percussion, the album builds its pulse through melody, breath, listening and the inner movement of the group itself.
Here, Mediterranean jazz is not merely a stylistic label, but the central artistic language of the project: a way of bringing Mediterranean sensibility, Arabic and Greek melodic heritage, and the openness of jazz into a coherent and contemporary musical statement. The result is an album of strong identity, refined detail, inner motion and quiet intensity.
Pursuing classical and jazz studies at the Athenaeum Conservatory and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory. Alekos later studied Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music. Vretos has shared the stage and studio with some of the most important figures in world and jazz music, including legendary composer Mikis Theodorakis, oud virtuoso Simon Shaheen, saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, Haig Yazdjian, Theodore Antoniou, the Greek Contemporary Ensemble, The Kamerata Orchestra, the Athens State Orchestra, and many others. Recognised early on for his influence in shaping a new Greek jazz identity, Alekos Vretos was included in Athens Voice’s “100 + 1 Most Influential People in Greek Music” list, an acknowledgment of his contribution to expanding the country’s musical vocabulary and connecting it to the broader international scene. Now Vretos returns with a recording that represents his very best work to date, destined to inspire discerning music fans globally with its special charm and atmospheric sound.
Mediterranen Echoes is a landmark recording for European jazz and the global music diaspora.
Sam Pounds is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer signed to Death Row Records. Originally from Bahama, North Carolina, he developed his signature Rock N' Soul sound by blending his gospel roots with retro soul, classic R&B and old school rock n’ roll.
Now based in Los Angeles, Sam has become a sought-after songwriter and producer—collaborating with Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Killer Mike, the late Liam Payne, Jimmie Allen, Dianne Warren and more. He received Grammy recognition for his contributions to Killer Mike's MICHAEL album and has also contributed extensively to Jamie Foxx's upcoming music, TV and film projects.
Known for his electrifying live performances, powerhouse vocals, and commitment to musicianship, Sam is lighting up festival stages throughout the 2026 season. He has already appeared at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, LA), Suwannee Amp Jam (Live Oak, FL) and High Sierra Music Festival (Quincy, CA) with upcoming performances at Monte Rio Groove Festival (Monte Rio, CA), and Pickathon Festival (Happy Valley, OR). Backed by his longtime collaborators, Family Company, Sam has earned a reputation for commanding the stage with explosive energy, powerhouse vocals, and a live show that consistently captivates audiences.
Sam continues to build momentum with recent Death Row Records releases including "You Belong To Me," "Queen," and "I Got A Feeling." Showing no signs of slowing down, Sam has a collaborative EP with OneRepublic’s Tim Myers coming out in Q3 of 2026, plus a full-length holiday album this year and additional new music on the way.
Orchestra Baobab - This is Senegal
Few groups embody the spirit of African music like Orchestra Baobab. Formed over 50 years ago as the resident band of the Baobab Club in Dakar, their timeless fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms, Wolof griot traditions, mbalax, Congolese rumba and jazz continues to resonate across generations and continents. Now, the celebrated big band marks a new chapter in their illustrious history with upcoming album Made in Senegal, their first new studio album since Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng in 2017 for World Circuit. Released on respected imprint Strut Records in conjunction with Madoky Music, the new album celebrates home, heritage, love and resilience and was recorded entirely in Dakar.
Undeterred by the passing of several key founding members over the past decade, the orchestra has evolved organically, with sons, nephews and longtime collaborators carrying the legacy forward. Today’s line-up blends veteran musicians with a younger generation determined to preserve Baobab’s enduring sound. Long-time members Thierno Koité (saxophone / bandleader), Taga Koité (drums) master percussionist Moussa Cissokho and Yahya Fall (rhythm guitar) are joined by lead vocalists Zacharia “Papino” Koité and Korka Dieng (the band’s first female frontwoman), bassist Malick Sy, guitarist René “Bolero” Sowatche, and saxophonist/trombonist Wilfrid Zinzou, continuing the orchestra’s tradition with discipline, warmth and unmistakable groove.
On Made In Senegal new songs sit effortlessly beside re-imagined classics. Lead single ‘Togne Bakhoul’, composed by late Baobab vocalist Rudy Gomis is a poignant ode to his wife and ‘Tioro Bye Samba’ reprises a classic Thione Seck song while ‘Casamance’ celebrates the culturally rich Southern Senegalese region, homeland of several Baobab members. ‘Baobab 50 Ans’ marks the 50-year anniversary of this indomitable group.
Made In Senegal is another modern Baobab classic combining a fresh approach with roots fixed firmly in Senegal’s rich traditions. It is the perfect time for a new generation to discover the elegant, hypnotic sound of one of Africa’s greatest ever big bands. Made In Senegal is released on Strut o
The Phenomenal Handclap Band return with "Reptile," the second single taken from their forthcoming album 'Mirrors' on Nublu Records, due for release in April 2027. Think of a lurching, galloping beat with push and pull in the percussion, the sound of something big and cold-blooded stalking the floor.
The band came into this record with a mission. "The impetus for the new album is our realization that there seems to be a lot of somewhat self-involved artistic expression and not enough commenting on what's happening around us." So they pointed the lens outward, and "Reptile" is what they found.
Juliet Swango and Monika Heidemann break it down: "Reptile is a familiar cold-blooded predator at the end of its long path of destruction. Imposing, but with a microscopic brain and primitive senses, it is born out of selfish basic impulses and now fails to detect its prey. The creature has stopped evolving except for its ego, and will soon self-destruct."
That story plays out in the arrangement. A narrator's voice pulls you in, and the reptile's own voice walks you out. In between, Swango and Monika Heidemann trade siren choral vocals over 12-string guitar melodies, psych guitar experiments and synth lines that sound like fife tunes from another century. Daniel Collás holds the bottom down on congas and Moog bass, with Jim Orso driving the kit.
Lyrically the band drew on humans as cold-blooded as reptiles. Musically they dug into the mysticism and folk threads running through rock and early disco, "with no shortage of a little high pop drama," says Swango. If you've got Sault, Nu Genea, Lindstrøm or Justice in the bag, "Reptile" slots right next to them. Play it loud, play it late, and watch the room start to slither.
Afro-Latin electronic producer, global-sounds inspired DJ, and bassist for Little Simz, Marla Kether returns with a new track Reverse, the second track taken from her highly-anticipated EP Luso, set for release on Strut Records on 16th October.
Marla Kether's latest single Reverse perfectly showcases her energetic, hook-driven approach to songwriting - a defining quality that runs throughout her genre-spanning EP. Expanding her impressive list of collaborators, the track features London vocalist Sofia Grant, with writing by Marla and co-production alongside fellow DJ and producer Val Fritz.
Inspired by the rich palette of Broken Beat and Jazz, Reverse is a radiant, high-energy cut built for summer dancefloors. Groove-laden, percussive, and filled with infectious hooks, Reverse is a track that feels both sophisticated and effortlessly uplifting. Sofia Grant's soulful vocal performance glides over the groove, adding another layer of warmth and energy to one of Marla's most accomplished productions to date. Speaking about the collaboration, Marla says: "I had worked with Sofia Grant on my debut EP and knew that she would be perfect for this track—her vocals on this one are incredible."
Live instrumentation and electronic production move together throughout Luso, creating music built for clubs, headphones and festival stages alike. Marla weaves together Brazilian musical traditions, Broken Beat, Afro-Portuguese Batida, Afrobeat and jazz-inflected club music into a deeply rhythmic and emotionally rich body of work.
At its core, Luso is a celebration of community, movement and musical freedom - a release shaped by travel, collaboration and the energy of shared spaces. The result is a bold statement from an artist entering a new creative phase.
With Luso, Marla Kether confirms herself as one of the most exciting cross-disciplinary artists emerging from the UK underground today.
Luso is available on Vinyl LP and Digital from 16th October.
In continuation of the critically acclaimed album Momoko from Momoko Gill, Strut proudly presents one of Momoko’s most revered tracks, Rewind/Remind, remixed by none other than Chicago’s Ben LaMar Gay, in anticipation of the deluxe version of Momoko dropping on 4th November, 2026.
Since the release of Momoko in February 2026, the debut album from producer, composer, drummer and vocalist Momoko Gill has amassed over 5 million streams worldwide and received critical acclaim, leaving the album to amass a life of its own. Having been brought to festival main stages, the iconic Fondation Maeght, a sold out show in Japan, and many more, Momoko’s first ever single receives the remix treatment from contemporary composer, multi-instrumentalist and poet Ben LaMar Gay, crafting a beautifully remixed version of the track with his signature omni-genre, transportive style.
In his own words: "I often think of remixing/arranging as being handed a completed jigsaw puzzle full of shapes, colors, memories, and themes. Momoko’s trust inspired me to use my imagination, toss the puzzle in the air, and let it hit the ground to see how the pieces scatter. Which pieces will break off and do their own thing? Which pieces will stick together in search of another narrative? The poetry, the voice/choir, drums, strings, and flutes of the original “Remind/Rewind” hit a floor covered, at the time, in my early-life influences of John Barry, Eddie Grant, and Guadeloupean carnival processions."
Momoko has long been one of the UK electronic and jazz scene’s best-kept secrets, however her 2026 debut solo album Momoko was quick to bring her to the forefront, garnering support from publications such as The New York Times, The Observer, Mojo, Uncut, Resident Advisor and racking up plays worldwide with radio support from BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, BBC Radio 2 and 3, BBC 6Music, KEXP and an album of the month partnership with FIP, France . Momoko performed at the BBC’s iconic Maida Vale studios in session for Gilles Peterson, and has since been championed worldwide with extensive European touring.
Here, Ben LaMar Gay builds on this adding his touch to her much-loved track Rewind/Remind, building under her delicate vocals to divert the rhythm of the track to a building, layered and melodic crescendo.