Author: James Kilpin

On her new album, Little Simz has found a way to explore her more conceptual ambitions without sacrificing authenticity or honesty; without losing sight of the artistic voice that she has so clearly found and made her own.

Returning for its second edition proper and tripling in size, Gilles Peterson’s festival is testament to the scene and community which birthed it. A growing ‘family’ created out of a love for the music which makes it.

Chiko Chinyadza puts it himself in his Spotify bio: “each track getting one step closer to finding my sound”. And as part of that journey, ‘Hello World’ definitely feels like a step in the right direction.

There’s a tendency to cast Mist simply as hip-hop head turned jazz musician in a way that doesn’t always reflect the intricacies of his musical output. His new record excels in its understatement and perhaps most of all in its balance – no single element becomes too overbearing or predictable, no one influence too prominent.

A diverse and cohesive project that travels across continents and generations, this record built on collaboration typifies the inescapably infectious energy that Nubiyan Twist offer up in spades.

slowthai makes it clear that TYRON is a redemptive study of self, but this album of two conflicting sides lacks the urgency of his debut, nor is it a focused enough commitment to the idea of self-examination.