Listen to corto.alto’s new single ’32.Dip (108)’

09 May 2025

corto.alto has just shared a new track, ’32.Dip (108)’, a final gem from his ambitious 30/108 project, which saw him release 30 tracks in 30 days. It arrives after a huge year with wins for UK Jazz Act of the Year and The Innovation Award at the Jazz FM Awards, and follows the release of his Mercury Prize-shortlisted debut Bad With Names, which was one of our Album Picks of 2023. Built from the last of the 108 demos he made for 30/108, ’32.Dip (108)’ almost didn’t see the light of day, until the Glaswegian prodigious multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer found the missing link in a sample from his own track ‘Bye’, the closing piece on Bad With Names. As he puts it:

“This track was the last of the 108 demos I made for this project before beginning the long, tiring but ultimately rewarding process of working on the 30 tracks. It wasn’t included in the 30 singles because I never could figure out how to finish it. I ended up adding a sample of my own track ‘Bye,’ the last track on my Mercury Prize shortlisted album Bad With Names, and that felt like the missing piece. To me, ‘32.Dip (108)’ signifies the end of a sonic chapter for me as an artist, and the beginning of something new.”

’32.Dip (108)’ is offered with a visualizer and you can watch it below.


’32.Dip (108)’ is out now through New Soil

GoGo Penguin premiere video for new single ‘What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be’

09 May 2025

Photo: Mark Gregson

With their much-anticipated seventh album Necessary Fictions arriving next month, and following the mesmerizing lead single ‘Fallowfield Loops’, GoGo Penguin have unveiled a second single, ‘What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be’. The previous single introduced us to the album’s expanded textures and modular synth explorations, and their new offering pushes even further into the band’s present mindset. Stripped of improvisation and driven by a steady, dance-influenced bass synth, it’s perhaps their most direct and unadorned piece to date. As bassist Nick Blacka puts it, “It’s really simple, really melodic”, continuing:

“It’s not showboating, like ‘Hey, look at all the chops we’ve got, and how great we are!’ There’s not even any improvisation in it. Bass-wise, it’s just got a bass synth like a dance track. There’s still a part of me that’s like, ‘What are people going to think?’ Then there’s another part that just thinks, ‘Fuck it, they can think what they want! This is what we want to make right now, and it feels authentic.’”

Alongside the new single, the Manchester trio shared an accompanying video directed by longtime collaborator Rich Williams. Watch the video below and get ready for Necessary Fictions, out on June 20th through XXIM/Sony.

Watch Nadah El Shazly’s video for title track ‘Laini Tani’

08 May 2025

Photo: kafrawy

With just under a month to go until the release of her long-awaited new album Laini Tani, Nadah El Shazly has shared its powerful title track, along with a stunning accompanying video. Following on from the riveting and rousing first single ‘Ghorzetein‘, ‘Laini Tani’ blends freeform mawal-style vocal improvisation, Arabic scales, pulsing electronics and delicate harp. A disorienting and exhilarating listen, the track unfolds with both spontaneity and intent, constantly shifting its centre of gravity. The song, like much of the upcoming album, features harpist and experimental musician Sarah Pagé. Describing the track, Nadah shares:

“This song has a freeform mawal style beginning, where the words are about being in a relaxed, unbothered state and enjoying the moment. The beat comes in and breaks the mawal, and I start wondering what fate is bringing next. The melody switches to a more major scale when the beat disappears, asserting that if anyone wants to come visit, or enter my life, they should come back another time instead. And find me again later — maybe in a next life even! Musically it celebrates my close relationship with Sarah. We’ve been playing together since we met at Hotel2Tango recording studio in 2016 in Montreal, when I was recording my debut album, Ahwar. Sarah tunes her harp to Arabic scales, in this case, the Saba scale, and we can totally be in the same body and mind when we play together.”

Kafrawy directed the accompanying video. Watch it now.


Laina Tani is out on June 6th through One Little Independent Records, and Backward Music in Canada.

Resavoir & Matt Gold drift into Spring with ‘Dewy’

08 May 2025

Photo: Tim Nagle

Following the serene beauty of ‘Canopy‘, Resavoir and Matt Gold return with ‘Dewy’, a second stunner from their forthcoming debut album Horizon, due out on May 23rd through International Anthem. Like an orchestral dream, the track is beaming with warmth and colour, also owing to a radiant ensemble: Macie Stewart on strings, Claire Chenette’s oboe, Wills McKenna on flute, and Lloyd Billingham’s French horns. On the new single, the pair continue to blur boundaries, weaving their shared love of Brazilian music with ambient textures and jazz-inflected arrangements. ‘Dewy’ is the perfect echo of spring in full bloom, and you can listen to it below.

Berend Intelmann unveils video for new single ‘All Gone’

02 May 2025

Following the absorbing, gorgeous and tender ‘Life Of Another One’, Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer Berend Intelmann has shared a second single titled ‘All Gone’. Both tracks are lifted from the upcoming Mother Nature, which marks the first album under his own name. As the press release describes, on ‘All Gone’ “heavy themes like life and death meet the lightness of pop”. Like the previous single, ‘All Gone’ comes with an accompanying video also directed by David Jascha Zuschlag, who continues the story. Watch it below and grab the album when it’s out on May 30th through Karaoke Kalk.


Franz Von announces debut album, Take What You Want, shares new single ‘We Live’ feat. wolf peaches

29 April 2025

Photo: Emma Ledwith

Franz Von has announced his debut solo album Take What You Want, set for release later this year through Bridge The Gap. Born in Jamaica and now a vital force in Sheffield’s hip-hop and afrofusion scenes, Franz Von is known for his electrifying presence with TC & The Groove Family and K.O.G. & The Zongo Brigade. With influences ranging from Nas and Lauryn Hill to contemporary artists like Klashnekoff, Little Simz and Kojey Radical, his solo work finds him blending African rhythms, dub poetry, reggae, contemporary jazz and UK Bass music, all grounded in sharp storytelling and social reflection.

Last week he unveiled the album’s first single, ‘We Live’, an urgent, groove-laced track shaped by the daily struggles of marginalized communities in Sheffield. Featuring vocals from alternative Sheffield songwriter wolf peaches, the track underscores the importance of community and resilience.​ Franz Von comments:

“Living in hardship can feel like a never ending cycle, and the song’s aim is to encourage listeners to break free from the repetitive nature of modern society. Despite our struggles we can still find the strength to make positive changes from within ourselves or through the belief in a higher power.”

Propelled by West African rhythms and tight production from Chris Mayall, it’s a thrilling preview of what’s to come. Check it out below.

Take What You Want is out on June 20th through Bridge The Gap