Booker Stardrum and Evan Shornstein (Photay) announce debut collaborative album OOPS!

23 April 2026

Two singular artists, drumming wizard, improviser and composer Booker Stardrum and acclaimed composer, drummer, DJ, and producer Evan Shornstein aka Photay, have announced details of their first collaboration, OOPS!. Set for release on June 5th through Sudden Quarterly, it marks the second release on the label founded by Spencer Zahn. OOPS! came to life following an invitation from Zahn for the two to create a collaborative full-length album. Stardrum and Shorntein have worked together creatively for years, but OOPS! is their first record as a duo.

Alongside the album announcement, the pair have shared the gently groovy and undulating title track. Speaking about it, Stardrum says:

“The way that we compose as a duo is by improvising and allowing ourselves to create the grounds for happy accidents. ‘OOPS!’ exemplifies that ritual and reminds Evan and I not to take things too seriously, and follow the unplanned detours to their destinations.”

Evan Shornstein also had this to say:

“When Booker and I get together, we make music out of quick impulses. I’m usually multitasking as both a player and a producer. This time, with Spencer Zahn at the helm as producer, I was able to lean even deeper into my playing and set aside any expectations of where we might end up.”

‘OOPS!’ is offered with a video directed by Spencer Zahn. Watch it now.

Hannah Peel & Beibei Wang preview upcoming album with third single ‘Offerings To The Beast’

22 April 2026

Following the brilliant and infectious ‘Awaken The Insects’, Northern Irish composer and producer Hannah Peel and Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang are offering another glimpse into their upcoming debut album The Endless Dance. The pair have now shared ‘Offerings To The Beast’, an exhilarating track radiating a bouncing energy. Listen to the single below and grab the album when it drops May 22nd through Real World Records.

Leenalchi tease new EP, Here Comes That Crow, with title track

22 April 2026

Photo: Swan Studio

Hailing from Seoul, Leenalchi are a seven-piece outfit led by bassist and composer Jang Young Gyu. The group is well known for their distinctive sound, reworking pansori, a traditional Korean form of musical storytelling, into a striking rhythm-driven format. Pansori, which dates back to Korea’s Joseon Dynasty in the 17th century, is typically performed as a dramatic narrative art form, often telling stories of love, conflict, and folklore. Leenalchi reinterpret that tradition through a stripped-down but unusual setup featuring two bassists, drums, keys, and four vocalists, with no guitar, placing emphasis on voice, texture and pulse.

Leenalchi have a new EP on the way, Here Comes That Crow, set for release on June 12th through Luaka Bop. To herald the announcement, the band shared the title track. ‘Here Comes That Crow’ draws from a historical pansori narrative tied to the story of Chinese warlord Cao Cao. Reimagined by the band, the track uses layered vocals and driving rhythms to frame a tense scene about life’s precariousness. The band wrote a poem to help explain the song’s meaning:

도용도용은 작은 배가 물위를 떠가는 모양을 그린 말이다. 조조도 조자룡도 쫓기는 자도 쫓는 자도 멈출수는 없다.
판자때기 아래가 저승인데 어느 누가 멈춰 설 수 있겠는가!

Doyung doyung goes the small boat seen floating down the river.
Whether the chased or the chaser, no one can stop—just beneath the boards lies the underworld!

‘Here Comes That Crow’ comes paired with an accompanying video, and you can watch it below.

Listen to Danalogue’s new single ‘Moebius Triptych’

21 April 2026

Last month, we heard the lead single ‘Far Beyond The Sun’, taken from Teleportations, the debut solo album from Dan Leavers aka Danalogue. The forthcoming record sees him stepping out alone after years at the centre of London’s fertile jazz and electronic underground, to present a fully self-realized vision, shaped through analogue synthesis, science fiction and spiritual exploration. Entirely performed using vintage gear, the album draws on kosmische electronics, ambient, jazz-funk and deep house, embracing the constraints of older gear as a way of forging connections between past and future.

Now, Danalogue has shared another glimpse into Teleportations with new single ‘Moebius Triptych’, an euphoric and dreamy dancefloor filler. The single comes with an accompanying video, with visuals by Charles Prest. Here it is.

Themandus drop new single ‘float_niceview’

20 April 2026

Porto keeps producing some of the most interesting crossovers in contemporary jazz, and Themandus sit firmly in that lane. Formed by Afonso Boucinha Silva (saxophone, EWI, synths), Ricardo Alves (guitar) and Eduardo Carneiro Dias (drums), the trio take a familiar set up and stretch it through electronics, an expanded approach to their instruments and a clear openness to experimentation. Since emerging, the band leaned into a hybrid language where composition and improvisation overlap freely. They pull in elements of disparate genres like post-rock, drum’n’bass, and ambient, with the three members’ shared background in jazz tying it all together. There’s a strong sense of control underneath it all, even when things sound loose, showing a band that is technically sharp. Their 2023 self-titled debut album on Porta-Jazz laid that out clearly and saw them establish a sound that is meticulous and adventurous, with a clear emphasis on interplay and dynamics.

The threesome have just released a brand new track, the daring, intricate and electrifying ‘float_niceview’. Building up in a sparse and abstract way, with a sense of restrain, it shifts into something entirely driving and propulsive that carries the track forward with intent. What’s more, they have also teased a second full-length album, and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more updates. Now take a listen to ‘float_niceview’. We’ve had it on repeat all day!

In other related news, Themandus are performing at Porto’s Maus Hábitos this Thursday 23rd April – don’t miss their thrilling and explosive live show if you’re lucky to be around!

Jerk shares new single, ‘alarmed’, from upcoming as day breaks EP

18 April 2026

It hasn’t been long since last year’s as night falls EP, but luckily for us Brooklyn’s Jerk is back with a new EP, as day breaks, completing a two-part cycle that maps the shift from night into daylight. Composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Joni Kinney, who helms the project, created the EP with longtime collaborator Martin Wade. The new release leans into a more uplifting and open-ended sound, building on Jerk’s blend of jazz, funk and electronic influences. The upcoming as day breaks favours live instrumentation and loose, expressive arrangements, capturing a sense of movement and clarity as the story moves into the morning hours. Jerk comments: “This joint album project is the essence of Jerk — neither day nor night, but something more ethereal.”

‘alarmed’ is the latest single to emerge from the EP ahead of its release on May 15th through DeepMatter Records. Radiant and playful, ‘alarmed’ is built on a juicy and slick groove that carries a sense of optimistic energy. Speaking about the track, Jerk shares:

“The track is made up of two distinct sections, with an A section meant to evoke those first moments of consciousness, as well as a B section meant to evoke the baggage we all carry day to day.”

Listen to ‘alarmed’ below.