2010, who would have thought it, and already it’s brewing up to be quite the year for releases. First off, nice work Gerald Short & Co. for the wonderful John Heartsman & Circles – ‘Music of my Heart’ LP, a truly incredible live record reissued on the ubiquitous Jazzman Records featuring an raw cover of ‘Mr. Magic’ originally performed by Grover Washington Jnr. This is in good company with the George Smallwoods ‘Just 4 You’ which is trip into obscure disco funk vibes, these are available on CD and LP. (www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk)

Local boys All City Records are gearing up for their strongest year so far with the ‘LA series’ getting ready to drop and some other special releases in the production line on top of this, anyone into the LA sound or a penchant for the bugged out beats this is for you. The highly anticipated LA series features a stellar line-up of new and familiar artists with photography by B+ and design by Donal Thornton.

Jay Electronica finally drops the official banger Exhibit C on Defcon. He is the MC we are all looking to  resurrect Hip Hop and we feel 2010 is going to be the year Jay Elect puts rap back on the map. For 6 years now his name has been mentioned almost everywhere for his skilful rhymes and vast vocabulary. Jay is an artist that has utilised the internet to his advantage. Momentum is growing and with everyone looking to collaborate, his LP must be the most anticipated album of the year. We might even see him play ChoiceCuts this year perhaps?

As far as compilations go ‘Family Album’ on Lotus Land is a compilation that literally opens the door to a forgotten scene and movement of music focussed around the Disco and Boogie sound from the early 1980s that was either previously reissued on 45 via Lotus Land (http://lotuslandrecords.bigcartel.com) aswell as never seen before releases. We have been clocking these 45s since they appeared on the shelves and to have 18 tracks  on one CD is great value and a super trip into a time and place that could have easily been forgotten..also very useful for the Serato DJs.

Without a doubt, this month sees some heavy hitters back on the scene, notably the sublime Gil Scott Heron returns on XL Recordings no less with label head Richard Russell producing the entire project, intrigued? Yes sir. At 28 minutes and change this album sees Gil back to his best narratives and song writing but those who are waiting for a ‘Winter in America’, the production is modern, touching on Dub Step and Hip Hop, but there is also a dose of blues and gospel, and in fairness this is a good marriage between XL and Gils timeless voice and the fact it’s not too long, means there is not too much room for the project to fall off the rails. Heron’s influence on modern music is unparalleled being the first musician to  rap, speaking on social and political issues long before Chuck D or Melle Mel hit the airwaves. Legend.

Selling over 50 million albums worldwide over the last 30 years, Sade is synonymous for her deep laid back soul sound, with the topic of her song writing focused on love and loss. In December she dropped the excellent first single ‘Soldier of Love’ and it seemed like we were back in 1985 again, with production by Mike Pela this LP retains the authentic Sade sound we all love and even though its 10 years since Lovers Rock dropped, the ever youthful Sade Adu has come back with an LP that does not break the mold but should appease her legions of fans worldwide.

No one can deny Massive Attacks status as innovators and mold breakers. These eclectic wizards from Bristol have strong roots in hip hop and reggae dj culture from their Wild Bunch Sound System days in the late 1980s. Unlike a lot of their American and Jamaican counterparts, Massive Attack continue to evolve and inspire, ‘Blue Lines’ was laden with classic breaks and samples used in Hip Hop, fusing these with dub and reggae styles to highlight the influence of growing up in UK in the 1970s and 80s. Then ‘Protection’ garnered even more mainstream success but they still kept their dark and sinister cinematic sound, Mezzanine & 100^th Window were further developments into their darker sound. With this months new release ‘Heligoland’ it’s obvious the lads are still buying new music and records, checking out new producers and looking to keep at the forefront of production, which is why 20 years after they debuted, they are still the ones to watch for creativity and sensibility in their craft.

For the djs, some nice bits to pick up are the Sofrito Specials - ‘Tropical Soundclash 1 & 2  from Hugo Mendez in London, a nice edit or two of Cumbian flavours that will knock any dancefloor over.  Milwaukee outfit Kings Go Forth re-release ‘Don’t Take My Shadow’ complete with Tom Moulton mix and instrumental on Luaka Bop, everything these guys put out is incredible so if you see it, buy it.  Light of Saba on Honest Jons = Killer, Floating Points delivers again for Eglo and keeps his quality intact  – ‘Peoples Potential’ is the title and it’s a limited edition pressing for this acid banger. Helsinki meets Oakland for the next recommendation Myron & E and The Soul Investigators drop ‘It’s A Shame’ on Timmion, the follow up to the ‘Cold Game’ 7inch which was cracking, cannot wait for the album which should drop this year. Badu has sneaked out some tracks from her New Amerykah Part 2 (Return of the Ankh) in advance of her March release, check out our soundcloud for a taster.

You may or may not have heard but we recorded lots of tracks with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble last October before we brought them to Los Angeles. We are currently mixing the record down, we have April 13^th as the official launch (coinciding with 3 special live shows where the EP will be performed in its entirety) along with their own new music. There will be limited vinyl, a digital download and a tshirt with the download in it, we will leak out a teaser in March, we are also building their new website, so we will fill you in on this project next month.