Submotion Orchestra’s debut album Finest Hour was one of the best to be released last year. Quite possibly one of the best British albums from a band in a few years. Their amalgamation of styles across Jazz, Soul, Bass, Electronica and 2-Step is composed so wonderfully, so precisely and with such groove – it’s impossible not to be seduced.

Last month we posted up their new single ‘It’s Not Me It’s You’ – a track only listenable via worthy speakers/headphones – taken off their upcoming (as yet untitled) second album. In true SubMo style this one steadily builds into an undeniable jam – just wait for that drop.

‘It’s Not Me It’s You’ is available to pre-order now.

Wednesday night saw Portico Quartet take to the stage at York Hall in Bethnal Green. Having never seen a gig at the renowned boxing arena before I was keen to see how the ‘school hall’ venue would deal. The answer – very well. Very well indeed. Read the review after the jump…

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Real music is crash protected. Second visual offering from the Experiment’s Black Radio album which is justifiably getting amazing press this week after it’s release. Like the first it’s a text driven beauty featuring the Mighty Mos/Bey and Glasper’s keys are the driving force on this, the title track. Make sure you check out what happened when the Experiment, Lupe and Bilal hit the Letterman Show. Black Radio is already my album of the year. Enough said.

A meeting of true musicianship: one of the greatest keys players in the world (Glasper), his band (Experiment), one of mod Soul’s bravest outsiders (Bilal), and one of mainstream rap’s few genuine lyricists (Lupe). All star cast. Wait for Robert on the grand – effortless mastery.

Robert Glasper Experiment’s massively acclaimed album Black Radio that pretty much features the who’s who of respected revivalist figures from Erykah and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def for those still miffed) to more recently lauded Shafiq Husayn and KING. It’s out now, put your plastic towards unequivocal artistry here.

“That makes me want to start drinking again…”- Letterman

Brand new from the Leeds 7-piece who in 2011 gave us one of the top soulful UK Bass releases in recent years with Finest Hour. They’re back though with a sophomore on the horizon, and mean business. Upgrading their electronica whilst still pushing that deep rooted live band musicology, this air-conditioned slice of jazzy 2-Step and cute Todd Edwards’esque vocal injections courtesy of front-woman Ruby Wood are just what the mid-week vibes doctor ordered. Hit ‘em up with that trumpet skank.

It’s also highly recommended you check this band out in the instrumental flesh. They’ve a semi-sold out tour in March including a date at XOYO. Peep dates and grab tickets quick-time here.

A  cosy space and a one shot take brings about this brand new Alice Russell track entitled ‘Look Around the Corner’. The song was originally recorded and cut live to vinyl in Hackney back in August, during the London riots – it’s the first track off Russell’s (much needed) new album.

Check the video up top and pre-order the album (due out April 5th via Tru Thoughts) - Look Around The Corner here. The single is out now.

BADBADNOTGOOD have inked quite the impression on us since we featured their BBNGLIVE 1 LP back in November. Reconstructing the very premise of what ‘modern Jazz’ can sound like; Their interpretations of songs from the likes of Wacka Flaka Flame, Flying Lotus, ODB & Slum Village (to name a few) quickly established the Toronto based trio as an innovative, boundaries-pushing ensemble. And who could forget their Tyler, the Creator reworking…?

In January the band were invited to perform at Giles Peterson’s World Wide Awards in London and during their set they debuted these two majestic James Blake covers. Transmutating ‘CMYK’ and ‘Limit To Your Love’ into Jazz soaked complexities – with improvised piano riffs, energetically clashing percussives and gorgeous bass sections they once again reinstate their position as instrumental dons. Their foresight is impressive enough, but their technical adeptness is most outstanding. Listen as they reveal layer upon layer of Blake’s original composition, adding their own eccentricities along the way.

Both songs come of the bands new BBNGLIVE 2 EP – available for free download here.

I’ve always felt ‘Futile Devices‘ was one of Sufjan Steven’s most beautiful records, falling somewhere between the final flakes of winter and spring’s first rays. Full on emosh overload every time the first two bars of piano hit the back of the neck hairs and Steven’s woodland whisper creeps in.

Now, Michigan’s Shigeto is one of those producers that’s risen well out of the overflowing international beat scene, gaining respect as an electronic musician in all the right publications over the last year. His recent Aaliyah remix was superb at honing groove, but take a listen to his edit of the more dainty ‘Futile Devices’ – the harmony between sub bass expulsions escorted into upright bass, handled with the care such a delicate piece of audio needs. It’s more Sunday morn that Saturday night, but when the party’s over later and you’re at the bottom of the bottle, pop this one on.

Shigeto’s mini-LP Lineage is out now on Ghostly.

Matthew Halsall’s cover of Alice Coltrane’s track ‘Blue Nile’ is nothing short of beautiful. From her album Ptah The El Daoud released on Impulse! Records back in 1970 this cover captures the original vibe nicely. Alice herself played piano and harp on the original recording, and here Matthew Halsall adds his expressive and spiritually tonal trumpet playing to enhance some wonderful harp and flute playing from Rachael Gladwin and Lisa Mallett. I strongly suggest you check out his back catalogue and check out his live date at the Pizza Express Jazz club.

Bay Area rhythm section The Park have come both visually and musically correct on this new single from their recently released 3-track EP, also called These Are The Days (a harddrive necessity). They have provided backing for the likes of BIG K.R.I.T., Alice Russell and Jesse Boykins III.  This song brings a guitar-driven, vocoder-saturated meltdown accompanied by a kaleidoscopic visual explosion. Smash O’clock.