Bago’s ‘Dr. Lock’ made quite the first impression; It allowed us (for the first time in a long time) to imagine the possibilities of a legitimate Neo-Soul resurrection. Granted that may sound a little far fetched but listen to the way she layers her harmonies, constructs her melodies and digitises her adlibs, that sh*t is traceable to Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun (see: ‘Penitentiary Philosophy’). Her sharp edged voice and songwriting style also recalls a little Frank-era Amy Winehouse, which here spills into trip-hoppier Jazz and Blues. Plus the Alexander Spit production that’s mused over blends the cultured ethos of her generation (the same way neoteric Soul catalysts did back in the 90′s). It’s been a long time since someone approached this sector of music with such attitude, expression and foresight, but Bago’s mindset seems genuinely inspired – she’s found an absorbing way to incorporate formative influences with dark and cloudy, spatially aware production.

Download: Bago – Sunday’s Best (Mixtape)

(Premiered via Complex)

A foolproof moniker – Purple Ferdinand is a 23 year old singer/songwriter that’s been capturing attention across our live circuit in the last few months. Set to perform at New York’s Afro-Punk festival this week (crazy line-up), on sight she intrigues: body-modified, beanied and blue ukele’d up. Yet in terms of musical tradition, the East Londoner is less coffee-shop Corinne Bailey Ray and more Folk-Soul for the ‘Cloud’ gen.

Her tone, is wrapped in a sort of velvety, cool, coarseness, and the above acoustic version of ‘Beautiful Anomaly’ feels like a poem pulled out of some naive diary exhumed from youth. It’s gentle, lullaby-like, and quite touching. Whilst expected to experiment with her sound in near future, you can also watch random videos of the artist tattooing herself to Lonyo on YouTube. How very ladylike.

Heads up, new Summer party anthem. Pure BBQ circa ’93 vibrations in the place. Premiered for the first time on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show a few days ago, this huge tune arrives in time for the last few weeks of a season it was destined to soundtrack. Feeling like young love blossoming around a red dusk, it’s lovingly crafted revivalist sentiments conjure up Soul II Soul and PM Dawn, set adrift on the same memory bliss.

Signed to PMR, the label who’s roster boasts Jessie Ware, Julio Bashmore, Javeon McCarthy, Two Inch Punch et al, this will be producer T.Williams‘ soulful House debut single for them. Less aggressive and more chilled than his work over the last few years, ‘Think of You’ features the sassy vox of his collaborator Tendai. Draw for something high-waisted and get your dance-to-dawn on. Out September 17th.

This is Dorian Concept‘s rework of Austrian producer Cid Rim’s ’Draw’, a track taken from his excellent debut Micro Album. Where Cid Rim’s ultra slick, yet slightly more reserved original takes its time, Dorian Concept’s ode is a skittish, jittering, electro funk inspired re-fix. Steadily building to a crescendo of crushed drums and spiralling vocal samples. Brash and hasty in it’s deliver, it gets to the point and insists on raising the stakes even further with a bout of surging keyboard riffs.

If you haven’t already go get Cid Rim’s excellent  Micro Album  which is available now on Lucky Me, who continue to add to their already impressive roster.

Taken off their new Phone Line EP, Eglo Records chanteuse Fatima and labelmate producer Funkineven drop off the brand new video for the projects dancefloor reload title track. The song itself, sounds like imaginary coitus with a 56 dial-up and the colourful video has a faint whiff of art-escort with Funkineven like a Cameo-era pimp. The service is in heavy demand and rotation for all the Future-Funk astronauts right now. Out now on iTunes. There’s some vintage Sugababes in that vocal harmony.

A broody, almost Portishead-vibing slow jam from producer Warren Xclnce, featuring fellow Brit singer/songwriter Etta Bond – herself no stranger to making trippy erotica – we pretty much fired off our first 22Tracks earlier this year with ‘Come Over’ in the final list. Here the North London producer’s guitar swirls as frozen chords stab the dark over anesthetized boom claps, crossing the divide between jazzy Dilla-off-shoot swing, Geoff Barrow noir and narcotic R&B. Bond’s songwriting I always find quite commanding; she fans herself under Xclnce’s ventilated production with a spidery melody, that creeps and crawls across the beat spinning a web of inviting rhetoric. If this track was a cloud of second-hand smoke, it would be exiting a gun. Great record, psychological, sensual and a bit dangerous.

‘Examine Me’ is from a forthcoming Warren Xclnce EP of other druggy joints like the Jill Scott interpolating ‘Freedom’, as Etta Bond’s Emergency Room LP with Raf Riley that bore sensationalist fun ‘Boring Bitches’ is out now to download free here.

Just turned 17, East London talent Shivum Sharma has really caught our ear – slowly unraveling the colour of his voice on this record – something fluttery, beautiful, unique. Citing “amy winehouse, the knife, fever ray, minnie riperton, björk & jill scott” as his inspirations, their spirits clearly dance in a big circle on ‘Steady As We Go’? Aptly opened with the sound of a flicking lighter followed by an exhale, this dreamy slice of lo-fi groove is co-produced with his fellow Brit Schooler Alex Burey, and the Amy/Jilly intonations fly about like apathetic, effort-shrugging butterflies embracing some olden girl group 45s.

“Right now it seems that I’m living that dream I’ve seen on TV” the singer stargazes, as wall of sound meet the au courant reverb and 90s street-soul edged drums/bassline face meltdown under loungey swagger and exotic folkiness. Yet it’s layers of Lynchian harmony and Sharma’s baroquial tone that really carry this tired-in-a-heatwave jam directly to that spot under the collar. It is after all, the the hottest day of the year.

 So this gentleman who wins BBC Sound of 2012, a vocally blessed folk-soul troubadour, Michael Kiwanuka drops an album in March and then goes quiet on the coverage waterfront for a bit. In case you were wondering of his whereabouts, some extensive world touring later, has resulted in a dirt and grain embellished new video for skipping rope swinger ‘Bones’ shot on his travels in Asia. Home Again is out now on Polydor.

Ladies & gents, it’s that moment… the forthcoming collaboration between two behemoths of experimental, soulful sound. One a scientist, one a sorceress, ‘See Thru To U’ takes both artists love of progressive Jazz and indulges it to their hearts content. The arrangement’s spectacular as are the Thundercat riffs sliding between glaciers of percussion, tribal thundering and layers of stacked instrumentation and vocals. It all feels like it’s been carved out of some lucid DMT trip and brought back to Earth with uncompromising brilliance.

Until The Silence Comes? The silence has been broken. October 2nd is the date. Meanwhile, the Fly-Lo and Badu collabo LP is on hold, but fingers crossed, could materialize in future.

Our girl Jessie Ware is just 4 days away from releasing her much anticipated debut album Devotion (we premiered the title track in March). Having seduced us over the past year with a string of stellar singles produced by the likes of Julio Bashmore, Dave Okumu & Kid Harpoon the wait for her sensational new album is almost over. Without question one of our favourite releases of 2012, Miss Ware exudes her effortless cool and delivers the perfect debut. Enjoy a full stream ahead of it’s August 20th release. Pre-order the album here.