The literal translation of Waku is mat. Minaral is colours and Minalay means the patterns. "The fabric of this album weaves together the songs of my maternal grandfather, Nadi Anu," she says.​

Christine Anu spent many "hot, balmy nights" on the verandah at their rental in Wooloowin, Brisbane before her family relocated to Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait where she spent much of her childhood. Anu's parents taught their children how to speak Kala Lagaw Ya, her ... read more

Where hip-hop, history and Country coalesce in a symphony of resistance and renewal.

DOBBY (Rhyan Clapham) is a Filipino-Aboriginal hip-hop artist, classically trained percussionist, and powerful voice in Australian music. A proud Murrawarri and Ngemba man, DOBBY fuses his musical and cultural identities to tell urgent stories of resistance, connection to Country, and Aboriginal sovereignty through intricate beats, spoken word, and compelling composition.

Warrangu; River Story is an ... read more

NARA is a testament to her unwavering commitment to artistic growth and weaves together thirteen years of personal and creative evolution into a cohesive and compelling narrative.

Emily Wurramara’s latest album, NARA, is a musical journey that defies categorization and blends a diverse array of genres and influences. From indie and alt-pop to RnB, rock, and ambient sound, Emily fearlessly explores the complexities of life, love, and identity.
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NARA opens with “Midnight ... read more

For the Dreams teems with hooks, the choruses are massive and the sound is universally bright, up-tempo and uplifting. And there are no bad vibes, anywhere

King Stingray are a four piece Yolŋu surf-rock band from Yirrkala North-East Arnhem Land, Australia. Creating a genre of their own in Yolŋu surf-rock, the band merge ancient indigenous melodies with a fresh new sound. It is the follow-up of the iconic band Yothu Yindi - King Stingray are the children of the iconic Australian band Yothu ... read more

A deeply personal and gracefully understated return from one of Aotearoa’s finest. This is soul music as healing practice.​

Ladi6, born Karoline Fuarosa Tamati in Christchurch, New Zealand, is a groundbreaking soul, hip-hop, and R&B artist of Samoan descent. Starting out in the late '90s with all-female hip-hop crew Sheelahroc, she rose to prominence for her smooth, conscious vocals and genre-blending sound. With long-time collaborator Parks handling production, she’s ... read more

Iranian funk communes with Australian jazz in a fusion of tradition and innovation.​

Ashkan Shafiei is an Iranian-born, Sydney-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist whose music fuses Persian classical traditions with jazz, funk, and psychedelic influences. Growing up in post-revolution Iran, he discovered the rich musical heritage of the 1960s and ’70s through forbidden cassette tapes, igniting a lifelong passion shaped by both resistance and reverence. Now based in Australia, ... read more

A missed opportunity to update their classic trip-hop: the result is tranquil but ultimately unsatisfying.​

Lebanese producer, guitarist, and sound engineer Fadi Tabbal plays a pivotal role in Beirut's experimental music scene. As the founder of Tunefork Studios, he has collaborates with regional artists, shaping the city's alternative soundscape. His solo work delves into ambient and drone territories, characterized by layered guitar textures and introspective themes. ... read more

A unique narrative that personifies buildings as silent witnesses to conflict, blending Arabic lyrics with experimental folk and ambient textures.​
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Mayssa Jallad is a Lebanese singer-songwriter and architectural historian who intertwines her musical talent with her academic research. The album delves into the 1975–76 Battle of the Hotels in Beirut - the first high-rise urban battle in history. Collaborating with producer Fadi Tabbal, her work doubles as  historical document and ... read more

Their collaboration bridges cultural and musical divides, offering a fresh perspective on the themes of memory and conflict explored in Jallad's original album. ​

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The sequel to Lebanese Artist Mayssa Jallad's 2023 album, this collaboration with Swedish producer Civilistjävel! (Tomas Bodén) reimagines the work through the lens of dub techno and ambient electronic music. Civilistjävel! deconstructs the source material, infusing it with minimalist rhythms ... read more

Spiritual jazz and global rhythms intertwine, exploratively crafting a profound homage to Don Cherry.​

Cosmic Ear is a Swedish jazz collective formed in 2024, comprising veteran and contemporary musicians: Christer Bothén, Mats Gustafsson, Goran Kajfeš, Kansan Zetterberg, and Juan Romero. The ensemble draws inspiration from the legacy of Don Cherry, particularly his explorations during his time in Sweden in the 1970s. Bothén, a direct collaborator of Cherry, brings ... read more

Four radical improvisers draw strange, beautiful maps in real time.​

Tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis stands at the forefront of contemporary jazz, known for his robust tone and innovative compositions. His quartet, featuring pianist Aruán Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones, and drummer Chad Taylor, has garnered acclaim for their dynamic interplay and genre-defying performances.

Abstraction Is Deliverance, their fifth collaboration, continues this trajectory, blending spiritual jazz, ... read more

Two radical improvisers draw strange, beautiful maps in real time.​

Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson are titans of contemporary experimental jazz. Swiss-born Courvoisier brings a background in classical composition and European free improvisation, known for her dynamic attack and extended piano techniques. Halvorson, an American guitarist and former student of Anthony Braxton, has built a singular voice through angular phrasing, pitch bends, and harmonic subversion. Both artists are ... read more

Ambitious chamber-jazz compositions where strings, brass and vibes interlace with her highly distinctive guitar voicings.​

Brooklyn-based guitarist Mary Halvorson has long been a central figure in contemporary experimental jazz, known for her elastic phrasing, angular melodic sense and use of subtle pitch bending to blur harmony and intonation. Trained under Anthony Braxton, she straddles composed and improvised forms with ease.

Long championed for her originality, Halvorson remains a ... read more

Funk’s most joyful elder statesman returns with an album overflowing with grooves and goofy wisdom, booing basslines, bounce, and a universe of unapologetic fun. ​

Bootsy Collins, the Ohio-born bassist and showman, has been a cornerstone of funk since the early '70s, first with James Brown and then with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic. Known for his rubbery basslines, space-age slang and outlandish persona, Bootsy embodies funk’s joyful rebellion and continues ... read more

Spoken Like a Prayer, Sung Like a Scar

A Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, and visual artist, Yaya Bey draws from neo-soul, hip-hop, reggae and jazz to create emotionally raw, socially conscious music. Daughter of rapper Grand Daddy I.U., she combines streetwise intellect with personal vulnerability. Having established her reputation with Madison Tapes (2020) and Remember Your North Star (2022) and Ten Fold (2024), Bey’s work is diaristic, fierce, and always grounded in Black ... read more

Whiting’s style emphasizes movement and fluidity; she treats the harp not as a delicate ornament but as a rhythmically driving and harmonically rich voice.

Amanda Whiting is a classically trained Welsh harpist who has carved out a distinct niche in contemporary jazz. Melding modal improvisation with groove-heavy rhythms, she bridges the elegance of Alice Coltrane with the sensibility of European jazz.

Can You See Me Now? confirms Amanda Whiting as one of the most agile and expressive ... read more

Born out of a warm, creative environment, and full to the brim with heart and soul, but a little more energy in parts would help.

A Brighton-based singer-songwriter steeped in the UK soul and broken beat scene, Georgie Sweet first emerged with her debut album Misunderstood (2020) and sophomore release Lovemuscle (2024). A collaborator with K15, Mecca:83, and Children of Zeus, her music bridges jazz, neo-soul, and lo-fi R&B and her naturally smooth, airy voice brings restraint and feeling ... read more

It's neither"edgy" or progressive but by setting imperfect partners against her perfect phrasing, Streisand shows how legacy is made, not simply maintained.​

Barbra Streisand is one of the most decorated and enduring performers in American music, with a career spanning six decades. Renowned for her crystalline tone, meticulous phrasing and emotional precision, she has bridged Broadway, Hollywood and pop culture, while maintaining a singular vocal standard and artistic ... read more

Posthumously released, this is a circle-closing release from and artist who burned bright, burned out and then, after a long absence, returned with her seventh - and definitive - album, Broken English.​

“As we grieve the loss of Marianne, ... these are songs which she worked on during the year before her death. Marianne lived to create and perform music – it was her driving force and she never stopped. Right up until the end she was looking forward to this release which now ... read more

As a debut, it's audaciously personal and vocally immaculate, an introspective rather than radio-driven record.

British-Nigerian singer, actor, and Broadway star, Cynthia Erivo rose to fame with her Tony-winning role in The Color Purple and has since earned various Golden Globes, British Academy Film Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Academy Awards nominations for her title role in the 2019 motion picture, Harriet and in 2024, for her role as Elphaba in Wicked. Blessed with a ... read more