NEW RELEASES: KAROL CONKA - BATUKFREAK; LION VS DUB CLUB – THIS GENERATION IN DUB; MAX IONATA QUARTET - INSPIRATION LIVE

KAROL CONKA - BATUKFREAK

Beat-heavy Brazilian work from Karol Conka – a set that's got some of the same urban vibe of the baile beat work of a few years back, but which also focuses the energy into a tighter, more compact R&B groove! Karol rhymes her way along the groove, but at a pace that's a bit more laidback than some of her contemporaries – and the rhythms bring in lots of earthy, organic elements alongside the electronic ones – creating this fusion of favela roots and contemporary urban – on tracks that include "Caxambu", "Gueto Ao Luxo", "Sandalia", "Boa Noite", "Gandala", "Bate A Poeira", and "Vo La".  ~ Dusty Groove

LION VS DUB CLUB – THIS GENERATION IN DUB

A dubbed-up version of The Lions album This Generation – done at a level that's very faithful to the format, especially considering the classic Kingston vibe of the original versions! There's a few new bits here – greatly extrapolated from the album's recordings – but most numbers are just laidback and open variants with lots of low-end sound – heavy dub and plenty of echo throughout. Titles include "Revelations (Alphabet City dub)", "Dub It Tonight", "Easy Dub", "New Dub", "Picture On The Wall (pink dub)", "This Generation (skronk dub)", and "Roll It Round (crushed dub)". ~ Dusty Groove

MAX IONATA QUARTET - INSPIRATION LIVE

Brilliant work from saxophonist Max Ionata – one of our favorite musicians on the Italian scene in recent years – and a player who does a wonderful job of mixing the contemporary with the classic! The album's steeped in older hardbop modes – especially when Max is on tenor – but the overall phrasing and swing of the set picks up some modern elements too – some of the wonderful colors and richer lyricism that you'll find in the best Italian musicians – and just a touch of snapping rhythm at the right points, showing some of these players' link to the world of Schema. Ionata plays both tenor and soprano sax – and the quartet features Luca Mannutza on piano, Giuseppe Bassi on bass, and Nicola Angelucci on drums. Titles include the originals "I Hope I Wish", "Blue Art", "ESC", and "Aurora" – plus "Luiza" and "When Will The Blues Leave". ~ Dusty Groove