10. Ale Hop and Laura Robles – Agua Dulce
Peru’s Laura Robles and Ale Hop explore the radical history of the cajón on their fiercely unusual debut album. Processing the box-shaped percussion instrument through fuzzing distortion and heavy reverb, while adding elements of synth bass and squeaking electronics, they lend Afro-Peruvian folk rhythms established during slavery a modern, industrial twist. Often unpredictable and on the verge of sudden collapse, the nine tracks on Agua Dulce push the cajón into unchartered and exciting territory, proving its power and versatility far beyond the gentle acoustic jam sessions where it’s often found. Read the full review
9. Dragonchild – Dragonchild
The debut solo album from DA Mekonnen, saxophonist and former member of Ethiopian group Debo Band, channels the keening melodies of Ethiojazz luminaries Mulatu Astatke and Hailu Mergia into a genre-hopping electronic blend. Tracks such as Sera skitter into amapiano territory, layering Mekonnen’s sax over a looped mid-tempo beat, while The Source speeds into electro drums, Unicode 1200 pairs bright synths with programmed percussion and highlight LTD chops competing saxophone melodies together to create an interweaving afrobeat fanfare. As Dragonchild, Mekonnen showcases a production style and instrumental mastery that sits perfectly between the experimental and the accessible.
8. Balimaya Project – When the Dust Settles
Since the release of their debut album in 2021, sprawling west African percussion ensemble Balimaya Project have built a reputation for fierce live shows that produce a barrage of complex rhythms. On their second record, they also prove themselves to be a formidable studio group, capable of moving listeners to introspection as much as joy. Inspired by bandleader Yahael Camara Onono’s grief over the death of his brother, tracks like Suley’s Ablution and A Prayer for Our Parents play as suites of complex mood music, traversing everything from orchestral strings to plaintive melodies and polyrhythms.
7. Ali Sethi and Nicolas Jaar – Intiha
Pakistani singer Ali Sethi lends his gorgeously delicate voice to this fascinating remix album, sampling loops and sections of producer Nicolas Jaar’s 2020 record Telas as the musical foundations for his songs of Urdu ghazal poetry. Largely transforming the typically full-throated form of ghazals into downtempo, ambient electronic productions, Sethi’s vocals take on a breathy intimacy on tracks such as Nazar Se and Dard, drawing the listener into his intricate melodies. Jaar’s productions, meanwhile, keep the tracks from slipping into monotony with their jarring hums of distortion and whispers of percussion.
6. EABS and Jaubi – In Search of a Better Tomorrow
Pakistani improvisational quartet Jaubi’s follow-up to their 2021 breakthrough raga jazz record Nafs at Peace packs a punch. Joining forces with Polish jazz group EABS, this new formation produces 10 tracks of Indian classical instrumentation combined with squealing saxophones and eerie synth textures to create an often explosive free-jazz freakout. Stringed sarangi melodies pair perfectly with the saxophone and thundering bass synth lines add a weighty foundation to the tabla, lending each composition a propulsive groove that anchors soaring solos. The album showcases Jaubi as a group capable of applying their instrumental traditions to experimental settings.
5. Thandi Ntuli with Carlos Niño – Rainbow Revisited
South African pianist and vocalist Thandi Ntuli strips her sound back to its bare essentials on her third album and proves the potential of simply pairing piano with voice. With production and additional hints of experimental percussion from LA instrumentalist Carlos Niño, Ntuli’s piano playing trips through lively fragmented phrases to plaintive, fine-tuned melodies, while her wordless vocalisations are eloquently emotive. It is a gently joyous, surprising record from a contemporary South African jazz scene that otherwise revels in the collective power of large ensemble playing. Read the full review
4. Deena Abdelwahed – Jbal Rrsas
The Tunisian producer and DJ Deena Abdelwahed harnesses a monumental sound on her second album. Following her 2018 debut Khonnar, on which she added techno kick drums, mutant bass sounds and melodic electronics to styles such as Egyptian mahraganat and dabke folk rhythms, Abdelwahed continues to recontextualise music from the Arab world for the dancefloor. Across these seven tracks, she gets ever darker, wielding thundering synths and distorted, layered beats to precise effect, reaching a peak on the six-minute rhythmic odyssey of Violence for Free. Read the full review
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3. Enji – Ulaan
Ulaanbaatar-born singer Enji’s third record cements her distinct vision of Mongolian jazz. Combining the ceremonial long song – where syllables are drawn out to create elongated, melismatic lines of melody – with acoustic jazz instrumentation and short, sharp scat voicings, Ulaan plunges engaging depths despite the soft vibrato of Enji’s voice. She’s accompanied only by clarinet and bass on tracks such as Temeen Deerees Naran Oirhon and Vogl, and a downtempo jazz quartet on the Latin-influenced Taivshral, all working to create a spacious new environment for a centuries-old vocal tradition. Read the full review
2. Titanic – Vidrio
Mabe Fratti’s latest project sees the Guatemala-born cellist and singer continue to adapt her songwriting process and step into newly collaborative territory. Partnering with multi-instrumentalist Hector Tosta, Vidrio does away with Fratti’s typically folk-influenced genre conventions and instead traverses everything from jazz on Hotel Elizabeth to chamber pop on Cielo Falso and the screeching free improvisations of Balanza. Fratti and Tosta find their ideal blend on the anthemic thump of Anónima, layering a reverb-laden drum groove and doubled cello line with Fratti’s catchy refrain. Always experimental without becoming obtrusive, Fratti and Tosta produce a beguiling, singular record. Read the full review
1. Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily – Love in Exile
Nothing has come close in 2023 to the skill and sheer absorption of this collaboration between singer Arooj Aftab, jazz pianist Vijay Iyer and producer and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. Often playing so quietly and with such minimal instrumentation as to be barely audible at all, Love in Exile is a masterclass in crafting deeply affecting arrangements with only voice, keys and bass. Aftab’s vocals shine against such sparse backing, entering the frame often minutes into lengthy compositions and almost shocking in its breathy intimacy, while Iyer and Ismaily’s instrumental dialogue bolsters her melodies without competing for attention. A small, slight and expertly crafted album of beauty. Read the full review