BeatCaffeine’s Weekly Record Rundown Oct 2, 2026
Catching up on last month’s most essential releases, this edition of BeatCaffeine’s Weekly Record Rundown spotlights major new albums from Ezra Collective and corto.alto, alongside two standout additions to Brownswood’s superb Remix Editions series. There’s Louie Vega’s irresistible reworking of Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura Band’s “Roforofo Fight,” plus fresh, dancefloor-focused takes on Jazztronik’s enduring 2003 club classic, “Samurai.”
Ezra Collective — ‘Here Because of Hope’
(Partisan Records)
BeatCaffeine favorites and one of the most forward-thinking ensembles on the London jazz scene, Ezra Collective deliver their most ambitious work yet with Here Because of Hope, a radiant journey through the global Black diaspora. Across three spiritual, geographical movements over 17-tracks—from African musical roots through Caribbean rhythm to London’s streets—the group transforms inherited pain into communal joy, fusing together jazz, Afrobeat, reggae, hip-hop and more. Joined by Pa Salieu, Lila Iké, and Leona Lewis, they make hope feel not abstract, but urgent, human, and danceable. Definitely one of the best albums of 2026!
corto.alto — ‘Some Small Fortune’
(Ninja Tune)
Led by Glasgow-raised multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Liam Shortall, corto.alto stands among the city’s leading musical forces. Their latest 15-track album, Some Small Fortune, is an adventurous, shape-shifting set that moves between jazz, electronic production, minimalist classical detail, indie textures, and pop-minded songwriting. With an incredible cast of collaborators that includes Mick Jenkins, anaiis, Oscar Jerome, Jacob Alon, BINA., Terra Kin, Eriff, and Shortall’s longtime band, its intricate arrangements remain thrillingly unpredictable, resulting in the projects best and most complete album to date.
Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura Band / Louie Vega — ‘Roforofo Fight 12″‘
(Brownswood Recordings)
(Brownswood Remix Editions 008)
Part of Brownswood’s growing, incredible Remix Editions 12″ series, this is among the year’s finest twelves: Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura Band recasts Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat classic “Roforofo Fight” with explosive Afro-Cuban fire, live-band propulsion, and the soul of Havana. Featuring Mayra Caridad Valdés (daughter of legendary Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés) and Roberto Fonseca, the flip includes Louie Vega’s ecstatic New York Latin-house remix—a DJ-ready, collector-essential celebration of diaspora, rhythm, and pure dancefloor heat.
Jazztronik — ‘Samurai 12″‘
(Brownswood Recordings)
(Brownswood Remix Editions 010)
Another essential entry in Brownswood’s Remix Editions series, Samurai reactivates Jazztronik’s cult 2003 B-side for a new generation of dancefloors. Led by Japanese pianist, composer, and arranger Ryota Nozaki, the original fused a hypnotic piano refrain, fractured drums, dub sirens, and loose, jazz-inflected swing—an unlikely but prescient bridge between Japanese nu jazz and West London broken beat. The “Afro Latin Remake” intensifies its percussion-led drive, while the “Samba House Remix” turns its melodic spell into buoyant, sunlit house music: two vibrant new routes into a dancefloor classic.
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