![Royce Wood Junior - Beretta (feat. Lucey Way) [Audio] @Firstwordrecords](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lTbCno2x7U4/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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Official stream from First Word Records. Distributed by Kudos Records.
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#FirstWordRecords #SoulRampB #Funk
Album: Beretta [SINGLE]
Track: 1 of 1
Title: Beretta
Artist: Royce Wood Junior (feat. Lucey Way)
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW353
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 23rd October 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records are proud to bring you 'Beretta'; the third single from Royce Wood Junior's forthcoming EP 'Penny Ballads'.
This low-slung slice of alternative soul-funk features the glorious vocals of the mysterious new talent, Lucey Way.
Lucey is a soul singer from South Bermondsey, writing and singing alone in the shadow of the Den of Millwall!…
RWJ (aka Jim Wood) describes the theme of this track as "a scathing look at a plummeting, polarised society, the generations fighting on a burning planet set to funk."
This track follows up two singles released over the past year; the Poplife-Prince era flavoured 'Go Get Your Money', and the double-time future funk adrenaline shot, 'Clean Up'. All three cuts feature on an EP entitled 'Penny Ballads' to be released on vinyl and digital in mid-November.
Royce Wood Junior is a Grammy & Mercury Award-nominated musician, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Brighton. As a multi-instrumentalist, he's collaborated with a litany of brilliant artists over the years, such as Jamie Woon, Nao, Disclosure, Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Joy Crookes, Jamie Lidell and Jordan Rakei, additionally to touring with the likes of the legendary Thomas Dolby. He's released two acclaimed solo albums to date ('The Ashen Tang' in 2015, and 'No Two Blue Ticks' in 2021).
Previous support for Royce's music has included Radio 1's Future Sounds, BBC 6 Music's New Music Fix, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova, Tom Robinson, Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe and MistaJam. There have been sessions previously for the likes of Red Bull and press from Huck, Line of Best Fit, Clash, Aesthetica & DIY magazine.
Entirely self-written and self-produced, this track gives another solid taste of RWJ's deeply funky and diverse talents.
'Beretta' is due to be released digitally worldwide on Thurs 23rd October.
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw353
Subscribe: https://sb.kud.li/UC_iUEtWIfatGspcK52G3Gug
Official stream from First Word Records. Distributed by Kudos Records.
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#FirstWordRecords #SoulRampB #Funk
Album: Beretta [SINGLE]
Track: 1 of 1
Title: Beretta
Artist: Royce Wood Junior (feat. Lucey Way)
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW353
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 23rd October 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records are proud to bring you 'Beretta'; the third single from Royce Wood Junior's forthcoming EP 'Penny Ballads'.
This low-slung slice of alternative soul-funk features the glorious vocals of the mysterious new talent, Lucey Way.
Lucey is a soul singer from South Bermondsey, writing and singing alone in the shadow of the Den of Millwall!…
RWJ (aka Jim Wood) describes the theme of this track as "a scathing look at a plummeting, polarised society, the generations fighting on a burning planet set to funk."
This track follows up two singles released over the past year; the Poplife-Prince era flavoured 'Go Get Your Money', and the double-time future funk adrenaline shot, 'Clean Up'. All three cuts feature on an EP entitled 'Penny Ballads' to be released on vinyl and digital in mid-November.
Royce Wood Junior is a Grammy & Mercury Award-nominated musician, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Brighton. As a multi-instrumentalist, he's collaborated with a litany of brilliant artists over the years, such as Jamie Woon, Nao, Disclosure, Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Joy Crookes, Jamie Lidell and Jordan Rakei, additionally to touring with the likes of the legendary Thomas Dolby. He's released two acclaimed solo albums to date ('The Ashen Tang' in 2015, and 'No Two Blue Ticks' in 2021).
Previous support for Royce's music has included Radio 1's Future Sounds, BBC 6 Music's New Music Fix, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova, Tom Robinson, Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe and MistaJam. There have been sessions previously for the likes of Red Bull and press from Huck, Line of Best Fit, Clash, Aesthetica & DIY magazine.
Entirely self-written and self-produced, this track gives another solid taste of RWJ's deeply funky and diverse talents.
'Beretta' is due to be released digitally worldwide on Thurs 23rd October.
![Royce Wood Junior - Beretta (feat. Lucey Way) [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lTbCno2x7U4/mqdefault.jpg "Royce Wood Junior - Beretta (feat. Lucey Way) [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw353
Subscribe: https://sb.kud.li/UC_iUEtWIfatGspcK52G3Gug
Official stream from First Word Records. Distributed by Kudos Records.
More music playlists: https://pl.kud.li/UC_iUEtWIfatGspcK52G3Gug
#FirstWordRecords #SoulRampB #Funk
Album: Beretta [SINGLE]
Track: 1 of 1
Title: Beretta
Artist: Royce Wood Junior (feat. Lucey Way)
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW353
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 23rd October 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records are proud to bring you Beretta; the third single from Royce Wood Juniors forthcoming EP Penny Ballads.
This low-slung slice of alternative soul-funk features the glorious vocals of the mysterious new talent, Lucey Way.
Lucey is a soul singer from South Bermondsey, writing and singing alone in the shadow of the Den of Millwall!…
RWJ (aka Jim Wood) describes the theme of this track as a scathing look at a plummeting, polarised society, the generations fighting on a burning planet set to funk.
This track follows up two singles released over the past year; the Poplife-Prince era flavoured Go Get Your Money, and the double-time future funk adrenaline shot, Clean Up. All three cuts feature on an EP entitled Penny Ballads to be released on vinyl and digital in mid-November.
Royce Wood Junior is a Grammy & Mercury Award-nominated musician, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Brighton. As a multi-instrumentalist, hes collaborated with a litany of brilliant artists over the years, such as Jamie Woon, Nao, Disclosure, Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Joy Crookes, Jamie Lidell and Jordan Rakei, additionally to touring with the likes of the legendary Thomas Dolby. Hes released two acclaimed solo albums to date (The Ashen Tang in 2015, and No Two Blue Ticks in 2021).
Previous support for Royces music has included Radio 1s Future Sounds, BBC 6 Musics New Music Fix, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova, Tom Robinson, Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe and MistaJam. There have been sessions previously for the likes of Red Bull and press from Huck, Line of Best Fit, Clash, Aesthetica & DIY magazine.
Entirely self-written and self-produced, this track gives another solid taste of RWJs deeply funky and diverse talents.
Beretta is due to be released digitally worldwide on Thurs 23rd October.")
![Bastien Keb - Chapter 3 - A Girl [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lc_YRzoDMiI/mqdefault.jpg "Bastien Keb - Chapter 3 - A Girl [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw345
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Official stream from First Word Records. Distributed by Kudos Records.
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#FirstWordRecords #Jazz #CrossoverJazz
Album: Ghouls [ALBUM]
Track: 14 of 19
Title: Chapter 3 - A Girl
Artist: Bastien Keb
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW345
Formats: Vinyl LP/Digital
Digital Release: 14th November 2025
Physical Release: 14th November 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records are very proud to bring you Ghouls, the 6th studio album from Bastien Keb.
Through the reflective and introspective multi-mood journey of its 19-tracks, this album spans psychedelic-chamber-funk, warped anti-ballads, cinematic instrumentals, Ethio-jazz & ethereal ambience.
Part soundtrack, part beat-tape, part memoir, this is a dreamlike soundscape sewn together from half-forgotten memories & late night breakdowns.
Entirely sample-free, this album is full to the brim with musical experimentation, with Kebs compulsion to make all the individual pieces of music independently; combining strings, harps, saxophones, theremins, clarinets, flutes and trumpets.
He signals to the fuzzy, nostalgic nebulous of mid 90s skate videos, as well as harking back to the scores & moods of movies like The French Connection, Taxi Driver, The Warriors and La Haine. There are whispers of sounds in the air from jazz clubs, street preachers & Turkish restaurants.
Keb describes the sonic experience of this album simply as this… Youre half awake, and half asleep, but youre warm…
For this 19-track opus, Keb is joined extensively by Malik Ameer Crumpler; a poet, composer, editor and professor based in Paris, whos been involved in numerous albums while writing for various forms of experimental media.
A multi-instrumentalist originally from the Midlands, Bastien Keb (aka Sebastian Jones) previously released his highly-acclaimed album 22.02.85 on First Word back in 2017; this new album being a very welcome return to the Worldwide Award-winning UK independent label.
His music has been widely supported across BBC Radio in the past by DJs including Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, Huw Stephens, Jamie Cullum, Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbs, Nemone and Tom Ravenscroft. This is in addition to glowing press reviews from the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian and The Line Of Best Fit.
Hes built up a steady fanbase through his extensive catalogue over the years, with material for labels like Def Pressé, Gearbox, One-Handed Music and most recently for Shabaka Hutchings Native Rebel Recordings imprint, on a collaborative project with South Londons Confucius MC (Speakers Corner Quartet).
Keb concludes this record is for anyone feeling lost in a world that seems to have lost itself without knowing it. Its for the people who know that the world is missing the beauty of the lights in the distance, whilst being distracted by new shoes and flashy phones...
Ghouls is due to be released on vinyl & digital worldwide, November 14th 2025.")
![Victoria Port - Cigarette [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lqNs3KGhPxc/mqdefault.jpg "Victoria Port - Cigarette [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw321
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#FirstWordRecords #SoulRampB #Soul
Album: Cigarette [SINGLE]
Track: 1 of 1
Title: Cigarette
Artist: Victoria Port
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW321
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 15th November 2024
About This Release:
First Word Records are delighted to welcome Victoria Port to the label, and her debut solo single release Cigarette.
Victoria is a British singer/songwriter thats previously released two albums as half of electronic soul outfit Anushka (on Brownswood and Tru Thoughts respectively), with a third album from the duo scheduled for release in 2025 on BBE. Now Victoria is finally making the move to showcase her music, in her own unique way, as a solo artist.
Her last project received extensive support from tastemakers such as Gilles Peterson, Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Jamz Supernova, and saw her wowing crowds as a regular player on the UK and international festival circuit.
This first release for First Word Records is the initial taster of a full EP due for release in early 2025, and is set to place her where she firmly belongs; as an exciting new talent in the vibrant, eclectic UK r&b/soul scene.
Cigarette is a three-minute hit of sumptuously sweet soul music. Victoria says Cigarette is about knowing someone is bad for you and toxic, but struggling to quit them. Those unresolved situationships you try to make sense of with your friends and a bottle. I wanted the outro section to be a sonic expression of all the frustration and anger you feel when realising youre only hurting because you allowed yourself to be hurt. I suppose at its core, Cigarette is about not loving yourself enough, which is a theme I touch on throughout the forthcoming EP….
The wider forthcoming project is largely inspired by the legacy of her Dominican grandmother, and the tales of all the powerful women she has known, and is yet to know, encompassing their vulnerability and their truth. This in turn with her own journey as a mother. I found the journey into motherhood transformative, she says. I felt lost and broken at times, but simultaneously the most capable and powerful Ive ever been. Ive had to do the work and face my own shortcomings, in order to be the person I want to be, for my child, and ultimately for myself.
Sonically, Victoria takes her influences from a lifelong appreciation of soul music, drawing inspiration from artists like Gladys Knight, Minnie Riperton, Diana Ross, Nine Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Dionne Warwick, to contemporaries such as Cleo Sol and Jorja Smith. She adds Im particularly obsessed with the girl bands from the 60s. I love the stories and the harmonies. Motown was the soundtrack to my childhood. Songs that make you want to dance in your kitchen!.
This first taste of Victorias solo material is a beautiful example of Victorias prowess as a vocalist and composer alike.
Were incredibly excited to present this music to you, with more quality to come imminently.
Cigarette is to be released digitally worldwide on November 15th 2024.")
![Black Sumo - See You Around [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mIpICwwKJdA/mqdefault.jpg "Black Sumo - See You Around [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw368
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Official stream from First Word Records. Distributed by Kudos Records.
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#FirstWordRecords #RapHipHop #InstrumentalEastCoast
Album: Clarity [ALBUM]
Track: 6 of 12
Title: See You Around
Artist: Black Sumo
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW368
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 8th May 2026
About This Release:
First Word Records is proud to bring you Clarity, a new 12-track beat-tape from Black Sumo.
Black Sumo is the instrumental-hip hop alias of KRTS aka Kurtis Hairston; an artist raised in Pittsburgh, USA, traversing to Brooklyn, NY, and currently residing in Berlin, Germany.
In the early period of the pandemic, during a walk & talk with a Covid-meter of distance between each other, KRTS strolled the empty streets of Berlin with a friend. The details of the discussion are a blur, but the statement yo, that is as rare as a black sumo wrestler is recalled. They laughed & continued their walk. KRTS began reflecting on those words. Black Sumo… That could be an artist name… But, what kind of music?…. His friend agreed & quickly confidently replied definitely hip hop beats.
So was born the moniker & the concept. It began as a homage to the instrumental beat tapes hed make in his dark & musty basement in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. Raw & gritty, they combined jazzy lo-fi boom bap, reminiscent of early 90s East Coast & Bay Area sounds, with added flares of dramatic layered melodies, and a hint of Shoegaze-esque walls of reverb.
Sonically Clarity embodies a conglomerate of those aural textures across its 12 tracks; from filtered ethereal ambience, to headnod hip hop. It includes the recent singles Silent Stones and Rehearsal.
2020 saw the first fruits of this project enter the world, on the self-released beat tape The Defeatist, or as Kurtis put it at the time the journey of becoming whole again.
He further explains what I did find as far as Clarity during the making of these tracks is how much of an immigrant I really am. I think it really became clear during the BLM marches in Berlin….
A number of tracks were created during the bleak Berlin Winter all the way into Spring; the clarity here being what appears in Spring that Winter was hiding.
The Black Sumo project was effectively put to bed at this point, only to have tracks revisited very recently, five years on, as a new form of Clarity for the feeling of these compositions came to light. A better understanding of the period, and an acceptance & embrace of the art that was created.
And so, it was felt the time was now right to release this material, now revised & revisited with a clearer state of mind. With Clarity…
Clarity is available May 8th on all digital platforms, with a limited cassette version available exclusively on Bandcamp.")
![Bastien Keb - Play Dead (feat. Malik Ameer Crumpler & Mark Millington) [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m_8BELb-e8s/mqdefault.jpg "Bastien Keb - Play Dead (feat. Malik Ameer Crumpler & Mark Millington) [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw345
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Official stream from First Word Records. Distributed by Kudos Records.
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#FirstWordRecords #Jazz #CrossoverJazz
Album: Ghouls [ALBUM]
Track: 3 of 19
Title: Play Dead
Artist: Bastien Keb (feat. Malik Ameer Crumpler & Mark Millington)
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW345
Formats: Vinyl LP/Digital
Digital Release: 14th November 2025
Physical Release: 14th November 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records are very proud to bring you Ghouls, the 6th studio album from Bastien Keb.
Through the reflective and introspective multi-mood journey of its 19-tracks, this album spans psychedelic-chamber-funk, warped anti-ballads, cinematic instrumentals, Ethio-jazz & ethereal ambience.
Part soundtrack, part beat-tape, part memoir, this is a dreamlike soundscape sewn together from half-forgotten memories & late night breakdowns.
Entirely sample-free, this album is full to the brim with musical experimentation, with Kebs compulsion to make all the individual pieces of music independently; combining strings, harps, saxophones, theremins, clarinets, flutes and trumpets.
He signals to the fuzzy, nostalgic nebulous of mid 90s skate videos, as well as harking back to the scores & moods of movies like The French Connection, Taxi Driver, The Warriors and La Haine. There are whispers of sounds in the air from jazz clubs, street preachers & Turkish restaurants.
Keb describes the sonic experience of this album simply as this… Youre half awake, and half asleep, but youre warm…
For this 19-track opus, Keb is joined extensively by Malik Ameer Crumpler; a poet, composer, editor and professor based in Paris, whos been involved in numerous albums while writing for various forms of experimental media.
A multi-instrumentalist originally from the Midlands, Bastien Keb (aka Sebastian Jones) previously released his highly-acclaimed album 22.02.85 on First Word back in 2017; this new album being a very welcome return to the Worldwide Award-winning UK independent label.
His music has been widely supported across BBC Radio in the past by DJs including Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, Huw Stephens, Jamie Cullum, Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbs, Nemone and Tom Ravenscroft. This is in addition to glowing press reviews from the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian and The Line Of Best Fit.
Hes built up a steady fanbase through his extensive catalogue over the years, with material for labels like Def Pressé, Gearbox, One-Handed Music and most recently for Shabaka Hutchings Native Rebel Recordings imprint, on a collaborative project with South Londons Confucius MC (Speakers Corner Quartet).
Keb concludes this record is for anyone feeling lost in a world that seems to have lost itself without knowing it. Its for the people who know that the world is missing the beauty of the lights in the distance, whilst being distracted by new shoes and flashy phones...
Ghouls is due to be released on vinyl & digital worldwide, November 14th 2025.")
![Royce Wood Junior - Clean Up (EP Mix) [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mbNvigDZUAs/mqdefault.jpg "Royce Wood Junior - Clean Up (EP Mix) [Audio]
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#FirstWordRecords #SoulRampB #Soul
Album: Penny Ballads [EP]
Track: 1 of 5
Title: Clean Up (EP Mix)
Artist: Royce Wood Junior
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW344DD
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 21st November 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records are proud to bring you Penny Ballads, a 5-track EP from Royce Wood Junior.
Royce Wood Junior is a Grammy & Mercury Award-nominated musician, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Brighton. As a multi-instrumentalist, hes collaborated with a litany of brilliant artists over the years, such as Jamie Woon, Nao, Disclosure, Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Joy Crookes, Jamie Lidell and Jordan Rakei, additionally to touring with the likes of the legendary Thomas Dolby. Hes released two acclaimed solo albums to date (The Ashen Tang in 2015, and No Two Blue Ticks in 2021).
Penny Ballads demonstrates RWJs varied talents, with a collection of alternative soul compositions, each one as unique as the next. It includes the first two singles, the Poplife-Prince era flavoured Go Get Your Money, and the double-time future funk adrenaline shot, Clean Up, along with three previously-unreleased tracks. Beretta is low-slung soul funk, beginning with quirky squelchy synths, before the soulful lead vocal of feature artist Lucey Way breezes in to melt everyones hearts. Things sweeps in next, an infectiously soulful midtempo heavy soul bop, with an instant earwork of a hook, like a modern-day Steely Dan / Doobie Brothers, complete with a head-nodding string section to end the track. The collection concludes on a more melancholy downtempo tip with Rolling; an almost-folktronic anthem, with a key refrain that wouldnt be out of place on a 70s Stevie piece.
RWJ (aka Jim Wood) says of this project… Back in the 17 and 1800s Troubadours and minstrels would go from Tavern to Tavern selling Penny Ballads, single sheets of music and lyrics written quickly and frivolously to make a quick buck.. It strikes me that were in a similar phase in the way we value music in 2025. An old Penny Ballad was cheap and dog-eared, ink-smudged, sung aloud by firelight, Now songs live in the digital ether, dissolved in the air, a ghostly breath paid in micro cents. The new era of Penny Balladry is here, and weird.
This EP is a snapshot of my writing over a two year period. Focussed on minimal recording styles, one mic on the drums, generally first or second takes on parts and vocals, I wanted the music to feel like small moments with lyrics that talk about the weird nuances of being alive as a latter stage human on the cusp of the Ai revolution. Culturally so evolved, but physiologically still just a bunch of mammals walking about with primitive fears and needs. Just trying to reconcile it all moment to moment…
Previous support for Royces music has included Radio 1s Future Sounds, BBC 6 Musics New Music Fix, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova, Tom Robinson, Huw Stephens (BBC 6 Music), Zane Lowe and MistaJam. There have been sessions previously for the likes of Red Bull and press from Huck, Line of Best Fit, Clash, Aesthetica & DIY magazine.
Entirely self-written and self-produced, this EP gives a solid taste of RWJs talents. A deeply funky diverse set of music from an immensely talented individual.
Penny Ballads is due to be released on vinyl & digital, 24th October 2025.
The vinyl version also includes an exclusive additional mix of the first single Go Get Your Money.")
![Amanda Whiting & Alice Russell - What Is It We Need? [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/md4WAAp3TKk/mqdefault.jpg "Amanda Whiting & Alice Russell - What Is It We Need? [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw337
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#FirstWordRecords #Jazz #Fusion
Album: What Is It We Need? [SINGLE]
Track: 1 of 1
Title: What Is It We Need?
Artist: Amanda Whiting & Alice Russell
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW337
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 7th May 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records is very proud to bring you new music from Amanda Whiting, featuring the vocals of Alice Russell on What Is It We Need?.
Amanda Whiting is a highly-acclaimed Welsh harpist & composer. A virtuoso in her field, this classically trained musician has established herself in recent years as an essential player in the UK jazz scene.
Over the past few years, shes had the support of radio stations & tastemakers such as BBC Radio 2 (Jamie Cullum), BBC 6 Music (Cerys Matthews). BBC Radio 3 (Soweto Kinch), Selector Radio (Sian Eleri), NTS Radio (Patrick Forge), FiP (Laurent Garnier), Soho Radio (Tina Edwards) and across Jazz FM, who also nominated her for Instrumentalist of the Year.
Amanda joined the roster of Worldwide Award-winning independent London-based label First Word Records in late 2023, initially via a collaborative project with Don Leisure on Beyond The Midnight Sun, as well as a feature on his Welsh Music Prize nominated project Shaboo Strikes Back.
She followed the Liminality of Her record late last year with a divine album of seasonal favourites, from Bill Evans to Vince Guaraldi, on A Christmas Cwtch.
Amandas 2024 album The Liminality of Her featured in Spotifys Best UK Jazz of 2024 and received glowing reviews in Mojo, Jazzwise, Somewhere Soul, Bandcamp, Clash, AllMusic, Harp Column, Apple Music and HHV, to name a few, along with numerous Album of the Year nods and various other accolades, garnering praise critically and publicly.
Amanda has previously performed, toured and collaborated with a wildly eclectic set of artists, including Matthew Halsall, Rebecca Vasmant, DJ Yoda, Gizmo Varillas and Chip Wickham, whilst previously releasing three solo albums on Jazzman Records, and a remix project for the Alberts Favourites imprint.
Shes performed with her own trio at numerous festivals across Europe, including We Out Here, and had headline shows at The Jazz Cafe and Hootananny in London, with an upcoming show at the legendary Ronnie Scotts in June 2025.
Featured vocalist Alice Russell is a stalwart in the UKs soul & jazz scene. Accomplished and adored, shes been a leading light in the British music industry for a few decades. Signed to beloved Brighton imprint Tru Thoughts, Alice has collaborated previously with the likes of Quantic and Mr Scruff, and counts David Byrne, Dennis Coffey & Daddy G amongst her fanbase. An absolute powerhouse of a performer, here she lends her incredible vocal talents to this epic piece of downtempo ethereal fusion from Whiting and her equally accomplished trio.
This is the first track taken from an all-new EP from Amanda Whiting produced by Adam Scrimshire, entitled Can You See Me Now?, due for release on vinyl & digital in early June 2025.
What Is It We Need? is available digitally on Weds May 7th 2025.")
![Black Sumo - Unmatch [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n-OHuDtGTkU/mqdefault.jpg "Black Sumo - Unmatch [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw368
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Official stream from First Word Records. Distributed by Kudos Records.
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#FirstWordRecords #RapHipHop #InstrumentalEastCoast
Album: Clarity [ALBUM]
Track: 12 of 12
Title: Unmatch
Artist: Black Sumo
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW368
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 8th May 2026
About This Release:
First Word Records is proud to bring you Clarity, a new 12-track beat-tape from Black Sumo.
Black Sumo is the instrumental-hip hop alias of KRTS aka Kurtis Hairston; an artist raised in Pittsburgh, USA, traversing to Brooklyn, NY, and currently residing in Berlin, Germany.
In the early period of the pandemic, during a walk & talk with a Covid-meter of distance between each other, KRTS strolled the empty streets of Berlin with a friend. The details of the discussion are a blur, but the statement yo, that is as rare as a black sumo wrestler is recalled. They laughed & continued their walk. KRTS began reflecting on those words. Black Sumo… That could be an artist name… But, what kind of music?…. His friend agreed & quickly confidently replied definitely hip hop beats.
So was born the moniker & the concept. It began as a homage to the instrumental beat tapes hed make in his dark & musty basement in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. Raw & gritty, they combined jazzy lo-fi boom bap, reminiscent of early 90s East Coast & Bay Area sounds, with added flares of dramatic layered melodies, and a hint of Shoegaze-esque walls of reverb.
Sonically Clarity embodies a conglomerate of those aural textures across its 12 tracks; from filtered ethereal ambience, to headnod hip hop. It includes the recent singles Silent Stones and Rehearsal.
2020 saw the first fruits of this project enter the world, on the self-released beat tape The Defeatist, or as Kurtis put it at the time the journey of becoming whole again.
He further explains what I did find as far as Clarity during the making of these tracks is how much of an immigrant I really am. I think it really became clear during the BLM marches in Berlin….
A number of tracks were created during the bleak Berlin Winter all the way into Spring; the clarity here being what appears in Spring that Winter was hiding.
The Black Sumo project was effectively put to bed at this point, only to have tracks revisited very recently, five years on, as a new form of Clarity for the feeling of these compositions came to light. A better understanding of the period, and an acceptance & embrace of the art that was created.
And so, it was felt the time was now right to release this material, now revised & revisited with a clearer state of mind. With Clarity…
Clarity is available May 8th on all digital platforms, with a limited cassette version available exclusively on Bandcamp.")
![Werkha - Everyday (feat. Rioghnach Connolly) [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n33Z2jtqF9U/mqdefault.jpg "Werkha - Everyday (feat. Rioghnach Connolly) [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw340
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#FirstWordRecords #ElectronicaDance #BeatsampBreaks
Album: Unsung Irregular [ALBUM]
Track: 8 of 11
Title: Everyday
Artist: Werkha (feat. Rioghnach Connolly)
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW340
Formats: Vinyl LP/Digital
Digital Release: 10th October 2025
Physical Release: 10th October 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records is very proud to present the new album from Werkha, Unsung Irregular.
This is his third full-length studio LP, and is comprised of 11 tracks showcasing Werkhas unique blend of jazzy breakbeat-tinged electronics and analogue aesthetics. It includes the singles S-Bend, Toast Rack, and two collaborations; Everyday (feat. Ríoghnach Connolly) and Narrow In (feat. Daudi Matsiko) - a pair of revered artists with roots in folk music, complimenting the close connection to nature found throughout Werkhas productions.
——
Werkha (aka Tom Leah) is a multi-instrumentalist born in Rusholme, Manchester. His previous releases on Worldwide Award-winning independent London-based label First Word Records include The Rigour EP (2020), and the All Werk Is Play LP (2022), carrying on from his initial output on the Brighton-based Tru Thoughts label.
Hes had previous support from a wide range of tastemakers such as Gilles Peterson, Nemone, Don Letts, Jamz Supernova and Zakia (BBC 6 Music), Mo Ayoub (BBC Radio 1), Julie Adenuga, Scratcha DVA, BBC Manchester, Worldwide FM and Rinse FM.
Alongside his own releases, hes collaborated and remixed with Quantic, A Certain Ratio, Marcos Valle, Eska, Chunky, Andrew Ashong and extensively with Keisha Thompson and Bryony Jarman-Pinto, to cite a few.
Werkha has done full band and solo performances across the UK and Europe, touring with the likes of Bonobo, Chet Faker, Rebecca Vasmant and Mr Scruff, and sharing billing with Crazy P, GoGo Penguin, Todd Terje, Lefto and MCDE, gracing stages at legendary venues like The Roundhouse, The Jazz Café and Manchester Cathedral, and various festivals including Glastonbury, SXSW, We Out Here, A Love Supreme and Latitude.
Additionally to playing live, Werkha is a formidable DJ, recently doing a mix for Selector Radio (British Council) and previously for the likes of Tom Ravenscroft & Afrodeutsche (BBC 6 Music), NTS, Primavera Sound and Reform Radio.
——
Werkha is a thoughtful, conscientious artist, whose approach to creating is innovative, unique, ever evolving and deeply groovy.
Putting community at the centre of much of what he does, Werkha worked for a mental health arts charity in Stockport, outreach in rural Cumbria and does continual collaboration with Reform Radio to curate opportunities for upcoming Mancunian artists. As Werkha says, the music we love to listen to doesnt exist unless we water the roots from which it grows.
In recent years, he has been creating and building his side-project, Saturama - a live audio-visual experience aimed at reconnecting to our rainforests in the UK, which has received support from organisations like Plantlife, Manchester Museum and RSPB Wild Haweswater, with more exciting collaborations in the pipeline.
——
The new album Unsung Irregular is a deeply considered and thematically rich project, exploring hidden disabilities and spotlighting the power of irregularities that often go unnoticed.
Werkha says as an album title, Unsung Irregular is an anchor point that brings together a lot of the meaning behind each individual track... its a meeting of beauty and a mishap of the form – an irregularity that I hope I can give a voice to.
More than a reflection on chronic pain, Unsung Irregular is a celebration of movement, and the resilient power of music to transform discomfort into rhythm. Scoliosis has shaped his life in ways both visible and invisible, and the album traces those contours with unflinching honesty.
I dont outwardly use my own vocals on records, so I reach for different sounds and instruments to represent the stories I want to tell.
The process of healing is written into every detail: field recordings, processed vocal textures, geographical references. From the conspicuous architectural reference point of Toast Racks title, to tracks like By Helm and Weak Point which are linked not just by theme, but by sound design; echoing physical locations and personal milestones in Toms recovery.
Theres a vocoder I used on a sample of my voice on By Helm… I used that same texture sidechained to kit in &...")
![Tall Black Guy - Black Detroit Intro [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n6NC0LD-M-M/mqdefault.jpg "Tall Black Guy - Black Detroit Intro [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw316
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#FirstWordRecords #RapHipHop #InstrumentalEastCoast
Album: 8 Miles to Moenart (10th Anniversary Edition) [ALBUM]
Track: 1 of 10
Title: Black Detroit Intro
Artist: Tall Black Guy
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW316
Formats: Vinyl LP/Digital
Digital Release: 18th October 2024
Physical Release: 25th October 2024
About This Release:
First Word Records is very proud to bring you the 10th anniversary edition of Tall Black Guys debut LP 8 Miles to Moenart!
It includes two brand new jazz interpretations (From Home To Work, And Back and Running The Motor), recorded with a live band, as well as a new intro cut (Black Detroit), and an alternative mix of the single Mon Amie Detroit, previously only available on 7 vinyl.
The original vinyl LP release was a one-time limited edition pressing; this being the first time this project has been available on wax since then, and also includes entirely new artwork and photography.
From humble origins in Detroit, raised on a healthy diet of Motown, jazz and hip hop, Terrel Wallace (aka Tall Black Guy) has become a standard bearer for the hip hop beats scene. Through a steady stream of soulful productions filled with incredibly clever sample flips and deft production chops, he has won fans across the world, including Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Don Letts, Lefto, Tom Ravenscroft, Lord Finesse, Huey Morgan, Anthony Valadez and countless others, along with sessions for Boiler Room and more.
8 Miles To Moenart literally brought Tall Black Guy full circle, and proceeds to do so once again. Detroit was where he started making music, and its to his hometown he took inspiration for this debut album. Taking in low-slung hip hop, downtempo house and jazz-tinged street soul, its a record of rare focus. It encapsulated the musical heritage of Detroit, through the looking glass of Tall Black Guys own signature sound.
Follow up releases included his sophomore First Word album Lets Take A Trip (which also featured the likes of Masego, Daniel Crawford, Miles Bonny and Moonchild), and records on Ubiquity, Bastard Jazz and Street Corner Music, to name a few, along with a steady slew of limited self-released edits amd productions, most recently with his #7DayVaults series.
Hes worked with a number of formidable artists worldwide, including recent extensive work with Zo! (Little Brother), Ozay Moore, Deborah Bond and Dee Jackson (80s Babies), as well as collaborations with 14KT and First Word label-mate Allysha Joy, to name just a few. He is also an integral player for DJ Jazzy Jeffs infamous PLAYlist Retreat sessions, along with more First Word family, Kaidi Tatham and Eric Lau, as well as artists like James Poyser, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Questlove, and he was a core contributor to First Words Nothing Leaves The House series, along with Eric, Mr Thing and kidkanevil.
Tall Black Guy has firmly established himself to be one of the most influential producers working today.
Terrel says I made the bulk of this album back in Detroit around 2012/2013, before I relocated to the UK. Ive been back living and working in the States for a while now, and its great to look back on this project. But while its nice to reminisce, its important to look forwards, so I wanted to include something new here to represent my progression as an artist, so theres some new versions included, that I created with the help of some jazz musician friends of mine.
8 Miles to Moenart (10th Anniversary Edition) will be released on digital & vinyl on October 18th 2024.")
![Bastien Keb - Chapter 1 - A Boy [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nFUJxwqeRQs/mqdefault.jpg "Bastien Keb - Chapter 1 - A Boy [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw345
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#FirstWordRecords #Jazz #CrossoverJazz
Album: Ghouls [ALBUM]
Track: 10 of 19
Title: Chapter 1 - A Boy
Artist: Bastien Keb
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW345
Formats: Vinyl LP/Digital
Digital Release: 14th November 2025
Physical Release: 14th November 2025
About This Release:
First Word Records are very proud to bring you Ghouls, the 6th studio album from Bastien Keb.
Through the reflective and introspective multi-mood journey of its 19-tracks, this album spans psychedelic-chamber-funk, warped anti-ballads, cinematic instrumentals, Ethio-jazz & ethereal ambience.
Part soundtrack, part beat-tape, part memoir, this is a dreamlike soundscape sewn together from half-forgotten memories & late night breakdowns.
Entirely sample-free, this album is full to the brim with musical experimentation, with Kebs compulsion to make all the individual pieces of music independently; combining strings, harps, saxophones, theremins, clarinets, flutes and trumpets.
He signals to the fuzzy, nostalgic nebulous of mid 90s skate videos, as well as harking back to the scores & moods of movies like The French Connection, Taxi Driver, The Warriors and La Haine. There are whispers of sounds in the air from jazz clubs, street preachers & Turkish restaurants.
Keb describes the sonic experience of this album simply as this… Youre half awake, and half asleep, but youre warm…
For this 19-track opus, Keb is joined extensively by Malik Ameer Crumpler; a poet, composer, editor and professor based in Paris, whos been involved in numerous albums while writing for various forms of experimental media.
A multi-instrumentalist originally from the Midlands, Bastien Keb (aka Sebastian Jones) previously released his highly-acclaimed album 22.02.85 on First Word back in 2017; this new album being a very welcome return to the Worldwide Award-winning UK independent label.
His music has been widely supported across BBC Radio in the past by DJs including Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, Huw Stephens, Jamie Cullum, Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbs, Nemone and Tom Ravenscroft. This is in addition to glowing press reviews from the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian and The Line Of Best Fit.
Hes built up a steady fanbase through his extensive catalogue over the years, with material for labels like Def Pressé, Gearbox, One-Handed Music and most recently for Shabaka Hutchings Native Rebel Recordings imprint, on a collaborative project with South Londons Confucius MC (Speakers Corner Quartet).
Keb concludes this record is for anyone feeling lost in a world that seems to have lost itself without knowing it. Its for the people who know that the world is missing the beauty of the lights in the distance, whilst being distracted by new shoes and flashy phones...
Ghouls is due to be released on vinyl & digital worldwide, November 14th 2025.")
![Black Sumo - Theyll Always Be There (Interlude) [Audio]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nKsASaWXtIk/mqdefault.jpg "Black Sumo - Theyll Always Be There (Interlude) [Audio]
Download & Stream: https://kud.li/fw368
Subscribe: https://sb.kud.li/UC_iUEtWIfatGspcK52G3Gug
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#FirstWordRecords #RapHipHop #InstrumentalEastCoast
Album: Clarity [ALBUM]
Track: 5 of 12
Title: Theyll Always Be There (Interlude)
Artist: Black Sumo
Label: First Word Records
Cat#: FW368
Formats: Digital
Digital Release: 8th May 2026
About This Release:
First Word Records is proud to bring you Clarity, a new 12-track beat-tape from Black Sumo.
Black Sumo is the instrumental-hip hop alias of KRTS aka Kurtis Hairston; an artist raised in Pittsburgh, USA, traversing to Brooklyn, NY, and currently residing in Berlin, Germany.
In the early period of the pandemic, during a walk & talk with a Covid-meter of distance between each other, KRTS strolled the empty streets of Berlin with a friend. The details of the discussion are a blur, but the statement yo, that is as rare as a black sumo wrestler is recalled. They laughed & continued their walk. KRTS began reflecting on those words. Black Sumo… That could be an artist name… But, what kind of music?…. His friend agreed & quickly confidently replied definitely hip hop beats.
So was born the moniker & the concept. It began as a homage to the instrumental beat tapes hed make in his dark & musty basement in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. Raw & gritty, they combined jazzy lo-fi boom bap, reminiscent of early 90s East Coast & Bay Area sounds, with added flares of dramatic layered melodies, and a hint of Shoegaze-esque walls of reverb.
Sonically Clarity embodies a conglomerate of those aural textures across its 12 tracks; from filtered ethereal ambience, to headnod hip hop. It includes the recent singles Silent Stones and Rehearsal.
2020 saw the first fruits of this project enter the world, on the self-released beat tape The Defeatist, or as Kurtis put it at the time the journey of becoming whole again.
He further explains what I did find as far as Clarity during the making of these tracks is how much of an immigrant I really am. I think it really became clear during the BLM marches in Berlin….
A number of tracks were created during the bleak Berlin Winter all the way into Spring; the clarity here being what appears in Spring that Winter was hiding.
The Black Sumo project was effectively put to bed at this point, only to have tracks revisited very recently, five years on, as a new form of Clarity for the feeling of these compositions came to light. A better understanding of the period, and an acceptance & embrace of the art that was created.
And so, it was felt the time was now right to release this material, now revised & revisited with a clearer state of mind. With Clarity…
Clarity is available May 8th on all digital platforms, with a limited cassette version available exclusively on Bandcamp.")
