Yussef Kamaal – Black Focus (2016 Brownswood UK Vinyl LP)

London’s new jazz movement found its voice on Black Focus, the debut album from Yussef Kamaal, released on Brownswood Recordings in 2016. The duo of drummer Yussef Dayes and keyboardist Kamaal Williams (Henry Wu) fuse live jazz improvisation with the pulse of London club culture — broken beat, jungle echoes, and soul-soaked groove. It’s the record that defined modern UK jazz, reshaping the sound of the city from the ground up.

Tracks like Black Focus and Strings of Light glide between deep Rhodes lines and rolling drums, blending the warmth of analog production with the looseness of live performance. Remembrance and Ayla stretch into funk and fusion, while Joint 17 closes with hypnotic drive and swing. Around them, the city’s scene breathes: Shabaka Hutchings on sax, Yelfris Valdés on trumpet, and Mansur Brown on guitar— all part of the wave that made London the global centre of contemporary jazz.

The chemistry between Dayes and Williams is the secret. Their timing, space and restraint make Black Focus groove like a band and flow like a beat tape. It’s jazz made for turntables as much as for late-night sessions, a UK jazz vinyl essential that still feels ahead of its time.