Handpicked by Chloë Cochran
KOKOKO! – Fongola [Transgressive; 2019]
This album is truly amazing. I challenge anyone to listen to this music and be able to sit still as this music is absolutely infectious in the best way possible! I was lucky enough to see them live in the summer at End of the Road festival, and it was a truly beautiful experience with everyone in the crowd dancing to and vibing off of the live performance. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like it, with most people having the same joyous reaction to the contagiously funky beats and rhythms.
Tinariwen – Elwan [ANTI-; 2017] 
Shamefully, I have to say this is a recent discovery for me, but no less significant on the list due to my joining the party late. The album is the seventh from the Tuareg band and is truly beautiful. The videos accompanying the song are also extremely mesmerising and add to the groups mystical quality; they kind of remind me of Gorillaz animation style so, if you haven’t already, check them out!
Fat Freddy’s Drop – Blackbird [Remote Control Records; 2013]
I couldn’t miss out this band. Although this isn’t my favourite album of theirs, it is sensational, and they deserve a place on this list. “Blackbird”, the title track, is spectacular, and they are truly like nothing else. Hailing from New Zealand they mix dub, reggae, funk, soul, and jazz into a beautiful fusion of boogyable tunes.
Gentleman’s Dub Club – Open Your Eyes [Ranking Records; 2012]
I couldn’t leave a dub album off this list. I moved to England in 2014 from Canada and was very quickly introduced to the musical culture here. I’ve spent many a happy day in the last decade boogying in the sunshine to dub, and have a great memory of seeing Gentleman’s Dub Club at Boomtown in 2017.
The Comet is Coming – Channel The Spirits [The Leaf Label; 2016]
British Jazz!! This album epitomises everything that I love about what’s going on in jazz; it’s breaking boundaries and is truly mesmerising. I find the combination of electronic music with jazz to be truly compelling and Shabaka Hutchings once again demonstrates exactly how prolific he is.