Here is the last playlist of summer (probably), so let’s kick off with a blast of sunshine from The Isley Brothers and fade into autumn with the gentle melancholy of Thelonius Monk. In between there are all sorts of goodies, from Eighties novelty pop (Sigue Sigue Sputnik) to Seventies demos (Roxy Music) and unfamiliar blues takes on a classic (Roy Buchanan’s Hey Joe). And all sorts of other stuff old and new, black and blue.

I love the infectious Afrobeat vibe of the music on this summery tribute Tony Allen by jazz ensemble Ezra Collective and rapper Kojey Radical.

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Wyclef Jean offers advice to his homeboys on Mr October, from the first of seven planned solo albums in different genres by the former Fugee.

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Derry Brownson was the co-founder and keyboard player of EMF, who had a huge hit all over the world with indie-dance anthem Unbelievable in 1991.

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The Allah-Las are massive music nerds and turned their talents to dub reggae on this tune inspired by a Jamaican movie from the Eighties.

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Mary In The Junkyard are the latest in a recent tradition of highly original British bands whose influences are hard to detect.

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Death Valley Girls return after a hiatus caused by the California wildfires with a stripped-back sound on this taster of new album Welcome To Earth.

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The Teardrop Explodes were one of my favourite bands in the late Seventies. I bought all their records and saw them several times.

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William Orbit was one of that elite echelon of music producers with an identifiable “sound” that can be recognised almost as soon as you hear it. (more…)

John Douglas was a founder member of The Trashcan Sinatras, playing guitar and singing harmonies with the Glasgow band since 1986.

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