March: 18 albums you need to hear this month

Justin Carter 'The Leaves Fall' (Mister Saturday Night)

Along with his Mister Saturday Night partner Eamon Harkin, Justin Carter is simply one of the world’s greatest DJs: his musicality is matched only by a passion for the inclusive, love-fuelled ethos and focus on real dancers at the heart of real-deal house and disco. It almost seems unfair that on top of this, it turns out that he’s a shockingly good singer-songwriter, too. Whether on purely acoustic songs or gentle analogue indietronic grooves, he conjures beautiful sketches of human fragility, hope, fear and loss. You might hear hints of Joni Mitchell, Arthur Russell, John Martyn, Hot Chip and more good stuff in there, but this is an impressively individual statement that will reward return visits. Joe Muggs

8/10

Sailor & I 'The Invention Of Loneliness' (Skint)

Sailor & I, aka Stockholm producer Alexander Sjödin, trades in saturnine Nordic electro-melancholia with sorties into deep, dancefloor-friendly territory. Like his compatriots The Knife and iamamiwhoami, he has a winning ability to make vocal electronica that’s icy, claustrophobic and widescreen, as the coruscating ‘Black Swan’ and lavish, metallic electro of ‘Black Stars’ attest here (black, it seems, is big in Sailor & I’s world). Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, ‘Paramount’ – with its flurry of vocal samples, hammering piano riff and restrained percussion – is a fine example of his grasp of moody house ordnance. It’s music with a cold edge, but with warmth in its heart. Stephen Worthy

8/10

Jesse Rose 'Alright Mate' (Made To Play)

There comes a time when “your body doesn’t enjoy [the industry] as much as your mind”, which is why ‘Alright Mate’ will be the final album of Jesse Rose’s colourful career. It’s an impressive ending that flits between white-hot heaters and poignant touches. ‘Future’s Dream’ and ‘Pressure’ ooze warm vibes perfect for Balearic summers, while ‘In My Mind’ slinks along a groove-tipped edge. ‘Appreciative’ is reminiscent of Rose’s earlier Induceve work and ‘Everyone’ is classic house with disco quirks, while ‘What You Talkin Bout’ is the highlight of the record: it’s dark and almost analogue in its repetition, with a tongue-in-cheek message that insists you hit the dancefloor. Leah Connolly

8/10

Clap! Clap! 'A Thousand Skies' (Black Acre)

Take a cult Bristolian label and add an African influence from Italian musician Clap! Clap!, and we might just have the best fusion record to kick of 2017 so far. Returning to Black Acre after his Gilles Peterson-approved ‘Tayi Bebba’ LP, Clap! Clap! is now on “the search for new flavours”. Throat-driven chants seep through native percussions on ‘Discessus’, and ‘Nguwe’ feels like a Gqom-on-speed ticket to the tropics, glitches stabbing through Bongeziwe Mabandla’s vocals. ‘Hope’ (featuring OY) breaks things down, while the layers of ‘Ar-Raqis’ and ‘Ode To The Pleiades’ clatter and clang, cultivating the sounds of a rich landscape that are felt globally. Leah Connolly

7/10