One of the hallmarks of the London ‘new wave’ is the strength of the groove-playing, sometimes to the exclusion of everything else. The tracks on this debut album from in-demand South London producer and instrumentalist Tenderlonius are a case in point. The grooves are superb – all clacking Afro-Latin hand drums and spiritual rattles, low-riding hip hop feels dedicated to Slum Village, funk backbeats and in-the-pocket bass wriggles. Fergus Ireland sounds beyondkilling throughout, Hamish Balfour lets loose with solo flourishes and sidestepping harmonies and Tenderlonius adds fluttering flute and breathy multiphonics. That’s all there is to it though – looping grooves and solos over a handful of chords. It’s an album of jams rather than tunes. The closest thing we get to a melody is Tenderlonius echoing a bassline (like ‘Red Clay’ pared down) for a few bars on ‘You Decide’. At times it sounds like on-trend lounge music, the sort of thing you imagine they’d play in the elevators of the Ace Hotel, Shoreditch. If you’re new to jazz, as I’m sure many of Tenderlonius’ followers are, I can see that it could sound fresh and exciting, but I expect many experienced listeners will find it one dimensional.