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Jazz, funk and guitars. It has been an uneasy combination over the years, one that seems to ever sway uneasily between supreme heights and a turgid abyss. It’s a little unfair to single out George Benson but, for many, he remains a case in point. From the dynamism of In Flight, to the meandering of Weekend in LA within a year.

Perhaps it’s the status of the guitar as the songwriter’s instrument of choice that has led to its relative absence from sequencer-led dance productions. If this is the case, then founding father of Incognito, Jean Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick, is determined to challenge the assumption. A pivotal figure in the development of British jazz-funk music, he teams up here with the equally experienced Tony Remy to present a studio project that sets about reclaiming the guitar for the dancefloor.

Initial doubts about the self indulgence of the project are swiftly dispelled by the punchy introduction of ‘Beyond Jupiter’, featuring Amp Fidler on the keys. However, those looking for lyrical inspiration will be disappointed. First Protocol is one for the music-heads and DJs. At its lacklustre moments, perhaps a few coffee tables too.

In lesser hands, this ten tracker could have slipped, but is strength comes from a roster that includes all four members of the Bays, as well as the underrated production talents of Ski Oakenfull. Compact and direct, the tougher cuts serve well to accentuate Bluey and Tony’s confident playing, and the tech-edge of ‘See no Evil’ and ‘Transceiver’ would sit well at the deeper-end of many house floors. Check ‘Between My Finger And My Thumb’ for a perfect 4-in-the-morning headspace ride.

Well aware that less is often more, the arrangements steer clear of too many extended solos and the listener is never overawed by either musician. That said, the pace of the album may have benefited from an acoustic interlude, and the variation supplied by the Latin-tinged ‘Dans La Mancha’ may arrive a little late in the set for some.