New Grooves — All Formats  

In case you haven't noticed lately, the Scandinavian scene's blowing up large – and for good reason! As this set nicely documents, there's a rich array of great groups up north – groundbreaking combos with one ear towards the jazzy riffs of 70s European jazz – bringing more life and light into their work than previous Scandinavian electronicists – and creating tracks that are especially appealing to our classics-steeped ears! The feel here is tremendous – with a classic/modern counterpoint that rivals the best on Compost or Schema – and which has the added influence of decades of Scandinavian fusion, funk, modal jazz, and vocalese! Titles include "Trading Eights" by Five Corners Quintet, "Marinade" by Kahuun, "Noisuf (raw jazz take)" by Stockholm Cyclo, "Open The Door" by Elsa, "I Love You My Friends" by Hird, "Kovin Lentaen Kotin Kaipaan" by Kuusumun Profeetta, "Good & Bad" by Povo, "Logic Of Space" by Iony, and "Bloodstream" by Oddjob.

One of the most righteous albums of the 21st century so far – and an instant classic we'll be loving for years! Build An Ark are a seriously heavy soul jazz ensemble, with roots and traditions that stretch back to the most righteous days of the 70s underground – the brainchild of producer Carlos Nino and vocalist Dwight Trible – and featuring work by soul jazz stalwarts that include Phil Ranelin, Nate Morgan, Derf Reklaw, Adam Rudolph, and others – all coming together in a fresh, new expression of the righteous ideals that first motivated their original work! Under the guidance of Nino, the group really gels together nicely – working in a loose mode that's a nice change from the tighter cosmic 21st century soul of the European scene – and returning to the organic, almost folksy forms that first emerged on 70s independent labels like Tribe, Strata East, and Nimbus. LA luminary Nate Morgan plays some great Fender Rhodes on many of the album's best tracks – and singer Dwight Trible has a soulful range that's somewhere between the style of Terry Callier and Leon Thomas. This EP features 5 tracks in all – including a massively beautiful remake of Pharoah Sanders "You've Got To Have Freedom", plus Phil Ranelin's "Vibes From The Tribe", and the original tracks "Pure Imagination/Tortoise & The Hare", "Door Of The Cosmos (take 1)", and "Marcia" – the last 2 of which weren't on the full LP!

The Remixes are great – tunes that show a loving, understanding appreciation of Nilovic's original music – thanks to a well-selected batch of talents on the set! Most of the numbers hardly veer much from the great grooves that Janko first penned – as they're all awash in the best acoustic elements and electronic moments without going too far into abstract, contemporary territory – as can happen in some too-remixed projects we've heard of late. Titles include "Spacial Special" remixed by Minimatic, "African Boost" remixed by Kid Loco, "Summer Breeze" remixed by The Big Knife, "Escape To Chelsea" remixed by Casbah 73, "Tandoori Flock" remixed by Patchworks, "Leslie's Back" remixed by DJ Day, "New Post Scriptum" remixed by Metropolitan Jazz Affair, and "Vocal Improvisations" remixed by Cucumber.

The Remixes are great – tunes that show a loving, understanding appreciation of Nilovic's original music – thanks to a well-selected batch of talents on the set! Most of the numbers hardly veer much from the great grooves that Janko first penned – as they're all awash in the best acoustic elements and electronic moments without going too far into abstract, contemporary territory – as can happen in some too-remixed projects we've heard of late. Titles include "Spacial Special" remixed by Minimatic, "African Boost" remixed by Kid Loco, "Summer Breeze" remixed by The Big Knife, "Escape To Chelsea" remixed by Casbah 73, "Tandoori Flock" remixed by Patchworks, "Leslie's Back" remixed by DJ Day, "New Post Scriptum" remixed by Metropolitan Jazz Affair, and "Vocal Improvisations" remixed by Cucumber.

A great split record – worth it alone for the rare Sun Ra cut from 1979, but also featuring a cool remake as well! The original "Door Of The Cosmos" is wonderful – Ra and the Arkestra in a Lanquidity mode – moving with a slightly funky vibe, and some great spacey keyboards – but more than enough great horn parts to underscore the cut with plenty of soulful energy too! Machinedrum serves up his own take on the tune on the other side – a bit more beat-heavy, but with some reed lines that still keep up the jazzy tip of the track!