The first full length from UK artists Jersey Street, with a wonderfully spare approach to production, and a nice vocal compliment from Dawn Zee. The grooves have a nice degree of air and space, but run the gamut from contemporary house to laidback NuSoul grooves, all handled with a feel for the vibe that keeps everything sounding fresh and smooth, from one track to the next. Includes "Cried Me A River" one of the groups early club numbers originally released on the Junior Boy's Own imprint, plus "How Could I Be Loved", "Brand New Day", "Disappear", "Step Into The Light" and "Now's The Time". 10 tracks in all. CD

A tremendous album from Two Banks Of Four – a group that features work from some of our favorite older members of the British scene – including singer Valerie Etienne, and musicians Chris Bowden and Ski Oakenfull! The album's got a really soaring, spacious feel – with jazzy roots that stretch back to groups like Kalima, and include Fertile Ground, but an overall sound that's very much in step with the current sound of the 21st Century London scene. The tunes are all incredibly soulful – driven by warm acoustic basslines and snapping snare percussion – and the album's got an overall feel that has a lot more real jazz playing than just beats and keys – something we approve of highly! Valerie Etienne's vocals have never sounded hipper – and titles include "Angel's Walk", "One Day", "Banks Of The Nile", "Blues For Brother", "Endless", and "Unclaimed". CD

... CD

(Hip Hop, New Grooves) CD

... CD

Superb! The first full length album by Les Hommes is well worth waiting for – as the group spent a few years in the trenches, coming up with a uniquely groovy modern bossa sound – laid out over a handful of excellent 12" singles, finally getting the chance to take full shape on this great debut album. The sound here is inspired by Lalo Schifrin, Walter Wanderley, and Quincy Jones in the 60s – vibes, organ, moog, and snare drum – all dancing around with a tremendously catchy appeal – both atmospheric and melodic, with all the classic appeal of a rare bossa tune from a classic 60s soundtrack! Titles include "WeeGee", "Pousada Do Amor", "The Fourth Homme", "Vista Do Mar", "Hommage", "The Way Out", and "Boogaloogalick". CD

Essentially the US release of Nicola Conte's Jet Sounds LP on Schema – with a few different tracks, but mostly the same lineup. Conte's a genius, and the album's a breathtaking mix of 60s bossa, soundtrack, and easy themes – put together with never a dull moment, and always a focus on the kind of mid and uptempo grooves that have been pushing the Italian and German scenes for the last 5 years. The record features tracks from a few of Nicola's 12" singles, plus a wealth of excellent new material that really expands his groove wonderfully – with a totally real, totally honest sound that pushes past the gazillion retro remix throwaway albums that you'll find stuffing the listening stations at the megastores! Tracks include "Fucco Fatuo", "Il Cerchio Rosso", "Dossier Omega", "Arabesque", "Mambo De Los Dandies", "Jazz Pour Dadine", and "The In Samba". CD

Jazzy, scatting, and wonderful! Jazzinho firmly carry the torch of 70s Brazilian jazz – picking up the sound that the music had just as it started to spill into European and American scenes, with bossa nova at the core, but lots of nice electric touches on the top! The group features some wonderful female lead vocals – very breezy, with a warm and sunny finish that really gives the record a wonderful feel. Instrumentation is strongly jazzy – not just beats and tricks – and honestly, the album's got a really solid 70s feel that makes us love it to death! Titles include "Vertigo", "Velejou", "Astral", "Yambou", "Sim Ou Nao", "Camponesa", and "Constelacao". This edition of the CD features four bonus remixes – "Sim Ou Nao" by Sleepwalker, "Constelacao" by Quant, "Sim Ou Nao by Eddy & Dus and "Yambou" by Phil Asher! CD

... CD

A groundbreaking mix of tunes – early work by Thievery Corp, one of the best remix/producer teams of the past 10 years! The Thieves have a huge bag of influences to dip into – one that includes bossa grooves, easy melodies, and 70s electric funk, nearly all of which seem to come into play at one moment or another on many of the album's tracks. There's also a nice dubbed-out quality to the album – making it a downtempo classic with a really deep feel. Titles include "The Oscillator", "Interlude", "Encounter In Bahia", "The Glass Bead Game", "Incident At Gate 7", and "Shaolin Satellite". CD

A collection of remixes all handled by Thievery Corp – featuring a wide range of tunes, all filtered through the duo's consummate hipster sensibilities! Features remixes of "KC Doppler" by Slide 5, "Porno 3003" by Pizzicato 5, "Savoir Faire" by Ursula 1000, "Transmission Central" by Rockers Hi Fi, "Hijack" by Thunderball, "I Will Follow You" by Baba Maal, "Tickertake Of the Unconscious" by Stereolab, and "Ave Maria" by Edson Cordeiro. CD

You know it's hot when the record kicks off with a fat Bobbi Humphrey/Larry Mizell loop! Early Ashley Beedle, mostly sample based acid jazz grooves, much of it downtempo. Includes the original version of "Blacker", plus "NYX2", "Gangstalene", "Uschi's Groove", "And It Goes Like This", "MCF 2870", "Valley Of The Afro Temple" and "Grovers Return". CD