... CD

... CD

Includes music by St Germain, China Bear, DJ Vadim, Red Snapper, Jazzanova, DJ Cam, Llorca, Shawn Lee, Daedelus, Lyrics Born, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Koop, Roy Ayers, and more – 60 tracks total. CD

... CD

Tracks from Circulation, KCL Project, Diva Five, Idjut Boys, Daddae Harvey, Frankie Foncett, Destry & Tee Harris, Freaks, Mr C, Reticulate, and Freestyle Inc. CD

(Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

There's a nicely cinematic image on the cover of this second album from Portishead – and the sound is very cinematic too – a real genre-setting standard for the kinds of new territory the group and some of their key contemporaries began to explore in the 90s! The overall style is a bit hard to define – far better than the simple moniker of downtempo might warrant – with a richer quality that shows that these guys weren't just making beats in their bedrooms! In fact, there's some key talent on board, in addition to the group – including a great contribution from Nick Ingman, who handles a lot of larger orchestrations, in a manner that comes from his many years in the British sound library scene. Strings, brass, percussion, and cinematic guitar all coalesce under the vocals of Beth Gibbons for the signature Portishead sound – on titles that include "Cowboys", "All Mine", "Mourning Air", "Only You", "Seven Months", "Western Eyes", "Udenied", and "Elysium". CD

Music from iiO, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Nilo, Depeche Mode, Mike Macaluso, Peter Bailey, Trisco, Max Linen, Deborah Cox, DJ Skribble & Anthony Acid, Kim English, Rollercoaster, Sound De-Zign, Sandra Flyn, Barthezz, and Dance Nation. CD

Sublime future jazz from Alex Attias – one of the key forces in the cosmic London scene of the 21st Century, stepping out here in a long-awaited full-length set that served up the full complement of his talents! As you'd expect from Alex, there's plenty of snapping beats and spacey keys on the set – an extrapolation of 70s funky jazz, into the spacier and headier realm that's been explored by Attias and the best of his contemporaries on recent singles. But over and above the high quality usual, there's also a farther-reaching set of rhythms and modes of expression going on here – as Alex uses the freedom of the full-length to work in modes that are sometimes subtler, sometimes more experimental – occasionally just grooving instrumentally, but also getting plenty of help from guest stars that include Vanessa Freeman, Jessica Lauren, Bembe Segue, Colonel Red, and Mark De Clive-Lowe. Tracks include "Help Me", "Closer To Me", "Future Jazz", "In The Jungle", "Back Home", "Everchanging Times", "Darker Side Of Light", "Angels", "Confusion", and "Transformation". CD

A nice little blend of Brazilian and club-styled grooves – done by this Bah Samba offshoot with a similar feel to Bah Samba's own work! There's a wonderful London-meets-Rio vibe running through the whole set – a love of real Brazilian music that gets past the mis-steps of so many other attempts in recent years – but which has that great London ability to expand upon the original with a whole new feel. There's nice bits of older funk and club sliding in and out of the mix – coming into play with Brazilian elements and instrumentation in a way that's almost like some of the recent work on Far Out. Titles include "O Ronco Da Cuica", "Elephant Man", "U Got Me Spinnin", "I'm Missing You", "Omeriah", "And It's Beautiful", "Mozza", and a cover of Roy Ayers' "Running Away". CD

A monumental piece of funk – and a record that came into the world at a time when it seemed like just about everyone had forgotten how to play real funky music! This set's the US version of the first album by London scenesters The Brand New Heavies – and although it came out in the states 2 years after the UK set, it's essentially the same record – just featuring new vocals by singer N'Dea Davenport in place of the original vocalist Jay Ella Ruth. Davenport's vocals transported the group from indie acid jazz obscurity into the US soul charts in a way that nobody ever expected – and the resulting album is a stone classic that's filled with excellent cuts like "Ride In The Sky", "Never Stop", "Dream Come True", and "Stay This Way". Great stuff all around – and one of the few classic soul albums of its generation! (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

A tremendous full length debut from ISoul8 – a record that's billed by Phil Asher in the notes as representing everything that was once soulful in house music – but which we think offers even more than that! The album's certainly got a housey feel overall – but the styles here aren't just straightforward club, and often show some of the more farther-reaching modes of the group's Sonar Kollektiv contemporaries. There's great keyboards, slightly complex rhythm patterns, and a way of coming at the groove that shows plenty of influence from the recent London scene – but also that deeper soulfulness that Asher refers to – a sense of depth that comes through especially on the vocals! Guests include Valerie Etienne, Osunlade, Just One, Diamondancer, Marcus Begg, Paul Randolph, and Kaidi Tatham – and titles include "Clover", "Give It Up", "So Simple", "Free", "How I Feel", "Just The Way I Like It", "No Longer Fear", "The Vow", "On My Heart", and "A Silent Force". CD

A brilliant meeting of the minds – one that features the coming together of some of the greatest talents on the current cosmic groove scene! Legends Of The Underground is a project spearheaded by Mark De Clive-Lowe, and featuring work from Domu, Seiji, and Bembe Segue – all of whom work with Mark in a set of blistering tunes that take the London sound of the past few years to the next level! There's an intensity and focus here that remind us of 4Hero at their Two Pages best – a sense of spacey jazz mixed with modern groove – all swirling to the skies on waves of power, life, joy, and energy. Vocals often have a floating, spiritual sort of quality – and the tunes dip and bubble nicely throughout. Titles include "The Divine Room", "The Gathering (parts 1 & 2)", "The Dark Room", "Anarchite City", and "Paradise Garden". CD

A collection of work from the "first phase" of Troubleman – singles, remixes, and rare tracks recorded over the past few years – assembled here together in a nicely cohesive album! The work's very much in the spirit of that on the other full Troubleman set for Far Out – spacey dancefloor jams that build on 70s fusion, modern broken beats, and some styles from Troubleman's contemporaries on the current London scene. There's a nicely stripped-down quality to a lot of these tracks that we like a lot – one that makes them a bit funkier than expected, as heavy beats and keys dance together in a celebration of groove! Titles include "The First Phase", "The Otherness", "The Switch", and "Intergalactic You Intergalactic Me" by Troubleman – plus "Stereo (Mark Pritchard rmx)" by Stereo People with Kirsty Hawkshaw and "Carambola (Mark Pritchard rmx)" by Azymuth. CD

Fantastic music from Sault – a record that explodes way past some of their previous releases, and really shows the group evolving in their sound – even if they are still keeping their cover art in the same very understated territory! There's a sense of urgency as the album begins – one that wasn't there a few records before, and which may well illustrate the increasing importance of Sault's mission at a cultural and political level – as they work with a blend of funky soul elements and much more cosmic-tinged execution – sometimes very slow and brooding, other times bursting with life to deliver their message! Titles include "Bitter Street", "You From London", "Light's In Your Hand", "Alcohol", "Haha", "London Gangs", "Trap Life", and "Fear". CD

More than a decade of work from Incognito, and Bluey's still going strong! The group here are picking up some of the 21st Century Soul touches of late 90s Talking Loud – but that's a great thing by us, as they forge together the warmth of their earlier tunes with the crisp freshness of the London scene of the future – hence the title, wethinks! Tracks include "Black Rain", "I Can See The Future", "Nights Over Egypt", "Wild & Peaceful", "Get Into My Groove", "Yesterday's Dream", and "It Ain't Easy". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

A sublime mix of tunes put together by Jazzanova to celebrate the 5th anniversary of their groundbreaking radio show – one that features 6 completely exclusive tunes, plus a wealth of other great bits from a variety of different artists! The vibe here is laidback and mellow, yet still plenty soulful – almost in the Secret Love territory explored by Jazzanova in earlier years, but with a fair bit more electricity overall, and a really global sort of consciousness in the soulful vocals on the tunes! Even when things get a bit abstract, they're still plenty funky – and there's a crisp, crackling sensibility that unites all the different tracks in the mix. 20 tracks in all – including "Just A Lil Lovin" by Jazzanova & Outlines, "In The Remix (Starship interpretation)" by Capital A, "Candlelight" by Wahoo, "Or At Least" by The Slapped Eyeballers, "Excelsior" by Ame, "Intermission" by Soulphiction, "Flashback (Jazzanova's mashed bag)" by Fat Freddy's Drop, "Skitsophrenic (part 2)" by Leroy & Darnell, "Nowhere (Atjazz Astro Black mix)" by Clara Hill, "My Vision (Dixon edit)" by Agora Rhythm, "Sun Of A Beach (London mix)" by Pharoah Roche, "Beatzeps" by Jaslopski, "Step Off" by Arken, "I Just Wanna Sing For You" by Norman Weeks & The Revelations, "So Long" by Nicola Kramer, and "No Memory Of Time (reggae version)" by Eva Be with Joe Dukie. CD

Not a slow burner, but a real cooker – served up here by a sweet London combo with a great mix of spiritual jazz and sweeter soul! Sean Khan leads the group, and plays some mighty sharp-edged alto and soprano sax – and other instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums – often used in ways that follow Khan's lead on the instrumental tracks – but with a smoother, warmer feel on some of the numbers that feature female vocals in the lead! These cuts have a soulfulness that takes us back to the best years of the London scene – and they really sound great next to the instrumental numbers, which have a sharper feel overall – making for an album that's got a much richer voice than usual for this type of set. Titles include "Fluxman", "Piny Annie", "What Is Jazz", "El Presidente", "Black Narcissus", and "Castro De Castro". CD

Soaring grooves from Sean McCabe – the artists' debut on the mostly-reissue Z Records, but a set that also puts him in the same sort of classic territory as his labelmates, the Sunburst Band! Sean's groove is filled with classic club touches, but is also a bit more contemporary – the warmest, most soulful side of the London scene – and at a level that we've not heard anyone do this well in a long long time – a set that takes us back to that magical time a decade or so ago, when London was really burning up our collection with wonderful records like this! There's plenty of echoes of The Rurals or Nathan Haines in the mix – and vocals are by a shifting array of singers, who glide across the keyboard-heavy grooves. Titles include "All Of The Above", "Everything's Alright", "Something About You", "Who's Foolin Who", "Love For Life", "Reach Out", "Back To Front", "Embrace You", "Somethin For Nothin", and "Tomorrow's Another Day". CD

The soulful second set from Quintessence – even better than their debut, and the kind of record that's sure to take the world by storm! The Finnish combo seem to have refined their sound even more – working in a cool, laidback groove that's got lots of sweet jazzy bits in the instrumentation – but which also comes across with an unabashedly strong crossover groove! Vocalist Emma Salokoski sounds especially lovely – singing in English with a really universal appeal – hardly what you'd expect from the icy north of Finland, and much more what we'd expect to hear from the London scene. Titles include "Delirious", "You Don't Care", "Burn On With A Bitter Flame", "Speciality", "Broken", "Dig Deeper", and "Friday". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD