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A classic set of spiritual fusion from this short-lived allstar group Compost – featuring Harold Vick, Bob Moses, Jumma Santos, and Jack DeJohnette! Vick's at his moody soulful best here, in a mode that's similar to his Strata East work – and the record also features occasional vocals by Lou Courtney and Jeanne Lee. They hit a fairy feverish, funky jazz mode throughout, and every player is in incredible form here. Titles include "The Ripper", "Moonsong", "Changing Streams", "Mon Cherry Popsicool", "Compost Festival", "Life Is Round", and "Buzzard Feathers".

Slinky pop from Marsmobil – tunes that bubble and bristle with a bit of downtempo energy, but which have a stronger focus overall – and some compelling female vocals sung in a breathy, laidback style! The album's a joint release from G-Stone and Compost – and it's got elements that echo the presence of both – some of the mellower, moodier funk of G-Stone, and a few of the more electronic and pop-styled modes used recently by Compost. There's a strong European crossover appeal to many of the tunes – somewhat clubby, but even better as electronic pop – with a stylistic link that almost goes back to French pop of the 60s and 70s. Titles include "Magnetizing", "Call Me", "Astralbody", "Supersonic Mind", "Je Suis Lache", "Mangia Amore", and "Neon".

A incredible little set of grooves that lit up early 80s Italian club scene – bubbling electro pop, pulsing post disco, and cosmic soul tunes compiled by DJ Mooner – a batch of nuggets originally spun in the famous Discoteca Cosmic! The tunes were all on the playlists during the heyday of that famous Italian club – a great mix of spacey, uncommonly warm synth grooves and cosmic funk featuring the Rah Band, Chocolate Star, Heaven 17 and more! Some of the most atmospheric club friendly grooves of the time! 11 tracks on the CD: "Electric Fling" by the Rah Band, "Mystery Man Remix" by Clive Stevens & Brainchild, "Dance On The Groove (And Do The Funk)" by Love International, "Crash (Monner's edit)" by Doctor S Cat, "I'm Your Money" by Heaven 17, "Basic" by Memory Control 1, "Oriental" by Peru, "This Is Me" by Chris & Cosey, "The Pop" by Chocolate Star and more.

Cosmic grooves and spacey post disco compiled by Dompteur Mooner – a great third volume of the Elaste series from Compost Records! The soul if disco splintered in the cosmos in the early 80s, soaring strings giving way to funky synths, proto-techno programming and all around galactic feel in the clubs of Europe and pretty much all around the world – and this set pulls together the widest range yet! Definitely not disco in a conventional set, but spacey synth funk and influential club grooves from the early 80s underground that sounds great today! Includes "Take A Chance (Dompteur Mooner Edit)" by Queen Samantha, "Urth" by Mobius, "Beats of Love" by Nacht Und Nebel, "Allein (Original Version)" by Tabu, "Beuys Boys" by Pollyester, "Jamacia Running" by The Pool, "Powerslide" by Mythos, "Africa (Dub Mix)" by Key Of Dreams and more. 14 tracks on the CD version.

As you might imagine, we're huge fans of any artist with Dusty in their name – but these guys have a really special sound we've been digging since their start! The record may well be the best we've heard so far from this cool German project – one rooted in the core contributions of Christoph Doepke, but which features loads of live guest instrumentation to really flesh out the sound – taking things into territory that includes a bit of Afro Funk, jazzy fusion, and Neo Soul – a nice sense of variety, but all without ever making the album sound too scattered or all over the map! Instead, Dusty has a great way of doing everything just the right way – with a solid vibe that almost takes us back to the best years of the Schema or Compost labels. Titles include "Mood Matters", "Danse Macabre", "Seventy Three", "Longing Lingers", "Cultura", "Mozafrique", "Colors Per Minute", and "Under The Same Drum".

Jazzanova upside down – a great little set that features rich reworkings of songs from their excellent Of All The Things album! The core album was probably the greatest thing Jazzanova had done to date – a richly soulful outing that featured some really incredible songwriting – perfect for vocals from singers like Jose James, Paul Randolph, Ben Westbeech, and Phonte – all of whom make appearances here. Yet this time around, the sound is taken back to Jazzanova's roots – that cool, clear style they first had back in their Compost and early Sonar Kollektiv days – a time when they were one of the most revolutionary acts on the European scene. The step backwards is actually a move forward as well – thanks to help from great collaborators throughout – in a lineup that features "Dance The Dance" remixed by Atjazz, "Little Bird" remixed by Alex Barck, "Let Me Show Ya" remixed by Henrik Schwarz, "Glow & Glare" remixed by Ame, "Lucky Girl" remixed by Neve Naïve, "Lie" remixed by Soldiers Of House, "Boom Clicky Boom Klack" remixed by Mr Scruff, and "Look What You're Doin To Me" remixed by Motor City Drum Ensemble.

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.

Japan's Globe Trotter crew hits the Munich scene – and comes back with a tasty little package of tracks from Compost Records! The set's a Japanese-only one, and features some really wonderful tunes from Compost – one of the best underground labels currently in business. Titles include "Snowblind (Zimpala rmx)" by Minus 8, "Different Place (Universal Funk rmx)" by Daniel Magg, "Lady Luck (Misa Negra rmx)" by Victor Davies, "Futuristic (Grand Unified House Not House rmx)" by Joseph Malik, "Light" by Wei Chi, "The Empiricist" by Ben Mono, "Universal Love" by Truby Trio with Marcus Begg, and "Let It Go (Rima house mix)" by Rima with Julie Dexter.

Digital music in a physical realm – a great little project that collects together a range of groundbreaking sounds from the online music scene – then puts them together in a well-presented compilation! The music here is all pretty darn fresh – a wicked batch of 21st Century soul, hip hop, nujazz, and more – all the sort that might have been issued on labels like Compost or Sonar Kollektiv a decade ago, but which hardly makes it on record these days! Yet thanks to the great efforts of Heavenly Sweetness, these grooves are getting some great exposure – almost like catching a great slice of Gilles Peterson's radio show. 2CD package features both volumes 1 & 2 – 29 titles that include "Drum Talking" by Mo Kolours, "Grandma" by Bobby Blunt, "Fall In Love" by Badbadnotgood, "Hold On" by KRTS, "Una Peripecia" by Buddy Sativa, "Journey Through My Mind" by Bug, "Conflict Of A Man" by Erimaj, "Kalimba Song" by Abjo, "Controlled Feelings" by Opolopo Voltage, "Where You Gone" by INT, "Journey To The Shore" by Dopegems, "Muscles" by Bonnie Banane, "Freak Out" by Natronix, "YBMJ" by Monkeyrobot, "Dealing" by Up High Collective, "Paintball" by Monster Sneaker, and "All Matter" by Modlee & Vlooper.

Incredible work from Nicola Conte – Schema records maestro making his Blue Note debut with this set – and giving the label one of their best new albums of the 21st Century! The record's quite different than Nicola's programmed dancefloor work for Schema – and is much more of an organic jazz-based session – with instrumentation by a wide arrangement of hip European jazzers (including Till Bronner and Rosario Giuliani!), plus sweet vocals from a variety of different singers! The groove is still very much in the Conte/Schema spirit – often in a loping modal approach to jazz, with a strong inspiration from the best European scenes of the late 60s and early 70s. The sound is wonderful – with players from the larger lineup playing in differing groups from track to track – showcasing instrumentation that includes vibes, flute, trombone, tenor, alto, and even a bit of guitar from Nicola himself. Vocalists include Bembe Segue, Lucia Minetti, Cristina Zavalloni, and Till Bronner – and titles include "Sea & Sand", "Nefertiti", "Wanin Moon", "A Time For Spring", "Kind Of Sunshine", "Aphrodite's Dream", "The Dharma Bums", "All Gone", "Le Depart", "The In Between", and "Several Shades Of Dawn". Imagine the best work of Schema or Compost done in an all-organic, all-natural mode – and you've got the beautiful sound of this set! This 2010 Schema special edition features the original album remastered, plus a bonus CD featuring the previously vinyl only "Bohemian's Dilemma" and "Waltz Of The Sirens", an alternate version of "Nefertiti", an extended version of "Kind Of Sunshine" and other great tracks – including the previously unreleased "Danubian", "Teardrop Painted Blue" and "Quiet Stars". An hour of bonus material in all!

Great jazzy grooves from the Quiet Nights Orchestra – the second set from the group, and every bit as wonderful as the first! There's wicked blend of modes going on here – a bit of modal jazz, some clubjazz rhythms, a touch of Schema groove, and also just a hint of older jazz modes too – all wrapped together with a youthful, vibrant energy that really makes the whole thing sparkle! If you've ever dug work on labels like Ricky Tick, Schema, or some of the best older Compost material, you'll find plenty here to love – and it's great to know that there's folks like Quiet Nights out there, still putting out grooves like this. Sofie Norling sings these beautiful vocals on a few tracks, but overall most of the set is instrumental – with a nice mix of trumpet, trombone, saxes, and even some vibes. Titles include "Waves", "When We Fly", "Movin", "The Path", "Dreaming", "One More Try", "He Is My Music", and "Falling For You".