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An amazing collection of electronic music from the German scene of the 70s – easily one of the most exciting, innovative musical worlds of the past century! There was really something special going on in Germany at the time – a confluence of hippie rockers, serious proggers, urban punks, and academic electronicians – all coming together to completely destroy previous (or current) generic conceptions – and make mindblowing music that's still more revolutionary than most sounds from decades to come! This fab second collection of German electronic rock from Soul Jazz digs even deeper than the first – and features a few famous names mixes with some even more important talents from the underground – all packaged together with the rich notes and historical detail that make their compilations so great. Titles include "Le Jardin" by Rodelius, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Base & Apex" by Eno, Moebius & Rodelius, "In A Sacred Manner"by Gila, "Himmelblau" by Wolfgang Reichmann, "Co Co Pino" by DAF, "Sun & Moon" by Michael Hoenig, "Emphasis" by Harald Grosskopf, "China" by Electric Sandwich, "Zeebrugge" by Asmus Tietchens, "Krautrock" by Faust, "Gibli" by Niagara, "Electric Day" by You, "Die Weisse Aim" by Sergius Golowin, "Danger Cruising" by Pyrolator, "Sundance Chant" by Gila, and "Als Hatt Ich Das Alles Schon Mal Gesehen" by AR & Machines.

An amazing collection of electronic music from the German scene of the 70s – easily one of the most exciting, innovative musical worlds of the past century! There was really something special going on in Germany at the time – a confluence of hippie rockers, serious proggers, urban punks, and academic electronicians – all coming together to completely destroy previous (or current) generic conceptions – and make mindblowing music that's still more revolutionary than most sounds from decades to come! This fab second collection of German electronic rock from Soul Jazz digs even deeper than the first – and features a few famous names mixes with some even more important talents from the underground – all packaged together with the rich notes and historical detail that make their compilations so great. Part 1 of the vinyl set features titles that include "Le Jardin" by Rodelius, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Base & Apex" by Eno, Moebius & Rodelius, "In A Sacred Manner"by Gila, "Himmelblau" by Wolfgang Reichmann, "Co Co Pino" by DAF, "Sun & Moon" by Michael Hoenig, and "Emphasis" by Harald Grosskopf.

Way more than just another "tribute" album – as this set doesn't feature cover versions or new recordings, but instead draws heavily on vintage work produced by the legendary Conny Plank! Although only partly a musician, Conny had a huge influence on the sound of Germany during the key prog, electronic, and post-punk years – thanks to his increasingly inventive work behind the board of the studio – and his unique ear for designing the studio itself! Plank's name is displayed prominently on some of the most important German albums of the time – and that legacy is paid tribute to wonderfully here – on the initial two CDs, which feature cuts that include "Silver Cloud" by La Dusseldorf, "Horprobe" by Arno Steffan, "Conditionierer" by Moebius & Plank, "Signal" by Phew, "Broken Head" by Eno Moebius Rodelius, "Leb Whol" by Neu, "Was Ziehst Du An" by DAF, "Eleanor Rigby" by Streetmark, and "Security Idiots" by Psychotic Tanks. Then, CD3 features bonus remixes of older classics – 9 more reworks and remixes of German electronic gems initially recorded by Plank! And CD4 features a rare live recording from Conny's minimal electronic years – a 1986 Mexico performance by Plank, Moebius, and Steffen!

A late 70s effort from James, perhaps not as all out funkdafied as the rest of that era's output, but not a total sleeper either, with a few pretty darn funky moments. Includes the tasty cut "If You Don't Give a Doggone About It", done with the JBs, one that has a nice choppy "Doin It To Death" sort of groove. Also includes "People Who Criticize", "Give Me Some Skin", and "Take Me Higher & Groove Me". James and Charles Sherrell (aka Sweet Charles) did the arrangements.

Cali mic veteran Planet Asia – paired up producer Gensu Dean! A tight, purposefully trend-skirting collaborative effort from a duo concerned with making high quality music that'll stand the test of time. Tracks include "Thoroughest", "Bar Mitzvah", "Chochise", "Faces O The Dollar", "Chuck Berry" feat Shawn Pen, "Listen", "Reflections", "Thyself" with David Banner & Tragedy Khadafi, "Do What I Want" with Larina & Washey Choir and more.

A rare "with strings" session for altoist Lee Konitz – recorded back in his great years with Verve, set to wonderful arrangements from a young Bill Russo! The style here is a bit darker and more spare than some of the other albums of this type from the time – and Russo brings plenty of somber tones to the record – not in a bad way, but in a style that lets Lee's horn be the most strongly redeeming feature of the session – often stepping forth in relatively unfettered mode, with many of the strings at the lower end of the sound spectrum. Titles include the extended "An Image Of Man", plus "What's New", "Blues For Our Children", "The Daffodil's Sake", and "Music For Alto Saxophone & Strings".

A wealth of electronic groovers from the early 80s onwards – mostly club cuts that are heavy on electro touches, presented here in hard-to-find mixes from 12" singles! The set begins with those early 80s grooves we love so much – the best Brit moments when electronics really started to hit the dancefloors in the post-punk years – on up through house tracks, 90s soul numbers, and a few more contemporary tracks. The remixes are offered up as a partner collection to the Electrospective compilation – and the set features 24 cuts that include "Penthouse & Pavement (original 12") by Heaven 17, "It's My Life (US mix)" by Talk Talk, "Talking Loud & Clear (extended)" by OMD, "Buffalo Stance (Kevin Saunderson's techno stance rmx)" by Neneh Cherry, "Water From A Vineleaf (acid bath mix)" by William Orbit, "Always (capella club rmx)" by Erasure, "Milkshake (Tom Neville rmx)" by Kelis, "Sound Of The Crowd (Extended Family voc mix)" by Human League, "Moskow Diskow (Carl Craig rmx)" by Telex, "Around The World (Kenlou mix)" by Daft Punk, and "Good Life (Mayday club mix)" by Inner Life.

A strong, well-assembled History Of Queensbridge – featuring rarities and freestyles from breakout hip hip superstars, blueprint era legends and longtime underground heavies alike – include Nas, Mobb Deep, Kool G Rap, Noreaga, Tragedi Khadafi, Cormega and more! Features MCs from Queensbridge proper and collabos with legends from elsewhere in and around NYC – and the titles include "Testaments" by Cormega, "Black Life" by Mobb Deep & ACD, ""Triple Threat" by Nas, Noreaga & Nature, "Holla Back To Dope" by Kool G Rap & Nas, "Freestyle S**t" by Cormega feat Busta Rhymes, "Real" by Tragedy Khadafi, 'Freestyle 1994" by Mobb Deep, "Gun Ring" by E Money Bags, "Thug Chronicles" by Kool G Rap & Havoc, "Betrayal" by Nature & Tragedy Khadafi and more. 20 tracks in all.

Unhh!! Studio One plus funk, what more need we say?! Coxsone Dodd and company get down with the get down, and in this case, that's some pretty good company, with Sound Dimension, Cedric Brooks, Jackie Mittoo, Pablove Black, Alton Ellis, Vin Gordon and a whole mess of the baddest cats in Jamaica weighing in on this heavyweight batch of bouncing funk jams. The Studio One family delivers the funk in all flavors, whether it's covers of the jams that were getting rumps shaking stateside like "Melting Pot", "Shaft", "Funky Broadway" or "It's A Shame", or funkdafied rubs of established Studio One riddims and blazing originals like "007", "Music Answer", "Steady Beat", "African Descendants" or "Another Thing". 19 mighty tracks in all, wrapped up in the nice, nice Soul Jazz packaging, you know and love!

Unhh!! Studio One plus funk, what more need we say?! Coxsone Dodd and company get down with the get down, and in this case, that's some pretty good company, with Sound Dimension, Cedric Brooks, Jackie Mittoo, Pablove Black, Alton Ellis, Vin Gordon and a whole mess of the baddest cats in Jamaica weighing in on this heavyweight batch of bouncing funk jams. The Studio One family delivers the funk in all flavors, whether it's covers of the jams that were getting rumps shaking stateside like "Melting Pot", "Shaft", "Funky Broadway" or "It's A Shame", or funkdafied rubs of established Studio One riddims and blazing originals like "007", "Music Answer", "Steady Beat", "African Descendants" or "Another Thing". 19 mighty tracks in all, wrapped up in the nice, nice Soul Jazz packaging, you know and love!

The track that introduced Daft Punk to a generation of 106th & Park viewers, "Touch It" is just about as great of a club banger as you're likely to hear, with monster Swizz Beats production.

Daft Punk have always worn their love of pop, disco, electro, soul and fusion pretty proudly on their robot sleeves – and bless 'em, they're paying more earnest tribute than ever before on Random Access Memories – featuring homages to and collaborations with Chic bassist/pop soul producer extraordinare Nile Rodgers, Italo disco pioneer Giorgio Morodor, soft rock genius Paul Williams and others! What a big, affectionate, timeless and lovable electronic pop record this is. It might not be the best of Daft Punk from the perspective of longtime fans of theirs, but it's certainly our favorite! Includes "Give Life Back To Music", "The Game Of Love", "Giorgio By Morodor", "Within", "Intstant Crush", "Lose Yourself To Dance", "Touch", "Get Lucky", "Beyond", "Motherboard", "Fragments Of Time", "Doin' It Right" and "Contact".

A masterful tribute from one bad cat to another – and easily one of Miles Davis' greatest electric albums ever! The album's got a powerful, epic sort of feel – a renewed focus after the looser style of Bitches Brew, and the 70s live albums – and one that mixes a deeper funky sound with the raw, exploratory style Davis had let loose a few years before. Michael Henderson's bass is a big part of the power of the record, and John McLaughlin's guitar has never sounded better, or sharper. Teo Macero made the whole thing magic in the studio, and titles include two sidelong funkdafied jams – "Right Off" and "Yesternow".

Incredible work from one of the most overlooked players of the British scene of the 60s – trumpeter Ian Hamer, best known for his studio sessions and large group apperances – heard here in an assortment of breathtaking small group recordings! The tunes on the 2CD set are from 5 different recordings between the years 1966 and 1974 – and feature Hamer working with players that include saxophonists Dick Morrissey, Tubby Hayes, and Alan Skidmore, plus pianists Harry South and Alan Branscombe, the latter of whom plays some electric keys on the set as well! Things start off in tight formation – almost a post-Tempo kind of British jazz groove, with strong ensemble passages that break out into some well spirited solo work – especially that of Morrissey, who's on these earliest sides. Then, things get more modern and progressive – as Hayes joins Hamer for three dates – on tracks that open up with the same exploratory and modern quality as Hayes' best work for Fontana in his later years. On the later dates, there's slight hints of some of the modes being explored in the Landsdowne scene – not that the music is actually progressive jazz, but that it grooves along with some more soul-based rhythms, and a sometimes freer sense of improvisation. And although the cover makes the music look to be of 50s Brit jazz vintage, there's an increasingly open sound here as the set moves on – offering a much needed look at a player that we never knew went this far! The set's got some great notes – and features 21 titles that include "Freakin Out", "Corpus", "Tobago", "Hamer-Philia", "This Is For Albert", "Daffodils Are Yellow", "Greenwell's Glory", "Mini Minor", "Acropolis", "Sienna Red", and "Conversations At Dawn".

Mostly produced by Jam Master Jay, with lots of growling, yelling and shouting: includes "Bacdafucup", "Bichasniguz", "Throw Ya Gunz", "Blac Vagina Finda", "Slam" and "Shifftee" – 18 cuts in all.

Two 70s jazz giants, three different recordings, all of them wonderful! The set's a perfect showcase for both the trumpet of Kenny Wheeler and tenor of Alan Skidmore – as the recordings, done with the Jazz Live Trio of pianist Klaus Koenig, offer plenty of space for each soloist to stretch out and really do their thing – most importantly in the sort of straighter jazz setting that wasn't always recorded at this point in each player's career. Wheeler begins the album on long takes of "Come Sunday" and "A Simple Toon" – then Skidmore really smokes on "Would Jubilee Vit" and "K & A Blues" – and the last tracks feature work by both soloists together, on "Ruby Doo" and "Red Daffodil".

Mariana Aydar's really blowing our mind since the last time we heard her on record – stepping forth here with her deepest, most complex material ever – an album as rich in sounds and styles as some of our favorite Brazilian material from the 70s! There's this confidence to the presentation that's completely genre-transcendent – that feel of making new musical space we loved in the Tropicalia era, and the MPB generation of the 70s – a mode that few other Brazilian singers, especially female ones, can match this well these days. The record speaks volumes on its own – so much so that we'd be daft to try to pin it down with just a few words – but we can definitely say that once you hang on for the ride, Mariana got plenty of places to take you through the course of the set. Titles include a great remake of "Nine Out Of Ten", plus "Galope Rasante", "Floresta", "A Saga Do Cavaleiro", "Solitude", "Vinheta Da Alegria", "Cavaleiro Selvagem", and "Porto".

A rare 1965 live set by Basie – with an unusual appearance by Clare Fischer on the track "Joao Bossa Nova"!

Hip hop production titan Large Professor – still at large and delivering the goods! Large Pro produces like the timelessly inventive figure we all know that he is – and he rocks the mic with a golden age-styled flow. Rob Swift contributes some scratches on the sharp opener "Keys To The City" and the record has guest production by Marco Polo on the title track – plus appearances by Grand Daddy IU & Mic Geronimo, Busta Rhymes, Tragedy Khadafi and more. Other tracks include "Unowhtmsayn", "Focused Up", "Happy Days R Here", "Professor @ Large", "Barber Shop Chop", "Mack Don Illz", "Kick Da Habit", "LP Surprise", "Back In Time", the posse cut closer "MARS" with Action Bronson, Cormega, Roc Marciano and Saigon and more.

A wealth of electronic groovers from the early 80s onwards – mostly club cuts that are heavy on electro touches, presented here in hard-to-find mixes from 12" singles! The set begins with those early 80s grooves we love so much – the best Brit moments when electronics really started to hit the dancefloors in the post-punk years – on up through house tracks, 90s soul numbers, and a few more contemporary tracks. The remixes are offered up as a partner collection to the Electrospective compilation – and the set features 11 cuts that include "It's My Life (US mix)" by Talk Talk, "Talking Loud & Clear (extended)" by OMD, "Buffalo Stance (Kevin Saunderson's techno stance rmx)" by Neneh Cherry, "Sound Of The Crowd (Extended Family voc mix)" by Human League, "Around The World (Kenlou mix)" by Daft Punk, and "Good Life (Mayday club mix)" by Inner Life.

Music by Walter Raim – with titles that include "Red Apple Juice", "Sing Out", "Seven Daffodils", "Writing On The Wall", and "Calumet City".