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The Brit hop flag wavers at Big Dada take a trip across the pond for this full length effort from Diplo -- renowned for his Hollertronix parties, and making a pretty strong statement here for work as an album-oriented artist (as opposed to his already proven skills on the mixtape scene). Dip keeps ...

Special limited pressing of this Unkle record that was Mo Wax's biggest press darling during 1998. Import pressing with a heavy thick cardboard cover that splits open in the middle to reveal a triptych of images, with a booklet inside each flap. This incarnation of Unkle is comprised of label ...

A cerebral and sweetly soulful instrumental excursion from Flying Lotus -- a headnodding journey that's as gratifying as anything we've heard from the Warp label in a long time! It's tough to get around a Prefuse comparison, especially given FL's masterful way of blending off kilter outeredge ...

Forward, indeed -- this this a big step up and some of the best work yet from TM Juke -- his debut for Ubiquity! On Forward, the crafty producer/arranger/DJ, pushes the laptop bits and broken beats a little further out to the fringes -- and focuses on the richer soul approach we love from his work ...

Old classics get the funky remake treatment -- in this super-hip second installment of one of Ubiquity's greatest series! The format is simple: old soul and funk classics, re-done in new versions by a host of global producers and DJs, with roots in scenes of hip hop, jazz funk, and electronica. ...

A great album from the new music side of Soul Jazz -- featuring work by New York-based Osunlade -- a house artist with a strong taste for classic Afro-Funk influences, which criss cross his work along with bits of classic Latin and Brazilian styles from the 70s. Osunlade's music is positive, ...

The beats have Super Smoky Soul all right -- but they're also loaded with atmospheric instrumental hip hop and headnodding funk! The Tokyo based production duo of Super Smoky Soul blend a solidly funky beat with off kilter samples, cosmic keys and layers of off kilter elements around the edges -- ...

Montreal's never predictable Ghislain Poirier's first full length for the venerable Ninja Tune -- with beats that cover diverse territory while still holding together as a tightly spun sound -- from tight, hard hitting club bounce, to stuttering synth hop -- with guest vocals from Fave-T, Abdominal ...

The genre stradling grooves of Zero dB's "Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines" LP -- taken to additional aural planes by remixers and guests including DJ Kentaro, Peter Kruder, Dave Da Gato and others! The sounds are pretty diverse without ever sacrificing a coherent clubby connectivity -- ...

Bumping beats and lots of electricity from Milez Benjamin -- a collaboration between beatmakers Gerd, Delgui, and Colonel Red! The work here has plenty of qualities you'd expect from the lineup -- a crackling approach to rhythm that's informed by hip hop, but which is usually a few steps to the ...

A really nice mini album from Kieren Hebden -- 4 long-ish tracks that are heavier in the electronics ambience than his recent jazzier work with Steve Reid -- but carries a similar sense of elegance and mood thanks to some more organic inspiration! We appreciated that Hebden is trying to move ...

The title's plenty right on this one -- because Belleruche make some really great soul music out of bits and beats assembled from turntables and guitar! The work here has a fresh, sharp-edged feel throughout -- very much in the best spirit of some of Belleruche's labelmates at Tru Thoughts -- ...

An incredible full length debut from vocalist Mario Biondi -- a jazz singer we'd rank right up there with the legendary Mark Murphy -- supported here with great backings from the High Five Quintet! The grooves here are in a soaring, tightly-stepping style -- very much the best club jazz mode of ...

Get ready to fall in love with a new bossa singer! The lovely Rosalia De Souza is a sweet-voiced vocalist with a sound that's very much in keeping with classic 60s work from Brazil -- and she's got the added benefit of working here with new arrangements from the great Nicola Conte, the guiding ...

Great stuff from the early days of the New York Giant Steps/8 Ball/acid jazz scene! Despite the title, most of the track have house music at the base -- but in keeping with the New York approach to acid jazz in the early 90s, most of the cuts are seasoned with a very healthy dose of real ...

Hip hardbop from this current Japanese combo -- one with a great ear for the sorts of 60s jazz we love on labels like Blue Note or Prestige! The group's less club jazz oriented than some of their contemporaries, and have an ear more for straighter jazz with a soulful feel -- played perfectly by a ...

It's been way too long since the last 4 Hero album -- but it's definitely been worth the wait, as they're even more focused and fabulous than before! There's a real "instant classic" feel to this record -- the kind of feeling that folks must have got when first buying Rotary Connection ...

Better days, indeed -- as the set takes us back to our favorite club sounds of the late 70s -- thanks to careful crafting from maestro Al Kent! The album's got a solid, soulful approach that's totally great -- a return to a time when making dance music involved a full range of instrumentation -- ...

Hint moves to Tru Thoughts from Ninja for this second set -- and he picks up a more soulful sound along the way! The set's still got some of the skittish, quirky beats of before -- but the overall style is a bit more solid too -- more song-based on the best tracks, in that hip blend of old soul ...

Man, these guys keep blowing our minds again and again with each new album -- stretching out even farther than before, yet still hanging on to all the best elements of their sound! This time around, Nostalgia 77 still have the bolder jazz style forged on their previous experimental recordings -- ...

An incredibly groovy entry in the Sambass series -- one that's overflowing with exclusive tracks you won't find anywhere else! As with other volumes -- and as you might guess from the title -- the groove here is a mixture of older Brazilian modes and more contemporary rhythms -- often not nearly ...

Remixes and rare tracks from the mighty Gerardo Frisina -- easily our second favorite Italian groover next to the mighty Nicola Conte! The set's a great counterpart to some of Frisina's other full albums on Schema -- because it not only presents a few previously unreleased tracks, it also offers ...

An incredible sampling of work from the contemporary LA underground -- all of it exclusive to this package, featuring great bits by artists who normally record for labels like Stones Throw, Ubiquity, and Plug Research -- all brought together as an incredible document of depth of the current scene! ...

Minimal electronics from Secondo (aka Radovan Scasascia) -- an artist with a really stripped-down sense of sound! These tunes are heavy in styles from earlier years of electronica -- analogue elements from the 60s, mixed with some of the spacier moments of the early 80s scene -- particularly the ...

A nice little remix EP of work from Hipnosis's Carrousel album -- featuring work by Diesler, Boris Carloff, Liquid Loop and Daniel Regenberg -- all of whom are good enough to leave plenty of the Hipnosis style of modern, club friendly modal jazz in the mix! Hipnosis has such a genuinely 70s jazz-ba ...

Funky classics -- remade! This set may well be the best in Ubiquity's excellent Rewind series -- a compilation collection that focuses on new versions of older funky tunes -- some of which are pulled from obscure recent singles and import recordings, others of which appear on this great set for ...

Soaring, soulful club from Fanatix -- one of the deepest dancefloor projects we've heard from the London scene in years -- a really collaborative effort that includes contributions from favorites like Shaun Escoffery, Lady Alma, Mark De Clive-Lowe, Sara Devine, and many others! The grooves are a ...

An amazing album from Build An Ark -- even more spiritual and far-reaching than their first -- and still with a vibe that rivals some of the most righteous jazz ever issued in the 70s on labels like Impulse and Strata East! The ensemble features both older and younger players -- coming together in ...

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 ...

Beautiful bossa groovers galore -- and one of the greatest entries so far in a series that never lets us down! Years back when Break N Bossa first started, the concept of older Brazilian modes and contemporary dancefloor rhythms was something of a new idea -- but over the years, with the help of ...

Crackling piano trio work from LTC -- a groovy Italian combo who burn things up nicely with this club jazz set for the Ricky Tick label! There's a tightness here that takes us back to some of the best European piano sets of the 60s -- influences from soul jazz, modal jazz, and a bit of bossa -- ...

Dense, oddly catchy glitch grooves from Daedelus -- ear candy and avant pop that's as instantly gratifying as anything we've heard from Daedelus! There's a number of guest vocalists on the record who do a really nice job with their parts, but the heart and soul of the record is the synth toned ...

The long-awaited full length assemblage of singles from Marc Mac's breezy, soul jazz-steeped hip hop groove project Visioneers -- a mesmerizing batch of reworked classic hip hop tunes that's well worth the wait! Dirty Old Hip Hop is far too humble a description for the rich material -- stuff based ...

A great entry in this always-welcome series from Tru Thoughts -- a package of 4 key tracks, some of which offer up a different feel than the original versions! Quantic Soul Orchestra soar out nicely with "Paintings & Journeys" -- done here in a version that's more extended than the ...

The greatest work to date from Jimi Tenor -- a set of tracks that really breaks from his earlier music, and transports him back to the righteous years of 70s soul jazz! Jimi's working here with the ultra-hip Kabu Kabu ensemble -- a large collective of players that includes horns from members of ...

Ammon Contact is Carlos Nino from Build An Ark and Fabian Ammon -- and this is their vehicle for nice minimal sample laced hip hop sounds -- with some live instruments laying down jazzy flourishes throughout. These tracks hold a theme and expand on their basic sounds almost in a dub fashion, with ...

Jazzy magic from the team of Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi -- a record that we'd rank right up there with the best recent work by Nicola Conte and Koop! Like both of those artists, these guys manage to bring a heck of a lot of real jazz into their grooves -- working with round acoustic bass ...

An amazing little set -- far greater even than the already-excellent first volume, and a treasure trove of modern dancefloor jazz that includes a fair bit of previously unissued numbers! The vibe here is very firmly in the Schema records old/new blend of jazz and grooves -- but it's also expanded ...

A contemporary take on the music of David Bowie -- some of his best songs, completely remade by a host of current talents! There's a nice sort of early 80s feel to most of the numbers here -- and in a way, the set almost reminds us of that great point when Bowie's own creative star was beginning ...

5 years' worth of music from one of the hippest imprints in 21st Century clubland -- Osunlade's always-great Yoruba Records label, home to some of his greatest work ever! Yoruba's got a sound that really tops most of its dancefloor contemporaries -- a soaring, spiritual approach to the groove that ...

A warm, wonderful set of tracks from LA production geniuses Carlos Nino and Fabian Ammon -- one that blends underground, leftfield hip hop and a soul jazz/funk steeped groove with an eclectic group of collaborators -- corralled into a consistently hypnotic whole! The sound leans on an astral hip ...

These guys keep on going strong with Brazilectro -- one of those compilation series that we should be suspicious of, but which always turns out to be better than we'd think! The real strength here is the choice of material -- some of the best bits from a variety of contemporary labels that we ...

This great series just keeps on getting better and better -- and we've got no problem saying that we really love this latest installment of Rewind! As with previous volumes, the focus here is on older tunes, redone by current artists of the global groove underground -- served up in a variety of ...

A near-lost set from the early days of the Schema label -- a unique blend of hip hop and jazz, all put together with a warm sound that's right in keeping with the Schema style! It's true that Schema's not usually the sort of source you'd look to for rhymes -- and in truth, the style here is ...

A soaring batch of boogie from the Sunburst Band -- the group's long-awaited second album, and just as incredible as the first! Dave Lee's really gone all out for this session -- dipping back into his classic references to feature vocals by older club singers that include Norma Jean and Lucy ...

Mindblowing work from IG Culture -- the summation of all our previous expectations in his music, cast forward into bold new territory! The set's got the depth and majesty of a 70s spiritual jazz session, but still also bristles with the crackling cosmic touches we first loved in IG's work -- a ...

You know, here in Chicago, when we think of a Stepper's Delight, a whole other category of music comes to mind, but then you might say the same thing if you were in Kingston, too! In east and south London of course, the dark throb of dubstep is what delights steppers from the early dusk hours on ...

A nice collection of modern beatcraft -- put together by Cinnaman and Jay Scarlett -- bumping set of digital funk and instrumental ear candy! The set includes work by Dimlite & Ill Dubio, Up Hygh, Morgan Spacek, Aardvarck and more -- plus our tracks by our 2 hosts -- and really go far beyond ...

The Latin Kick -- with a jazzy groove! Gerardo Frisina's long been one of our favorite talents on the international groove underground, and like his labelmate and sometime musical partner Nicola Conte, he's got a way of crafting tracks that are awash in classic jazz touches. Frisina himself is ...

A killer entry in Compost's ever influential series of club jazz and timeless grooves under the Future Sounds Of Jazz banner -- which is all the way up to the 11th volume -- and it's as fresh a selection as ever! Honestly, the sets just get better and better -- with exclusive tracks, remixes and ...