Guru's second foray into the jazz/rap crossover world, with a huge amount of guest stars, and a little bit less of Guru. In parts, it actually seems to work better than the first one. Why? Because there's not as much of a forced effort to bring jazz and rap together in an obvious way, which leaves guests like Ramsey Lewis, Jamiroquai, Ronny Jordan, Donald Byrd, Kool Keith, Reuben Wilson, Bernard Purdie, and The Solsonics more room to do their thing. Includes "Lifesaver", "Looking Through The Darkness", " Respect The Architect", "Choice Of Weapons", "Count The Blessings", "Lost Souls", "Watch What You Say", and more. (Hip Hop, New Grooves) CD

The greatest DJ in the world spins live in a wonderful set of grooves that perfectly displays Petersen's huge rep as a genre-bending DJ! The set's similar to some of Peterson's other music mix compilations – in that it blows away any expectations you'd have about the way genres should be put together, running through a stunning mix that includes funk, dub, Brazilian, jazz, jungle, and a heck of a lot more. Sounds like a mess, but the magical Mr P makes everything come out sparkly white in the wash – which is why he's still numero uno in our book! Titles include "The Ghetto/El Barrio" by George Benson, "Slowly Surely" by Jill Scott, "El Capitalismo Foraneo" by Gotan Project, "All I Have In Me (Original Musiquarium Mix)" by Young Disciples, "Blue Mosque" by Don Rendell & Ian Carr, "Black Mary" by Pariss Clemons, "Respect" by Rotary Connection, "Waltz For Koop" by Koop, "Mystery Of Man" by Sarah Vaughan, and "Mind Of A Killer" by Polar. 24 tracks on 2CDs! (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD

Sault have always been fantastic, but it also seems that with each new release, they get even more powerful and progressive – opening up a more radical agenda that really comes through in their music! The group don't state their position with the title of the record – which is essentially untitled – but their message comes through loud and clear in the way the righteous lyrics mix perfectly with their spare, stark instrumentation – a range of rhythms that often make it hard to tie Sault to any one category or scene, but which also makes the record bristle with excitement – on titles that include "Don't Shoot Guns Down", "Wildfires", "Sorry Ain't Enough", "Black Is", "Stop Dem", "Hard Life", "Hold Me", "Only Synth In Church", "Why We Cry When We Die", and "Bow", which features a guest appearance from Michael Kiwanuka. CD

DJ Muro takes on a host of killer soul, funk, and jazz tracks from the deep deep EMI catalog – all in a mighty mix that's even more compelling than some of his other sets of this nature! The collection's filled with rare gems in a variety of genres – and Muro's definitely got the right sort of ear to mix things up perfectly – always with just the right sort of care to avoid crashing grooves together, unlocking some great musical combinations in the process! There's a few moments which are more Muro-mixed than others, but the core vibe of the tunes mostly shines through overall – on a massive set list that features 26 cuts that include "I'm In Love" by Nancy Wilson, "E-Carnival" by Tania Maria, "You're Welcome Stop On By" by Lou Donaldson, "A Little Bit Of Love" by Gentle Persuasion, "Think About Me" by Marlena Shaw, "Love The Way You Make Me Feel" by John Lee & Jerry Brown, "Family (live)" by Hubert Laws, "Why Can't We Be Friends" by Jacob Miller, "To See A Smile" by Ronnie Foster, "It's The Real Thing" by Monica Higgins, "Rhythm Rhapsody" by Ramona Brooks, and "Gift Wrap My Love" by The Reflections. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD