An underground classic from the London scene – a record that was hugely important to us in the early days of Dusty Groove, and which is still completely tremendous all these many years later! At the time, the album was the sort of ambitious undertaking that nobody else would have done – pre-Cinematic Orchestra, pre-Nostalgia 77, pre-any of those other groups that were inspired by vintage soundtracks, David Axelrod, and all sorts of higher ideas in groovy music! Chris Bowden is a saxophonist at the core – and a jazz-based one too – but he works here with these incredible arrangements of his own creation, folding in both funky and fulfilling elements – heavy drums, percussion, and keyboards – but also some great string passages, and even surprisingly strong use of clarinet at times – creating these snakey elements that offset his own soulful lead. The album was a landmark at the time – even if it was missed by most of the planet – and it's still tremendously powerful throughout – with titles that include "Forbidden Fruit", "Natural Selection", "Deaf Out", "Telescopic Three", "Sane", "Angel Falls", "Solo", "Love Lies Bleeding", "Epsilon", and "Time Capsule". CD

One of the most beautiful records to come out of the early 70s – a tremendous indie effort from a young Weldon Irvine! Irvine put this album together as sort of a musical "time capsule" of his generation – an effort to capture the era's thoughts, feelings, and emotions through a mix of music, vocals, and a few spoken bits – all woven together in a way that changes moods nicely, but always keeps the same righteously spiritual vibe! Weldon plays keys that are both electric and acoustic throughout – and he's joined by a very hip batch of players who include Jimmy Owens, Lenny White, Alex Blake, George Cables, and others – all working here in a very rough-edged and soulful mode. Titles include the classic break track "Bananas", the sweet vocal number "Deja Vu",and the soul classic "Feelin' Mellow" – also covered by Fatback Band, but even better here in the original! Other tracks include "Soul Sisters", "Watergate Don't Bug Me", "Spontaneous Interaction", and "I Am". CD

A crowning achievement for the London scene – the CD debut of The Heritage Orchestra, easily one of the most far-reaching and ambitious groups to come out of the UK in years! As you'd guess from their name, the group mix together a larger instrumental approach with some tighter, more contemporary modes – fusing a large string section with jazz-based solo work on keyboards, saxes, trumpets, and a bit of vocals. Chris Bowden guests on 2 tracks on the record, and the feel here reminds us a lot of Bowden's classic Time Capsule album from a decade back – but with a depth that goes far beyond that record, and an emotional maturity that's really amazing! Given the scope of imagination here, it's no surprise that the group are one of the first to appear on Gilles Peterson's new Brownswood label – and given the quality of the record, they more than live up to Gilles' recommendation! Titles include versions of Bowden's "Mothers & Daughters Now Mothers" and "Ballad For Strings" – plus "Tell Me Stories", "D'Lin", "Sky Breaks", and "The 1890 Affair". CD

On Things Fall Apart ?uestlove, Black Thought, DJ Scratch, Rahzel and co. reinvigorated the scene with a Philly style soulful, melancholy groove that seemingly influenced the entirety of the NuSoul world – and it could even be argued that the Roots birthed that whole scene. Phrenology carries that torch, but it's so, SO much more, as the heady nature weighed the previous LP down in spots, and Phrenology is a sprawling exercise in expectation-busting perfection! "Rock You" kicks things off in explosive fashion, forgoing the laid back, yet angry soul backbone the group pioneered in hop hop, for a massive electro pulse pounding style – with Black Thought frenetically spitting confrontational wisdom until the synth unexpectedly dives into a short burst of live hardcore punk with "!!!!!!!" (we know what you're thinking, but trust us, it REALLY works). "Sacrifice" features a surprisingly effective chorus sung by Nelly Furtado, and other guest spots include Kweli heating up "Rolling With Heat", Ursula Rucker kicking some reverential poetry on "Waok (ay) Rollcall", and Musiq on the single "Break You Off". Other highlights include the late 80s Bomb Squad-like production on "Thought @ Work", the group's live instrumentation (and ?uestlove's always great trap work) and soul claps on tunes like "The Seed (2.0)", the epic "Water", and "Complexity" with Jill Scott. If you're solely of the 2 turntables and a mic camp you may want to head elsewhere, but if you've been anxiously awaiting the new Roots LP like we have, you'll be knocked straight on your arse, welled up with tears of joy. The best major label hip hop album of '02, and a beauty to go in the time capsule for future generations to learn, and mourn what they missed first hand. Amazing!!! Other tracks include "Quills", "Pussy Galore", and "Something In The Way Of Things (In Town)". CD

On Things Fall Apart ?uestlove, Black Thought, DJ Scratch, Rahzel and co. reinvigorated the scene with a Philly style soulful, melancholy groove that seemingly influenced the entirety of the NuSoul world – and it could even be argued that the Roots birthed that whole scene. Phrenology carries that torch, but it's so, SO much more, as the heady nature weighed the previous LP down in spots, and Phrenology is a sprawling exercise in expectation-busting perfection! "Rock You" kicks things off in explosive fashion, forgoing the laid back, yet angry soul backbone the group pioneered in hop hop, for a massive electro pulse pounding style – with Black Thought frenetically spitting confrontational wisdom until the synth unexpectedly dives into a short burst of live hardcore punk with "!!!!!!!" (we know what you're thinking, but trust us, it REALLY works). "Sacrifice" features a surprisingly effective chorus sung by Nelly Furtado, and other guest spots include Kweli heating up "Rolling With Heat", Ursula Rucker kicking some reverential poetry on "Waok (ay) Rollcall", and Musiq on the single "Break You Off". Other highlights include the late 80s Bomb Squad-like production on "Thought @ Work", the group's live instrumentation (and ?uestlove's always great trap work) and soul claps on tunes like "The Seed (2.0)", the epic "Water", and "Complexity" with Jill Scott. If you're solely of the 2 turntables and a mic camp you may want to head elsewhere, but if you've been anxiously awaiting the new Roots LP like we have, you'll be knocked straight on your arse, welled up with tears of joy. The best major label hip hop album of '02, and a beauty to go in the time capsule for future generations to learn, and mourn what they missed first hand. Amazing!!! Other tracks include "Quills", "Pussy Galore", and "Something In The Way Of Things (In Town)". CD