The second issue of this track, when MoWax picked it up and helped really put Air over as one of the leading lights of the new French beat movement. The original is a spacey, atmospheric trip hop classic, while notches the beat up a bit, but maintains the chill vibe, as does Cam, who drops a slightly harder, more hip hop influenced beat with some nice cuts over the top. CD

Includes music by St Germain, China Bear, DJ Vadim, Red Snapper, Jazzanova, DJ Cam, Llorca, Shawn Lee, Daedelus, Lyrics Born, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Koop, Roy Ayers, and more – 60 tracks total. CD

A dream come true! Someone at Blue Note is keeping their eyes and ears on the street and in the clubs – because here's another late model conceptual triumph – a remix project pairing current innovators in the club and hip hop underground with classic numbers from the label's vaults! The concept is simple; classic numbers are given to handpicked remixers, re-doers, and stylistic misfits best suited to re-work that particular number. Mo Wax maestros La Funk Mob open the set with a mellow, club soul tweak of Wayne Shorter's "Oriental Funk Song". Kenny Dope trips out Bobby Hutcherson's "La Malanga" into a bubbly club funk jam. "Kyoto Jazz Massive" completely re-work Eddie Henderson's "Kudu" into a wonderful number all their own. Perhaps the biggest triumph of all here is the consistency throughout; every artist attached brings their A-game (how could they do any less, given a chance to add their own elements to the some of the most influential numbers they could get their hands on?) Amazing, amazing stuff – whether it's the scratched up, hip hop flavor J Dilla brings to Jack McDuff's "Oblighetto" or the righteous electronic groove Jazzanova drops on Eddie Gale's "Song Of The Will", the minimalist, keys and beats drive Osunlade brings into Grant Green's "A Time To Remember". Every track sparkles! Other tracks include DJ Spinna/Donald Byrd "Lansanna's Priestess", 4 Hero/Horace Silver "Won't You Open Up Your Senses", DJ Cam & Erik Truffaz/Donald Byrd "The Emperor", Herbert/Michel Petrucciani "Caravan" and more! (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible meeting of the global underground – one that features work from Silent Poets remixed by some of the hippest talents of the European scene at the time! The original album is easily one of the best things the Poets ever did – really beautiful work that's mostly instrumental, and a unique blending of jazz, dub, bossa, and dancefloor elements – all with a freshness that still holds up a lot more strongly than the host of imitators that came up in the group's wake – almost made even better here with an additional range of sounds from the remixers! There's a wonderful blend of acoustic and electric elements that keeps things on edge throughout – and although a number of songs repeat, the mood of the mixes is quite varied, and really makes for a complex little record. Titles include "Stowing Away (DJ Cam rmx)", "Talk Is Toy (More Rockers dub plate mix)", "Stowing Air (Fila Brazilia rmx)", "Talk Is Toy (Skylab rmx inst)", "Subspecies (Silent Poets rmx)", "Talk Is Toy (DJ Cam rmx)", "Talk Is Toy (Smith & Mighty rmx)", and "Talk Is Toy (Up Bustle & Out rmx)". CD

One of the principal albums in trip hop's ascension into the mainstream, and the bright, extroverted flipside to Portishead's darker vision of the late 90s scene. Mo Wax honcho James Lavelle's longstanding Unkle project got a massive makeover when DJ Shadow became the prime sonic architect for the Psyence Fiction LP. Shadow throws everything but the kitchen sink into the thing, working with a wide range of vocalists and collaborators from hip hop innovators (Kool G Rap, Mike D) to whiny alternative rockers (Richard Ashcroft, Thom Yorke). With a project as busy as Unkle, the law of subjectivity pretty much dictates that you're gonna love parts, and hate parts – but Shadow was so on top of his game at the time, he somehow manages to hold it all together. It may not be his best ever work, but Psyence Fiction certainly holds up, and it's an essential piece of the puzzle! Tracks include "Main Title Theme", "Guns Blazing", "Blood Stain", "Unreal", "Chaos", "Rabbit In Your Headlights", Lonely Soul", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Essential! A hard to find compilation of seminal grooves, the long-out-of-print first volume to the legendary Headz compilation! This one blew everyone's mind back in the mid 90s, and it shaped the world of beathead production dratically for the next few years. Loads of great titles, including "Slipper Suite" by Palmskin Productions, "2000" by R.P.M., "In Flux (alternative interlude '93 version)" and "Lost & Found (SFL)" by DJ Shadow, "They Came In Peace" by Tranquility Bass, "Stars" by Nightmares On Wax, "Contemplating Jazz" by Attica Blues, "The Time Has Come" by UNKLE vs Major Force Orchestra, "Head West – Gunfight At The OK Corrall" by Howie B, "Destroy All Monsters" by Skull, "Lowride" by Autechre and 'Ravers Suck Our Sound" by La Funk Mob, plus a bunch of other smoked out trip hop grooves! (Hip Hop, New Grooves) CD

A stunning set of modern disco numbers from Bob Sinclar – the maestro of the Paris dancefloor! This album's Bob's third (in case you couldn't guess from the title!) – and it's an even more focused effort than before – filled with tightly grooving tracks that make the whole thing feel like finding a box of singles that have been lost in the back of a DJ booth since the early 80s! Lots of classic late 70s and early 80s sounds – especially those from the New York scene – and tracks feature some great lead vocals by Linda Lee Hopkins and Camille Lefort. Titles include "The Beat Goes On", "Nature Boy", "Who Needs Sleep Tonight", "Sexy Dancer", "Do It", "Metro Blanche", "Beat The Clock", "Europa", and "So High". CD

A very well-titled set – and the best so far in this cutting-edge series! The "beats and pieces" this time around are mostly underground club tracks from the past few years – the cream of the crop of the best bits that hit our New Grooves section, often served up in harder-to-find mixes that represent the best version of the tunes so far! There's no overall stylistic logic to the set, which is what makes it so great – as mellow soul steps into funky club, into spacey fusion, global house, 21st century groove, then dancefloor jazz! 2CD set features 22 tracks that include "Wake Up" by Herbert, "La Malanga (Kenny Dope rmx)" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Fall Into You" by Stateless, "Hot In Here" by Tiga with Jake Shears, "Take Off (Nicola Conte's Campi's Idea version)" by Nathan Haines and Marco Di Marco, "Bukom Mashie" by Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band, "Somebody New" by Georg Levin with Clara Hill, "Besides Myself" by DJ Shaheer Williams, "Timbuktu" by Pan African Electronic Beats, "Someone To Love" by Crusho, "Love & War (version)" by Amp Fiddler, "Forty Days" by Billy Brooks, and "Fall Into You" by Stateless. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD