While most collaborations between hip hop producers and jazz players have been mediocre at best, neither really being able to get invloved enough in each other's music, this collaboration between Kondo and Krush is almost entirely successful. Kondo's played in just about every style from all out free jazz to hard bop, and Krush's spare and slightly abstract approach to both the turntables and with his beats creates just the right backdrop. We got open on "Ha Doh", "Sun Is Shining", "Fu Yu" and "Ki gen". 13 tracks in all. (Hip Hop, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

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A great entry in the world of Jackson 5 remix material – a hip set of Japanese work put together by Hiroshi Fujiwara & KUDO – with a nicely different vibe than previous efforts of this nature! The remixes have a slightly dubby quality, but are mostly focused around the familiar structure of the original tunes – nicely using mellow basslines and laidback Jamaican rhythms to add some really fresh flavors to the work of the Jacksons – in ways that are quite different than some of the other, more energetic remixes out there at the moment. Includes remixes of "We've Got A Good Thing Going", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Happy", "Love Song", "I Want You Back", "With A Child's Heart", "I'll Be There", and "All I Do Is Think Of You". (Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Mo Wax singles, from the label's heyday, or at least our favorite period, when they still had the Swifty graphics with the band down one side of the cover. Funky French club cuts, from the days just before Bob Sinclair and the Yellow Productions folks took it to the big time, with a heavy house influence showing, but a lot more going on here too, Latin beats and jazzy sensibilities as well as tough hip hop and break influenced funk showing up! 6 tracks: "La Doctoresse", "Motor Bass Get Phunked Up", "Suspense", "Ravers Suck Our Sound And Get F*ck", "357 Magnum Force" and "Blunt Konnection". LP, Vinyl record album

A really genre-transforming record from Thundercat – music that opened the door to a whole generation of experiments on both sides of the Atlantic in years to come! Flying Lotus is a key musical partner here, and the record moves effortlessly between soul and funk, jazz and cosmic currents – nodding at a few moments to hip hop and other contemporary styles, but always with that visionary approach that's made Thundercat such a force to reckon with over the years! And yes, there had been other attempts to hit this territory in the decade before – but this is one of the few records that really feels like it's getting the approach right, and moving the needle forward – thanks to tracks that include "We'll Die", "Tron Song", "Seven", "Oh Sheit It's X", "Without You", "Life Aquatic", "Tenfold", and "Heartbreaks + Setbacks". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic package of music that celebrates the 20 years of recording by Bugge Wesseltoft – easily one of the most compelling musical figures to emerge at the end of the 20th Century! Years back, we stocked Bugge in our New Grooves section, as he had a bit of a clubby electronic vibe – but over the years, he turned out to be not only a hell of a jazz musician, but also a budding minimalist too – a talent who completely transformed his sound, and also touched a generation of contemporaries with his strong sense of collaboration and musical stewardship! This package really showcases that legacy – and features work by artists who include Joshua Redman, Mari Boine, Erik Truffaz, Joaquin Claussell, Hakon Kornstad, Sidsel Endressen, and others – although the main focus is always Bugge's music at the core, and his incredible sense of sound and timing. The set features some old and out of print tracks, but also includes some new versions of older compositions, and a few unreleased tracks as well – making the whole thing way more than just a compilation, and instead another important addition to Bugge's catalog. Titles include "Sender", "Turner", "Breed It", "Mamullah", "You Might Say (new version)", "Yellow Is The Color", "Somewhere In Between", "Existence (new version)", "Hope (new version)", "Wy (new version)", "Kammermusik", "Den Fyrste Songen, "Try Out Here In There", and "Yoyk (new version)". (Jazz, New Grooves) CD

A killer compilation fo funky dancefloor tunes from England's ultra-hip Fluid Ounce label – bringing a wealth of previously pricey singles to a US market at nice low prices! Over the past few years, Fluid Ounce have raised more than a few eyebrows in the hipoisie with their unique approach to a groove, and their incredibly strong selection of artists with one ear for the classic, and another for the future of modern music. The 10 tracks on this set perfectly sum up what all the excitement's been about – and titles include "Come Party", "The Snare", and "Click" by Zero DB; "Nujazzkiller", "Harikiri Blues", and "Man From Atlantis" by Carmel; "Never Come Back" and "Mas Fuerte Que El Sol" by The Vogado Projects; "Turn Off The Lights" by Frank De Jojo; and "Future Vision" by John Kong & Moonstarr. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Ultraviolet, Amber, Rising Star, Mellow Trax, Ovation, Van Gott, Darude, V-One, Timo Mass, Kamaya Painters, Eyekon, Gee Moore, Blu Peter, and others – 40 trakcs total. CD

A Round Two KO from Timo Lassey – modern jazzy sounds with classic resonance from the Finnish saxophonist and his killer combo – featuring a couple of standout vocal numbers featuring Jose James and with sharp production by Teddy Rok! The group delivers timeless jazz with passion and verve – no mere revivalists here, this is a group that drives deeply grooving swing, bop, Latin jazz and other classic influences with contemporary swagger. Jose James is one of our favorite contemporary vocalists and he always exudes a jazz depth, but to hear him in a setting where can go all in with it is wonderful – but those numbers don't steal any fire from the instrumental grooves that are the heart & soul of the set. Tenor & baritone sax man Timo Lassey is backed alto Ari Jokelainen, the always excellent Jukka Eskola oin trumpet, Mikko Mustonen on trombone,Georgios Kontrafouris on keys, Antti Kotjonen on bass, Teppo Makynen on drums and Abdissa Assefa on percussion. Includes "The More I Look At You", "Shifting Winds", "Ya Dig", "Some Love", "Deeper Into", "Fooling Rosetta", "Backyard Puma" and "Buzz Beater Stomp". CD

A really genre-transforming record from Thundercat – music that opened the door to a whole generation of experiments on both sides of the Atlantic in years to come! Flying Lotus is a key musical partner here, and the record moves effortlessly between soul and funk, jazz and cosmic currents – nodding at a few moments to hip hop and other contemporary styles, but always with that visionary approach that's made Thundercat such a force to reckon with over the years! And yes, there had been other attempts to hit this territory in the decade before – but this is one of the few records that really feels like it's getting the approach right, and moving the needle forward – thanks to tracks that include "We'll Die", "Tron Song", "Seven", "Oh Sheit It's X", "Without You", "Life Aquatic", "Tenfold", and "Heartbreaks + Setbacks". LP, Vinyl record album

A selection of remixed groovers from Japan's Jafrosax – most of them pulled from now out of print singles that were all pretty darn expensive in the first place! Jafrosax have a style that's a bit like Sunaga T – mixing together older acoustic jazz elements with a clever dancefloor twist – sometimes hitting a style that's a bit more house oriented overall. The CD features 9 tracks in all, and titles include "In The Morning (Jazztronik reedit)" featuring Vikter Duplaix, "Going To The Sky (Kentaro Takizawa rmx)", "Just Like A Tiger's Eye (Manabu Iwamura 90s mix)" featuring Sana, "Drawn 2 U (Makoto rmx)", and "Rollin (Speedometer rmx)". CD