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Alex Attias has always given us some really creative sounds in his own music – so we've got some mighty high expectations when he brings together a selection of tracks by other artists for BBE! Fortunately, the record not only lives up to those expectations, but does them one better – by opening us up to some overlooked contemporary cuts that all have the cosmic touches of Attias' work on the London scene – then interweaving them with some older tracks that resonate even more strongly in the territory! There's some wonderful work from recent years that show just how far the best side of the broken beat legacy has evolved – and other older cuts have a cosmic vibe that's plenty righteous too, with some great jazzy currents that really deepen the vibe of the collection. Titles include "Midnight Magic" by Cro Magnon with Roy Ayers, "My Dream Came True" by Root Soul, "Cascade" by Tatham Mensah Lord & Ranks, "Do The Dance" by Grooveman Spot, "Over & Over" by Material with Nona Hendryx, "Curiosity (Zanzibar rmx)" by Nicole Willis, "Could You Be Me (Theo's SS translation)" by Kathy Kosins & Paul Randolph, "Earth Overshoot Day (Hugo LX rmx)" by Cotonete, "Party Hardy (Alex Attias edit)" by Velvet Hammer, "Her Boyfriend Assesses His Value & Pleads His Case" by Kip Hanrahan, and "It's You (disco alert mix)" by Sunaga T Experience. CD

Alex Attias has always given us some really creative sounds in his own music – so we've got some mighty high expectations when he brings together a selection of tracks by other artists for BBE! Fortunately, the record not only lives up to those expectations, but does them one better – by opening us up to some overlooked contemporary cuts that all have the cosmic touches of Attias' work on the London scene – then interweaving them with some older tracks that resonate even more strongly in the territory! There's some wonderful work from recent years that show just how far the best side of the broken beat legacy has evolved – and other older cuts have a cosmic vibe that's plenty righteous too, with some great jazzy currents that really deepen the vibe of the collection. Titles include "Midnight Magic" by Cro Magnon with Roy Ayers, "My Dream Came True" by Root Soul, "Cascade" by Tatham Mensah Lord & Ranks, "Do The Dance" by Grooveman Spot, "Over & Over" by Material with Nona Hendryx, "Curiosity (Zanzibar rmx)" by Nicole Willis, and "It's You (disco alert mix)" by Sunaga T Experience. LP, Vinyl record album

A really joyous collection of grooves selected by Alex Attias – work that's maybe even more uplifting than the first volume in this series – and we really liked that one a heck of a lot too! Most of the tracks are relatively contemporary – selected by Attias from the work of underground colleagues over the past few years – and they're put together in a way that's even more than the sum of their mighty parts – the kind of careful ear for a well-selected track list that reminds us of the sort of albums that made us first fall in love with the BBE label many years back! In a world of dark corners and uncertainty, this is a set that will help you find the way forward, and have a hell of a good time doing it – thanks to tracks that include "Gwotet (Alex Attias LillyGood Party edit)" by David Murray & The Gwo-Ka Masters with Pharoah Sanders, "Open Up Your Mind (Honeycomb voc mix)" by Universal Tongues feat Elle, "Star Child Going Home" by MJ Lallo, "Freedom Flight (Alex Attias LillyGood Party edit)" by Mausiki Scales, "Children Of The World (Ben Brophy edit)" by Elements Of Life feat Josh Milian, and "How Bad I Want Ya (GU peak tru time mix)" by Stacy Kidd with Peven Everett. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of grooves from around the globe – all the sorts of tracks that Guts plays in his legendary DJ sets overseas – music that's got a much more far-reaching vibe than some of the tracks he issues under his own name! Overall, the set's very much in the best spirit of the Heavenly Sweetness label – especially in the way that company brings together music from so many different times and scenes around the planet – music that's taken even further here in the rich array of tunes that Guts serves up! A number of tracks are contemporary, but there's definitely some classic global flavors going on too – and titles include "Saude" by Pupulies & Rebecca, "Aye" by Ngalah Oreyo", "Canette (Bosq rmx)" by Pat Kalla & Le Super Mojo, "Utammada" by Ismail & Sixu Toure, "Nzambi/Muadiakime" by Alcione, "Aye" by Ngalah Oreyo, "Pe Di Bissilon (Dam Swindle rmx)" by Bande Gamboa, "Mi Moin Mi Ou" by Jobby Valente, "Cumbia De Sal Y Azucar" by Chucho Pinto Y Sus Kassino, "Limye" by Violaaa, and "Yamona (Dam Swindle rmx)" by Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band. (Global Grooves, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

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Great work from one of the most important labels of the past few years – the groundbreaking Far Out imprint, known for its unique style of blending Brazilian and London grooves! The set features tracks from Far Out's oft-deleted singles series – hard to find 12" releases that often get only short release, and disappear much more quickly than the rest of the label's catalog. If you've missed some of these gems, or if you're like us, and sometimes prefer to put on a full album and save yourself flipping wax, the set's a great way to catch up – and probably introduce yourself to loads of great new music. Titles include "Khameleon" and "Second Future" by Difusion, "Ponteio" by Da Lata, "Colours" by Big Bang, "Smile" by Nature's Plan, "Strike Hard" by Trouble Man, "Brazil (Brazilian reprise)" by Democustico, "Faca De Conta (Roni Size rmx)" by Azymuth, "E Ruim/The Samba (4 Hero rmx)" by Grupo Batuque, and "Banzo Theme" by Banzo. CD

The classic sound of Funkadelic, reworked by a key selection of contemporary talents from the Detroit scene – but never in a way that wrecks the originals at all! Unlike other remix projects, which might break up the music to a point that you can hardly recognize the original grooves – this set does a wonderful job of maintaining all the integrity of the famous funky recordings by the group, while also letting some artists from the group's hometown also include a few of their own contributions too – all in ways that really expand the original vision of the music, while keeping things in a funky soul vein all the way through! Given all the greateness of Detroit grooves in recent years – from that city's very fertile underground of producers and musicians – the sound here is still even more amazing than we expected, and the album's a very fitting one to be issued on the Westbound label. The set's double-length, and for good reason too – and titles include "Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance mix)", "Sexy Ways (Recloose disco flip)", "Get Your Ass Off & Jam (Marcellus Pittman rmx)", "You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller mix)", "Super Stupid (Dirtbombs version)", "Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay voc mix)", "Cosmic Slop (Moodymann mix)", "Be My Beach (Mophono & Tom Thump)", "Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr edit)", "Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler @Ya mix)", "Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine edit)", "Looking Back At You (Ectomorph stripped & dubbed)", and "Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T Dancer rmx)". (Soul, New Grooves) CD

This is the new remix of Pierre Henry's famous funky electronic ballet from 1967. They've selected a wide range of artists to handle it, from the great Dimitri from Paris, to the popular Fatboy Slim, and the list includes other names like The Mighty Bop, William Orbit, Coldcut, and Funki Porcini. The sound varies, but there's some very nice moments that add a good bit to the original. Some of these cuts were floating around on expensive 12" singles before, and although this French issue isn't cheap, it's still a nice jam-packed selection of cuts, and has some great moments that bridge the history of electronica. (Out Sound, New Grooves) CD

Laidback soul and easygoing funk from the great Roche label – a selection of cuts in both English and French, all united with a very dreamy way of approaching the groove! A few tracks get a bit more upbeat, but even those are linked with the others in a style that has this cool production haze – a way of blending neo soul, hip hop, and even a bit of club – on tracks that include "Sois Pas Presse" by Enchantee Julia & Lossapardo, "Out Of Sight" by Tentendo & Taj Ralph, "Say What" by Flaurese & Kartell, "Double Takes" by Wantigga & Maydien, "Hide & Run" by Zimmer & Didi Han, and "U&I" by FKJ, Darius, Wayne Snow, and Crayon. (Neo Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

The Heavenly Sweetness label celebrates its first ten years in business – with a special birthday present of all-exclusive unreleased tracks! This set doesn't look back at the previous decade of the label, but instead points the way forward – with a wonderful selection of newly-recorded tracks by some of hte label's best artists – including some who've helped define their groove strongly in recent years, and some whose talents are soon to be presenting full length sets for the company! As with the previous ten years of records, the music here is a fantastic blend of new styles and global elements – some strands of soul, jazz, and hip hop influences – but often used in ways that are completely fresh and contemporary – at a level that's made Heavenly Sweetness one of our go-to labels for new and interesting sounds over the past decade. Titles include "You Party Too Much" by The Mule, "O Circo" by Cotonete", "Have A Little Faith" by Blundetto and Ken Boothe, "An Ba Galba" by Roger Raspail and Vincent Segal, "Tijan Ka (2017 version)" by Edmondy Krater and I Live, "Tijan (Hugh LX rmx)" by Edmondy Krater, "F*ck With The Police" by Florian Pellissier Quintet with Roger Raspail and Nawer, "Hip Hop Muse (Lefto rmx)" by Rongetz Foundation, "Be The River" by Anthony Joseph and Hanyo, and "Move In Silence" by Guts with Patrice, Feve, Djeuhdjoah, and Lieutenant Nicholson. LP, Vinyl record album

A selection of very cool cuts from a long-running party hosted by the mighty Mark De Clive-Lowe – an event that showcases all his rich love of sounds in jazz, soul, club, and other contemporary modes – delivered live as a very collaborative effort, in a style that's captured beautifully on this expanded CD! Mark's got a hand in all the cuts here, but he also opens the door to all the guests to really do their thing – including Tommaso Cappellato, Myele Manzanza, Stro Elliot, Kamau Daaood, Joy Jones, and Colectivo Arte & Manha – all artists who share Mark's genre-jumping cosmic vision! The tracks here are all different than the Ropeadope album with Church in the title – and cuts include "Mystic Brew", "ACHH", "Steps Ahead", "ESSS (Love The Space)", "Ancient Prophecy", "Montara", "Blueberries", "Atlantic Journey", and "Invocation". Also includes the Japanese-only bonus track "Ryugu Jo". CD

The classic sound of Funkadelic, reworked by a key selection of contemporary talents from the Detroit scene – but never in a way that wrecks the originals at all! Unlike other remix projects, which might break up the music to a point that you can hardly recognize the original grooves – this set does a wonderful job of maintaining all the integrity of the famous funky recordings by the group, while also letting some artists from the group's hometown also include a few of their own contributions too – all in ways that really expand the original vision of the music, while keeping things in a funky soul vein all the way through! Given all the greateness of Detroit grooves in recent years – from that city's very fertile underground of producers and musicians – the sound here is still even more amazing than we expected, and the album's a very fitting one to be issued on the Westbound label. The set's double-length, and for good reason too – and titles include "Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance mix)", "Sexy Ways (Recloose disco flip)", "Get Your Ass Off & Jam (Marcellus Pittman rmx)", "You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller mix)", "Super Stupid (Dirtbombs version)", "Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay voc mix)", "Cosmic Slop (Moodymann mix)", "Be My Beach (Mophono & Tom Thump)", "Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr edit)", "Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler @Ya mix)", "Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine edit)", "Looking Back At You (Ectomorph stripped & dubbed)", and "Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T Dancer rmx)". (Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A silly title, but a pretty nice album overall! This 2CD set features a cool selection of downtempo and retro-styled grooves from some of the hipper overseas labels of the past few years. There's a number of cuts on here by artists that we stock and love, but there's even more by artists we haven't – including some pretty cool groups that we were happy to discover. The package was selected by 45 Dip, and not only includes a number of their own tracks, but also has a feel that's pretty much in keeping with their own end of the musical spectrum – laidback, funky, with elements of classic instrumentation. Titles include "Gorgeous George", "Docking", "Something In Space", and "Va Va Voom (Space Lounge mix)" by 45 Dip, plus "Buddha Cowboy" by John Howard, "Mooger Fooger" by Bermuda Triangle, "She's Groovy" by Akasha, "In Spring" by Les Hommes, "Bubble Love" by Chunking, "Sea Of Change" by Broadway Project, "Angel" by Zohar, "One Day Trip In An Elevator" by Hand Polished, "Love Is Incredible" by Bastian, and "Party" by Sporto Kantes. 29 tracks in all! 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

The second and a half entry in the great Trip Do Brasil project – a selection of remixes, rarities, and live tracks pulled from the earlier sessions for the first two albums! As with those gems, the style here is Brazilian remixology – much more abstract than other projects of this nature, with the original Brazilian influences hidden fairly deeply in the wash of house rhythms, heavy beats, warm keyboards, and other modern dancefloor touches. Titles include "Tente Imaginar" by Larry Heard, "Obrigao (Live)" by The Deal, "2 Notes Samba" by Gekko, "Kotu Rete (kybo mix)" by Mental Remedy, "Todos Os Caminhos" by Doctor L with Lenine, "Search 4 Love" by Cam, "Bossanovitch" by Novo Navis, "Brazil.com" by Isolee remixed by Freaks, "Tiu Ba La Quieba" by The Boyz From Brazil remixed by WR, and "Ibis Vermelho (Ibis Frisco mix)" by Rom remixed by Ernest St Laurent. CD

Fantastic sounds from this ultra-cool project – music that's neither straight disco, nor really reggae – and instead a great dubby reworking of dancefloor modes from a few generations past! The range of material here comes a number of different settings – but is all worked together carefully with a very cohesive feel – thanks to a selection of like-minded artists and producers who've made this Disco Reggae project one of the better experiments of this nature in recent years! Most tunes are familiar numbers, but remade in this fresh new vision – and titles include "Tainted Love (Grandmagneto orig 7")" by Grandmagneto, "Watermelon Man (Taggy Matcher disco reggae mix)" by Taggy Matcher, "Sabadi (7 Samurai electro disco reggae mix)" by Lucas Arruda, "Stand On The World (7 Samurai electro dub mix)" by Joubert Singers, "I'll Do Anything For You (Mato reggae mix)" by Lee McDonald, and "Queen Of The Minstrels (Taggy Matcher disco reggae mix)" by Mr Day. LP, Vinyl record album

Modern tunes – but with a very classic groovy feel! Of all the Italian efforts to take an older lounge sound and update it for the modern dancefloor, the work of Nicola Conte and the Schema label has been some of the best. This 13 track set offers proof of Conte's genius – and offers up some sparkling groovers all graced with the careful selection you've come to expect from Conte's Fez Studio. Titles include "Meeting With His Majesty" by Theivery Corp, "The Hip Sheik" by The Karminsky Experience, "Funky Bikini" by Ursula 1000, "Arabesque" by Nicola Conte, "Girl On A Mission" by Les Hommes, "Whenever" by Les Gammas, "We Don't Need No Smurfs Here" by Cosmo Vitelli, and "Hi Fi Trumpet" by Stereo Action Unlimited. Very nice – especially if you've enjoyed other Schema modern releases, like Break N Bossa or the Soulstance album! CD

The second great batch of tracks from Chilli Funk Records – and like the first, a warm soulful selection of modern house tracks, with plenty of acoustic jazz in the mix, and a really strong sound all the way through. Titles include "Que Calor" by Soul Camp, "Kurage (daylight mix)" by Su Paka Pooh, "Mint Sauce" by East West Connection, "Surgical Spirit" by East West Connection, "Mundo Latino" by Ghetto Swing, "Never Lost Faith (deep mix)" by UC Heights with Anthony Flanagan, "Off & On (bush shuffle mix)" by Lacarno & Burns, "Waiting On The Corner" by Man Alive, and "Loca Blue" by DSL & Nate Juan. CD

London DJ Nik Weston put together this hip set of modern tracks – a 2CD selection of groovers that includes lots of singles we've stocked in the past few years, and a number of hard to find (and expensive!) Japanese titles! There's a total of 20 cuts in all – and titles include "Earth Is The Place" by Nathan Haines, "Spiritual War (Kaidi Tathham rmx)" by Fertile Ground, "Outside From The Inside" by Modaji, "Trash Da Junk" by Da One Away, "Buttamilk (Domu's Soya spread rmx)" by Oba Funke, "Spaces & Places" by Mitchell & Dewbury, "Going Down" by Joi, "Ladies" by Agent K, "Tempest (Atjazz rmx)" by Kabuki, "Meu Samba (Nicola Conte's Bossa Ahead rmx)" by Eli Goulart e Banda Do Mato, "It's You (Versione Tokyo Bossa)" by Sunaga't Experience, "Play Back" by Yukihiro Fukutomi, and "Bamboozled" by Watusi. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD

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

A mighty nice selection of tracks from the contemporary underground in Porto – work that's much warmer, acoustic, and jazz-based than you might guess from the image on the cover – and which, together, is so wonderful that we're thinking of booking a trip to Portugal, just to visit this scene in person! Many tracks have some sort of rhythm program, but they're almost all warmed up by live jazz solos in a variety of styles – and mixed with others that have more acoustic elements and a stronger acoustic presence too – which makes for a wonderfully soulful array of tracks, some of which have some resonance with work from the Brazilian scene as well. Titles include "Crazy Beat" by Hugo Danin & The New Vibe Sessions, "Kintsugi" by Bardino, "Leftwing" by Minus & MrDolly, "Magenta RK" by Johnny Virtus, "Out Of The Gate" by Sair, "Do Outro Lado Do Mar" by Pedro Ricardo, and "Red Cosmos" by Azar Azar. LP, Vinyl record album

Don Leisure is more of a producer and beatmaker than a jazzman – but he's got a very spiritual vibe here, thanks in part to very strong participation on the album from harpist Amanda Whiting – who brings in this amazing cosmic energy that's very similar to the vibe on her own great records! Most tunes have a mellow groove – laidback beats with harp from Amanda, and saxophone solos on three tracks, trumpet on one more – and two of the selections also feature excellent vocals from Deborah Jordan, the British soul singer we've dug for many years! There's a great blend of slow funk soundscapes and jazzy solos on the set – and titles include "Walk With Us", "Peace Of Mind", "The First Chant", "Just Be Free", "Crying Tiger", "Beyond The Midnight Sun", and "Third Bass". LP, Vinyl record album

Keyboardist Kamaal Williams has given us some great records under his own name – and here, he turns in a stunning set for the DJ Kicks series – a record that's overflowing with a mix of cosmic jazz, soul, and club from some of Kamaal's key contemporaries – mixed with a few great contributions of his own! All the criss-crossing of styles that we love in Williams own music is present in his selections on this set – and there's a majestic flow that really shows an understanding of all the changes in the underground during the past decade or so – as Kamaal takes us on a musical journey through its landscape of sound! Titles include "Hey There" by Steve Spacek, "Buggin Out" by Seiji, "Summer Madness SA" by Karriem Riggins, "Stuck (orig)" by Peven Everett, "Southern Freeez" by Freeez, "Ein Kola Bitte" by Ratgrave, "Peace & Love's Comin" by Phil Asher, "He's So Crazy" by Wbeeza, "Pregnant" by Awanto 3, "It's All In The Groove" by City People, "Lowrider" by Yussef Kamaal, "Nuts" by Dego, "Cause I Love You" by Diggs Duke, and the cuts "Strings (ATL)", "Snitches Brew (live)", and "Shinjuku (DJ Kicks)" by Kamaal Williams himself. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD