More beats than straight jazz, but pretty great overall – a set that really reminds us of that key 90s moment when real jazz instrumentation first started creeping into the work of beatmakers! Simon S is at the head of the project – handling most beats and instrumentation, often with a spare, soundscapey feel that really takes us back to the glorious early years of Mo Wax – or perhaps the initial glimmer of genius we heard from Kruder & Dorfmeister. There's a bit of guest vibes, sax, and flute at times – but most of the main jazzy bits are from keyboards and piano. Titles include "One For Joe", "Land", "Maybe", "Time For", "Bologna", "J Bounce", "CM Vibe", and "Thoughts Of You". CD

A wonderful collection of mellow soulful tunes – mostly modern, but with a warm electric sound that has its roots firmly in a 70s jazzy mode from labels like CTI or Kudu! The selection of tracks is excellent, and includes many singles that we'd overlooked in the past decade, plus a few older favorites that sound great amidst the mix of classy funk and jazzy chill tracks. This one's perfect to put on when coming home from the clubs – or for when you need to kick back instead of going out to them – and it's got a sophisticated urban feel that's rock solid all the way through. Even better than the first set, and with a few poppy gems that we're more than happy to enjoy in such company! Titles include "Retread Lightly" by Moss, "Vibes" by Kings Of Tomorrow, "Let The Music Play (Meedom & Trust Beach mix)" by Barry White, "The Usual Suspects" by Ben Mitchell, "Hurry To Me" by Roy Budd, "Dengeon (Larry Heard rmx)" by Richard Les Crees, "Inside Of You" by SR Smoothy, "Sunbear & The Orange Light" by Unforscene, "Leave Me" by De Fontaine, "All I Ever Wanted" by Bah Samba, "Jazz Funeral" by Joe Clausell & Chuck Perkins, "Rollin" by East West Connection, "Water" by USG featuring African Blues, and "Be Thankful For What You Got" by William De Vaughn. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD

Hard hitting funky 45 material – supposedly recorded by a "lost" funk group from the 70s, but actually the James Taylor Quartet playing under a different name! That little bit of name trickery doesn't stop the album from being a nice batch of funky jazz tracks, though – with lots of hard drums and nice organ solos in the lead, hitting hard like the best early work by the Taylor Quartet, but with a few nice 70s funk touches in the mix! Lots of nice tracks, including "Dream Waves", "On Or Off", "Green Screen", and "Smokin". (Deep Funk, New Grooves) CD