A monumental piece of funk – and a record that came into the world at a time when it seemed like just about everyone had forgotten how to play real funky music! This set's the US version of the first album by London scenesters The Brand New Heavies – and although it came out in the states 2 years after the UK set, it's essentially the same record – just featuring new vocals by singer N'Dea Davenport in place of the original vocalist Jay Ella Ruth. Davenport's vocals transported the group from indie acid jazz obscurity into the US soul charts in a way that nobody ever expected – and the resulting album is a stone classic that's filled with excellent cuts like "Ride In The Sky", "Never Stop", "Dream Come True", and "Stay This Way". Great stuff all around – and one of the few classic soul albums of its generation! (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

The group's no ensemble, but they're definitely analog – as the one-man combo Charif Megarbane handles a whole host of cool electric sources for the music – a mix of mellotron, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Farfisa, Moog, and other keys – mixed with an electric koto, flute, vibes, theremin, and field recordings too! There's also key use of acoustic guitar, which warms up and humanizes the sound wonderfully – as do the French vocals, which appear from time to time, and make the whole thing sparkle like some underground Parisian project from years back – almost building a bridge from the 70s Saravah scene forward to the music of Stereolab and Laetitia Sadier. The album's every bit as great as those two references would imply – and titles include "The Patterns Of A Hand", "Ainsi Souffle Le Vent", "Sens Dessus Dessous", "Passe Compose", "Les Orpailleurs", and "Octopolis". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that forever changed the role of the DJ and turntable when it was dropped on the world – certainly not the first record to feature an artist building sound out of a mixture of old records and his own creation, but definitely one of the most hyped and most exposed over the years! For some reason, Shadow was able to find a way to take all the skills that hip hop DJs had been developing for 20 years, mixing them with some of the darkness of the European production scene – and then getting a wider audience to really appreciate both his own talents, and all the other inspirations that drove him – something that still seems to resonate all these many years later, as Shadow opened the door for many others to appreciate all the sounds that we'd been loving in the underground! And despite all his later work, this classic full length set might still be his best – a well-deserved classic, with titles that include "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt", "The Number Song", "Changeling", "What Does Your Soul Look Like (pts 1 & 4)", "Mutual Slump", "Organ Donor", and "Midnight In A Perfect World". (Hip Hop, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever full length album from Jazzanova – and an instant classic that's been well worth the wait! For years, the group have turned out some of the most exciting singles and remixes on the international groove scene – and during all that time, they've been secretly storing away new ideas and musical thoughts for this groundbreaking debut album. The set's completely mindblowing – head and shoulders above anything else they've ever done, with a wealth of ideas and styles that we never thought them capable of. Working with a host of guest artists that include Vikter Duplaix, Capital A, Ursula Rucker, Rob Gallagher, Valerie Etienne, Dave Friedman, Doug Hammond, and others, they move far past their simple role as remix producers, and express a bold new vision – a 21st Century blend of jazz, soul, beats, and life that's impossibly hard to describe in a few short sentences. A stunner from the get-go – and shoulder-to-shoulder filled with great tracks! Titles include "No Use", "LOVE & You & I", "Fade Out", "Hanazono", "Mwela Mwela", "Keep Falling", "Cyclic", "Another New Day", "Place In Between", "Soon", "Sub Atlantic", "Glow & Glare", "Takes You Back (dub)", and "Wasted Time". CD