Stefano Cosi's the drummer at the core of the album, but he welcomes in a large array of guests, each of whom add in their own melodies and lyrics – in ways that make the album a very warmly collaborative record, maybe a lot more so than you might guess from the moody image on the cover! There's a jazzy vibe to much of the instrumentation – which includes plenty of keyboards, guitar, flute, tenor, and trumpet – and singers include Xantone Blacq, Chauncey Yearwood, Taite Imogen, Yah Supreme, and Yvonne Park – on titles that include "Bird On Fire", "Only Good Vibes", "Shine", "After The Butterflies", "Keep It Simple", and "Flower Child". LP, Vinyl record album

Four very kicking tracks hand-picked by Volcov – each nicely different, but equally great! Fred P steps in with "Time Well Spent" – a driving number with a great kick in the rhythms – followed by "Etius Motif" by Rest Symbol, a much more laidback, airy, and cosmic number! J707 follows with "Resonating" – a skittish groove that folds back nicely on itself with some very robotic keyboards – and the set ends with "Untitled (beat version)" by Patrice Scott, a tune that bubbles with all sorts of cool percolations! 12-inch, Vinyl record

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Excellent work from one of the most important production teams of recent times! Jazzanova have sharply defined the modern European taste for Brazilian and Latin-inflected grooves on the dancefloor – beginning in the mid 90s with work for the (then) new Compost Records imprint, and working up to present days with countless remix efforts for other artists. Sadly, Jazzanova have yet to cut an album of their own work – and this double-length set is probably the best full way to experience their rich talents. It features 20 tracks in all, many with a strong Brazilian or bossa flavor, and most with a tight dancefloor approach to jazz. Titles include "We Who Are Not As Others" by 4 Hero, "Soul Power" by Marcshmellows, "Carajillo" by Truby Trio, "Get Into My Groove" by Incognito, "Amazon Adventure" by Azymuth, "Words Of Love" by Soul Bossa Trio, "Welcome To The Party" by Har-You Percussion Group, "Planet Of Breaks" by Visit Venus, "Burnin" by Tate's Place, "Toda Tersafeira" by Soul Quality Quartet, "Circe" by Ursula Rucker, "Fifths" by Ski, and "Complete Life" by Liquid Lounge – all remixed by Jazzanova! CD

With Slick Rick on the Alchemist mix! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Fantastic music from Sault – a record that explodes way past some of their previous releases, and really shows the group evolving in their sound – even if they are still keeping their cover art in the same very understated territory! There's a sense of urgency as the album begins – one that wasn't there a few records before, and which may well illustrate the increasing importance of Sault's mission at a cultural and political level – as they work with a blend of funky soul elements and much more cosmic-tinged execution – sometimes very slow and brooding, other times bursting with life to deliver their message! Titles include "Bitter Street", "You From London", "Light's In Your Hand", "Alcohol", "Haha", "London Gangs", "Trap Life", and "Fear". CD

The great Roy Ayers joins Soul Society for this classic 90s set – a record that was really forging deep funk territory years before Daptone, Colemine, and all the contemporary labels got into the game! Soul Society's a German collective of musicians and singers with a great ear for 70s grooves, but who also do just the right job of updating the music too – and they wisely chose Roy Ayers' vibes to help shade in all sorts of great aspects of this albums – bringing Roy back from almost-retirement, at a time when most of the rest of the world wasn't giving him a chance to record! Titles include remakes of "Everybody Loves The Sunshine", "Funky Nassau", and "Smiling Faces" – plus "Feed Me Your Love", "Spaced Out", "Pusher", and "Money Mad". CD

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... LP, Vinyl record album

A shapely collection of glittering diamonds from the Tru Thoughts label – an entry in their excellent series of rare cuts, special remixes, and other gems – all issued here on vinyl for the first time! Titles include "Loveline (Jesse Fischer rmx)" by Space Captain, "Too High (Jam City rmx)" by Rhi, "Table For One" by Ego Ella May, "Listen" by Pices Of A Man, "Let Me Ride (Stro Elliot rmx)" by Sly5thAve, "ZBRA" by Nikitch & Kuna Maze, "Welcome To London" by Flowdan, "Them Changes (Magic Drum Orchestra rmx)" by Animanz, "Testimony (Letherette rmx)" by Anchorsong, "Message Beats" by Lightning Head, "Flinch/Quiver" by Werkha, and "Parade Skank (Blood Wine Or Honey rmx)" by Magic Drum Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty nice mix of tunes that falls under the retro lounge/bossa and acid jazz side of things – put together by the folks in 45 Dip, and featuring 2CDs worth of material groovy enough to make any party chill out with a solid soul vibe. The overall presentation is in that trendy Hed Kandi mode – but that also means that you're getting a good portion of semi-hit tunes at a nice low price, all in one sexy package. Titles include "What Do People Do All Day" by Aim, "Epoca" by Gotan Project, "Twilight Reservation" by Tim Love Lee, "Sweet Revenge" by Bobby Trafalgar, "Coming Out Of The Sky" by Space Hoppa, "Crazy Lounge" by Yasmine Tamara, "Beach Boy" by Disjam, "Tippy Tippy Toe" by Crackpot, "Green Tomatoes (wild turkey mix)" by 45 Dip, "East Side Story" by Soul Drummers, "Zambumba" by Zuco 103, "Carnaval Do Sao Vincente (LP mix)" by Cesaria Evora, and "Saturday Morning TV" by Sam Paglia. 29 tracks on 2CDs! CD