A cool cut with many different levels – or maybe "new levels" – a track that's based around a 70s sound library tune by the Modern Sound Quartet, reworked by Koralle, then given a hip hop spin by Illa J! The original version of "Chartreuse" is fantastic – a slow-stepping number that has all sorts of cool keyboards, watery guitar, and light orchestrations – all with a sublime mellow funk soundtrack vibe! (Funky 45's, New Grooves) 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the most fantastic albums in years from the mighty Kirk DeGiorgio – a set that draws upon 70s sound library influences as a way for Kirk to really unfurl some of the jazziest elements in his music! Way back when nobody was ever referencing jazz for club tracks, DeGiorgio was always very clear to share his inspirations – a long-running love of keyboard giants from the 70s, like Herbie Hancock and George Duke – but not in a way that sought to ape their sounds, but expand on the ideas they first brought into the world – which is definitely the case here! Some rhythms have a nice evolution past London broken beat modes, and the whole thing's got a wonderfully cosmic vibe – served up on tunes that include "Chicago Shift", "Watts Awakening", "Dayton Daydreams", "Khumunu", "Beth El", "Shinar", "Cincinnati Sunrise", "Harlem Homerun", and "The Oakland Feel". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that pays tribute to the glory days of European sound library music, and which is particularly heavy on modes from the early 80s – that point when library funk was stripped down a lot more from the fuller bands of the previous decade, and relied heavily on beats and keyboards! There's plenty of both here – and the tune are all instrumental, and have enough vibrancy to also allow room for solos from time to time – partly jazz, but mostly cinematic, and with a warmth that also shows a bit of an influence from fusion! Titles include "Skipass", "Voxon", "Studio 70", "Synthporn", "Blitz", "Redemption", and "Killing". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool little record – one that takes an older Italian sound library mode and reworks it with some of the contemporary flavor of the Schema label – but all with live instrumentation that's mighty nice all the way through! Lorenzo Morressi handles bass, guitar, and plenty of vintage keyboards – while Luicano Cantone plays live drums throughout, which gives the record a crisp crackle that might be missing if the pair worked with too many programmed rhythms, samples, or overdubs! There's also plenty of live instrumentation on the set too – including sublime flute lines from Tenderlonious, and electric piano from Giovanni Guerretti – on titles that include "Allegro Funerario", "Slalom", "Odeon", "Savana Urban", "Beta Erotica", "Sulla Strada Della Luna", and "Poste Presente". (Sound Library, New Grooves) CD

A really cool little record – one that takes an older Italian sound library mode and reworks it with some of the contemporary flavor of the Schema label – but all with live instrumentation that's mighty nice all the way through! Lorenzo Morressi handles bass, guitar, and plenty of vintage keyboards – while Luicano Cantone plays live drums throughout, which gives the record a crisp crackle that might be missing if the pair worked with too many programmed rhythms, samples, or overdubs! There's also plenty of live instrumentation on the set too – including sublime flute lines from Tenderlonious, and electric piano from Giovanni Guerretti – on titles that include "Allegro Funerario", "Slalom", "Odeon", "Savana Urban", "Beta Erotica", "Sulla Strada Della Luna", and "Poste Presente". (Sound Library, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Larry Manteca's the name of the group, not a single guy – and over the course of the past decade, they created all the wonderfully groovy instrumentals on this set – new recordings, but handled with a style that really goes back to Italian soundtrack and sound library gems from the past! The instrumentation features lots of great flute, played with a jazzy vibe that's sometimes exotic – a quality that's also echoed by the strong use of percussion in the group – sometimes in an earthy way, sometimes more in that 70s way when a conga might slide nicely right into a more electric groove! There's plenty of great organ and keyboards on the set – including the cool "marimba piano" – on titles that include "Tuareg Road", "Around The Island", "Love & Bones", "Hanuman", "Ritual", and "Zombie Mandingo". LP, Vinyl record album

Globe-trotting funky music from The Natural Yogurt Band – the group's second proper album – an even farther reaching and more perfectly executed blend of pulpy Sound Library styled jazz funk and all around playful grooves! The NYB is essentially a duo – Miles Newbold plays keys, vibes, flutes, percussion and effects– plus Wayne Fullwood plays drums and bass. The approach is instrumentals based (though both players contribute vocals when the rare duty calls), and while there's a playful groove throughout, it's seriously well done and never comes off as cheeky Sound Library homage or kitsch. It's as dexterously impressive as it is groovy and fun! Titles include "Weak Without Wine", "Invisible Ink", "Romance In Blue", "Horn", "Forever Drowning", "Eastern Outro", "Clocks", "Psalm", "Tweed Suit" and many more. (Deep Funk, New Grooves) CD

Damn! These guys just keep getting better and better with each new release – to the point where they're way more than just a combo dedicated to classic soundtrack modes – and instead have found a fuzzy funky space that's all their own! Both the instrumentation and rhythms are sharper than ever – very hard-hitting, on the rockier side of 70s sound library styles – and topped with some fierce guitar work that makes nearly every cut bristle with a newfound sense of power – matched by mighty sweet lines on keyboards that include Fender Rhodes, clavinet, mellotron, dulcitone, and eko tiger! Vocals are almost nonexistent – leaving the most room for instrumentals that ring out boldly – and titles include "You Filthy Bastards", "The Butcher's Bride", "Mescaline 6", "Stainless Steel", "Two Pills In The Pocket", and "Traitors". CD

There's a nicely cinematic image on the cover of this second album from Portishead – and the sound is very cinematic too – a real genre-setting standard for the kinds of new territory the group and some of their key contemporaries began to explore in the 90s! The overall style is a bit hard to define – far better than the simple moniker of downtempo might warrant – with a richer quality that shows that these guys weren't just making beats in their bedrooms! In fact, there's some key talent on board, in addition to the group – including a great contribution from Nick Ingman, who handles a lot of larger orchestrations, in a manner that comes from his many years in the British sound library scene. Strings, brass, percussion, and cinematic guitar all coalesce under the vocals of Beth Gibbons for the signature Portishead sound – on titles that include "Cowboys", "All Mine", "Mourning Air", "Only You", "Seven Months", "Western Eyes", "Udenied", and "Elysium". CD