Beautiful stuff! This is a sparkling collection of modern lounge material – compiled by the folks at Stereo Deluxe from a host of different labels, all put together with a perfect vibe that's sure to satisfy fans of the old stuff as much as the new. Although most of this music was created in the past few years, it's filled with oodles of older elements – like bubbling Hammond organ, sweet Fender Rhodes piano, washes of soulful strings, and touches of bossa beats. More than just a slap-dash licensing effort, this is a wickedly conceived set with a strong feel throughout. Includes "Return Of The Coconut Groove" by Trio Eletrico, "Dis Poem" by Mutabaruka, "2ter Tag" by Siedg Der Liebe, "Reincarnation" by Pablo, "Elevator" by Jaffa, "Papdam" by Yonderboi, "Stories" by Airfix, "Ambrosia" by A Reminiscent Drive, and "Maria Quiet" by Astrud Gilberto. 15 tracks in all! CD

There's never been a better bit of pop throwaway dancefloor fodder ever! Sure, these guys were blaring out of every cheap radio at the time, and it was just about impossible to walk into a shopping mall without hearing "Groove Is In The Heart" for about 5 years after the album came out – but to us, that was a great thing, and the record represents one of the high points in pop music of the past few decades. Thanks to some skillful sampling by Towa Tei, the group were grounded in a rich history of funk, house, disco, soul, and Brazilian influences – all of which they managed to blend with a postmodern perfection that other groups could only ever dream of! The big hits are certainly very familiar, but the whole album's a delight – and tracks include "Who Was That?", "Smile On", "Try Me On . . . I'm Very You", "World Clique", "ESP", and "Good Beat". (Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

There's never been a better bit of throwback dancefloor fodder ever! Sure, these guys were blaring out of every cheap radio at the time, and it was just about impossible to walk into a shopping mall without hearing "Groove Is In The Heart" for about 5 years after the album came out – but to us, that was a great thing, and the record represents one of the high points in pop music of the past few decades. Thanks to some skillful sampling by Towa Tei, the group were grounded in a rich history of funk, house, disco, soul, and Brazilian influences – all of which they managed to blend with a postmodern perfection that other groups could only ever dream of! The big hits are certainly very familiar, but the whole album's a delight – and tracks include "Who Was That?", "Smile On", "Try Me On . . . I'm Very You", "World Clique", "ESP", and "Good Beat". This great expanded 2CD edition includes a full CD of remixes, too – 26 tracks in 2CDs! Given that the weird mixes and extrapolations of tunes by the group were such a big part of their larger sound, the extra material really helps get a full picture of the album's greatness! (Soul, New Grooves) CD

A killer classic from Moodymann, aka Kenny Dixon – a record that's perfectly in that new wave of Detroit sounds that helped push things past the early years of techno in the Motor City, while still holding onto the stark, spare sound that made the city such a different scene than Chicago! Tracks are nice and lean, and have a cosmic energy that's still as important now as it was back in the late 90s when Moodymann first dropped these tracks – future forward, with qualities that also resonate strongly with changes that were taking place in London – on mostly instrumental tracks that include "Mahogany Brown", "On The Run", "Sunshine", "Radio", "Joy Part 3", "Black Sunday", "Stoneodenjoe", and "Me & My Peoples Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant record from future groove beacon Mr Chop! Now billed simply as Chop, having chopped off the honorific title, the man otherwise known as Coz Littler delivers his tightest and most compelling work to date! His past few releases recast classic synth funk, Krautrock and spacey soundtrack grooves and electronic experimentalist influences into fresh soundscapes that are distinctly his own – which was plenty exhilarating, but a lot to take in all at the same time. The biggest difference on Illuminate is that he's now got all so finely-honed. Thick waves of Moog, modular atmospherics, vocoder and otherwise effected vocals – perfectly paired with live bass, guitar and positively killer drums, courtesy of frequent collaborator Malcolm Catto and others. Cosmic funk rock of the finest caliber! Includes "Building Blocks", "Illuminate All Voltages", "Picture Box", "Airhead", "Re-Program The man/Illuminist Garden", "Sleeper", "Feedback", "Rendevous", "Bow Down To The Mutant", "Arcane Future", "You Want More Life", "The Electronic Brain" and more. (Deep Funk, New Grooves) CD

Hard to believe it's been 20 years since the Far Out label first started making wonderful music – because their sounds are always so ahead of their time, it's as if they're still coming to us from the future! This wonderful 2CD set perfectly sums up all that's great about Far Out – their longstanding commitment to Brazilian music, their London-based ear for new styles of expression, and their way of reaching out to the globe with a vision that's continued to captivate listeners around the world for the past two decades! CD 1 features key Far Out cuts – including "Meu Samba Torto" by Clara Moreno, "Escape" by Marcos Valle, "Samba Da Silvia" by Joyce, "Brisa Mar" by Sabrina Malheiros, "Aos Pes Do Redentor" by Banda Black Rio with Caetano Veloso, "Ups & Downs" by Kirk Degiorgio, "Vagalume" by Democustico, and "Agua" by Nina & Chris. CD 2 features a huge mix of 27 tracks all handled by Spiritual South – including 11 numbers that appear here for the first time ever! (Brazil, New Grooves) 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