Mostly instrumental tracks from hip hop djs and producers including Rob Swift, Prince Paul, DXT, Invisible Scratch Pickles, Q-Bert, DJ Krush, New Kingdom, all overseen by Bill Laswell. Much better than your average Axiom stuff. Cover art by Rammellzee. 14 tracks in all, including "Reanimation" by Rob Swift, "ShinKi Row" by DJ Krush, "If 9 Was 6" by Prince Paul, "Invasion Of The Octopus People" by the Invisible Scratch Pickles and "Embryo" by DXT (formerly know as D. St). (Hip Hop, New Grooves) CD

A tremendous album from Two Banks Of Four – a group that features work from some of our favorite older members of the British scene – including singer Valerie Etienne, and musicians Chris Bowden and Ski Oakenfull! The album's got a really soaring, spacious feel – with jazzy roots that stretch back to groups like Kalima, and include Fertile Ground, but an overall sound that's very much in step with the current sound of the 21st Century London scene. The tunes are all incredibly soulful – driven by warm acoustic basslines and snapping snare percussion – and the album's got an overall feel that has a lot more real jazz playing than just beats and keys – something we approve of highly! Valerie Etienne's vocals have never sounded hipper – and titles include "Angel's Walk", "One Day", "Banks Of The Nile", "Blues For Brother", "Endless", and "Unclaimed". CD

8 tracks, including a couple of certified Chicago house classics, on this major compilation that took the Chicago club sound and delivered it to the masses: "Work It Out", "Cold World", "Love Baby", "I Can't Let Go", "Chain Of Fools", "Think!", "Drive Me" and "A Bit Of Jazz". Features Jackson & Moore, Jamie Principle and M Doc alongside Steve Silk Hurley. (Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible full length set from Amp Fiddler – and the kind of record that's well worth all the hype it's been getting! Think of this one as Stevie Wonder for the 21st Century – keyboards and vocals taking off in a rocketship for the future, yet packed to the brim with all the best influences from the past! The whole set's got an amazingly well-crafted sound that fuses older funk, future jazz, and cosmic soul into one unified vision that's sure to be one of the biggest influences on soul music for years to come. Tremendous stuff – and the kind of record that can only be best described by a listen. After 3 seconds, you'll be hooked – trust us! Titles include "Dreamin", "I Believe In You", "Soul Divine", "Love & War", "Eye To Eye", and "This Is How". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

The most truly jazz-based group on Norway's hip Jazzland label – a quintet of players that know how to push an avant garde solo into a groove, and vice versa! The album's free-thinking and quite striking – as some tracks crackle with the energy of an early Mingus record, filtered through the colder cooler approaches of the recent Norwegian scene. The lineup features lead tenor and soprano by Fredrik Ljungkvist, plus trumpet by Magnus Broo, piano by Havard Wiik, bass by Ingebrit Haker Flaten, and drums by Paal Nilssen Love. Titles include "Longing For Martin", "Do It", "Psalm", "Fifth Circle", "Krilons Resa", "Prayer", and "El Coto". CD

The genius of Nicola Conte gets the remix treatment – in this wonderful new album that steps off heavily from his massive Jet Sounds set of a few years ago! If you know Nicola, he's the wunderkind behind the Schema label – and, probably more than anyone in the world right now, one of the few producer/musicians who can really handle a retro-sounding groove. Conte's steeped in classic jazz, soundtracks, and bossa nova – all of which come into play in his music – and this set has him working with a host of able talents who help to take his unique creative vision even farther than before! US version features a slightly different track list than the European one – with titles that include "Arabesque (vocal version)" done by Micatone, "Forma 2000" reformed by Les Gammas, "Tema In Hi Fi" by Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella, "Jet Sounds" by Nuspirit Helsinki, "Bossa Per Due" by Thievery Corporation, "Fuoco Fatuo" by Koop, "New Standards" by Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella, "Love Me Till Sunday" by Nicola Conte, "Dossier Omega" redone by Espen Horne, "The In Samba" done by Kyoto Jazz Massive, "Missione A Bombay" by Eddy & Dus, and "Mambo De Los Dandies" by Gerardo Frisina. CD