These guys just keep on getting better and better – and with an album like this, Reel People may well be one of our favorite current combos for the dancefloor! The sound here is wonderfully soulful – a style that draws from a legacy of grooves that stretches back to Stevie Wonder, but which has some of the leaner qualities of the British scene in the wake of groups like Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai! 70s influences abound, but they're never cliched, and used in just the right doses alongside some more contemporary rhythms on the bottom – and perhaps best of all, the set features vocals from a great range of guests – including Omar, Vanessa Freeman, Joy Rose, Darien, and Tony Momrelle. Titles include "Alibi", "Outta Love", "Amazing", "Rise & Fly", "High", "Ordinary Man", "Love Is Where You Are", and "Anything You Want". CD

We totally loved Reel People's Seven Ways To Wonder album – and this special remix set is equally great – a package of wonderful new versions that features work from a host of hip producers! The set has all the soulful spirit of the original album, but also takes off in some more spaciously soaring modes too – a mix of British cosmic touches and classic instrumental roots – both of which really show up in some of the mixes here! Vocals are by Omar, Tony Momrelle, and Tasita D'Mour – and titles include "Outta Love (4 Hero rmx)", "It Will Be (Kyoto Jazz Massive rmx)", "Love Is Where You Are (The Realm rmx)", "Alibi (Rasmus Faber rmx)", "Amazing (Jon Cutler's distant music mix)", "Upside (Bugz upside mix)", "Upside (Pete Kuszma rmx)", "Love Is Where You Are (Orto rmx)", and "Anything You Want (Domu rmx)". 12 tracks in all! CD

The Reel People collective is back in action, and maybe sounding even better than on their first Love album – thanks to a sublime array of guest vocalists – including Eric Roberson, Raheem DeVaughn, Chante Cann, Paula, Michael Champion, and others! The vibe is great – uplifting and positive, with a style that's a nice change from both mainstream soul and club – that special sort of vibe we've always loved from the sort of underground work like this – which seems to be harder and harder to find as the years go on! In a world of stray digital cuts, we're even more grateful than ever for a full length set like this – as Reel People definitely deliver the goods, on titles that include "I Never Knew", "Save A Lil Love", "Everything's So Crazy", "If I Was Your Man", "Fly", "Deja Vu", "Dance In Her Eyes", and "Vibe". CD

Kaidi Tatham takes on some of the best cuts from the Reel People label and makes them even better – adding all sorts of the jazzy keyboard work you might guess from the cover image, and definitely moving them into the territory of clubby fusion too! Almost all the cuts have a soulful singer in the lead – still kept to the forefront, as Tatham strips out some of the older elements, cleans up the cuts, and adds in lots of his own keyboards and rhythms – plus fresh bass and percussion too – all to really transform the tunes! Titles include Kaidi Tatham reworks of cuts that include "Pedigree" by Daz I Kue with Hadiya George, "All Of My Life" by Sebb Junior with Paula, "On The Road" by The Realm x Atjazz x Kelli Sae, "Fly" by Tony Momrelle, "I Want To Thank You" by Reel People with Mica Paris, "Don't Give Up" by Aaries, "Losin My Head" by Monkey Brothers with Shaun Escoffery, and "Save A Lil Love" by Reel People with Eric Roberson. LP, Vinyl record album

The duo of Phonte and Nicolay have been giving us great music for many years – and here, they serve up a special selection of their favorite tracks from recent years – all with the warm glow and soulful currents we've always loved from the Reel People label! The set features two Foreign Exchange tracks, mixed with a equally-wonderful assortment of gems from the contemporary soul underground – work that shows that there's always plenty to discover if you know where to look and listen. There's a fair bit of tracks here we'd never heard before – further proof of the magical ears of Foreign Exchange – and titles include "Close To You" by Art Nap, "Future" by Echelon The Seeker, "Without A Doubt" by Gwen Bunn, "Somebody In My World" by Muhsinah, "Just Whatcha Like (David Harness voc mix)" by Zo with Joie, "Good For Me" by Tamisha Waden, "Tonight We Ride" by DJ Spinna with Phonte, "Role Play" by Leron Thomas with Bilal, and the tracks "Shelter" and "Asking For A Friend (Stro Elliot's roller rink rework)" by Foreign Exchange. (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

A bold step forward for the team of Patrick Forge and Chris Franck – the first Da Lata album in years, and a real departure from the past! The group's still clearly inspired by older Brazilian tunes, but they've also opened their groove up to a much more global horizon – taking on influences from African and Caribbean sources, and working in a style that has a much more organic feel overall. Vocalists on the set include Jhelisa, Baaba Maal, Nina Miranda, and Mamani Keita – and the tracks are awash in some great instrumental touches that include accordion, acoustic guitar, timbales, bells, and tres – in addition to the group's usual mix of samples, keys, and beats! Titles include "Distracted Minds", "Something", "If U Don't Know", "Serious", "Breathe", "Reeling", "Firefly", "Nuts", and "Can It Be". CD

Miles Davis gets remixed and funked up for the hip hop generation – with surprisingly tasteful, even welcome head-nodding results – with appearances by Nas on a rhyme, and Carlos Santana on guitar – plus trumpet by Nas's pops Olu Dara – and loads of fresh remix grooves! If you're like us, you generally recoil a little bit at the thought of modern revisions of our heroes' legacies, but this short & sweet set does a fine job of incorporating modern funky drum programming, Rhodes, percussion – with both electric and acoustic elements & percussion that work very well with Miles' seductive groove. A nice surprise! Titles include "Freddie Freeloader" (previously unreleased outtake), "Freedom Jazz Dance (Evolution Of The Groove)" (remix) featuring rhymes by Nas, "It's About That Time" (remix) featuring Carlos Santana, "Honky Tonk" (remix) and "Black Satin" (remix). (Jazz, New Grooves) CD

The full scope of Reel People sounds – not just work by the core ensemble, but also material from Simon Grey, Renn, Choklate, BSTC, and others – all woven together in a rich rich tapestry of cosmic soul! The groove here is wonderful – that maturing of the spacey sounds that bubbled forth from London over a decade ago – pushed way past cliche, and only occasionally aimed at the dancefloor – leaving plenty of room for deeper soul on some of the cuts – and making us feel like we'd grabbed up an armful of expensive import singles, but all at one mighty nice price! Titles include "Sure", "Star", "Golden Lady", "80s Love", and "Tell Me Why" by Reel People – plus "Love It" by BSTC, "It's Hard" by Restless Soul Fun Band, "The Tea" by Choklate, "The Galactica Suite" by Simon Grey, and "Nights In Africa (Reel People's Afro Soul edit)" by Renn. CD