(Rock, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

With Toro Y Moi. (Funky 45's, New Grooves) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Includes two sets mixed by Copyright, with tracks by Jada, Wookie, Lisa Millet, Warren Clarke, Louis Benedetti, Knee Deep, Audiowhores, Momo, Skwerl, and Terry Thompson – plus even more unmixed material on disc three! CD

A thick, two disc retrospective of all things Zen from Ninja Tune! The 32 tracks here pretty much stick to the Ninja Tune prototype of innovative turntablist and digital psychedelia that made the Ninja name – some of the better album tracks and singles by DJ Food, Coldcut, Amon Tobin, Mr. Scruff, Kid Koala, Herbaliser, DJ Vadim and others – plus a healthy batch of some of the more group-oriented, song based, or otherwise otherworldly cuts by labelmates like Jaga Jazzist, Cinematic Orchestra, Funki Porcini, Fog, Hexstatic and others. A pretty great little overview of one of the most innovative and successful labels of the last decade or so! Disc one: "Dark Lady" by DJ Food, "Bend Over" by Wagon Christ, "Skanky Panky" by Kid Koala, "Timber" by Coldcut, "Easy Muffin" by Amon Tobin, "All That You Give" by Cinematic Orchestra and lots more. Disc two: "More Beats & Pieces" by Coldcut, "Mr. Chombee Has The Flow" by Herbaliser, "Shrimp" by Mr. Scruff, "Lithuania" by Jaga Jazzist, "Purrfect" by Funki Porcini, "Something Wicked" by Herbaliser, and lots more! CD

A double disc CD & DVD package showcasing one of our favorite souful acts on the contemporary landscape – Nicolay & Phonte's brilliant and ever-evolving Foreign Exchange project! Dear Friends showcases an acoustic concert performed for a private audience –- the great touring lineup that includes Zo!, Sy Smith, and singer/songwriter Jeanne Jolly. From the get go, we've been impressed by both the original songwriting from Foreign Exchange as well as the way they filter diverse influences into their own unique vibe – and this acoustic setting really gets to the heart and soul of it. This is an essential document for fans of the group, but it's also a fine intro if you're just now coming aboard! The live set includes "Fight For Love", "All Roads", "Take Off The Blues", "Lose Your Way", "Greatest Weapon Of All Time", a nice cover of James Taylor's "Something In The Way She Moves", "Laughing At Your Plans", "Daykeeper", "House Of Cards", Zo!'s "Greatest Weapon Of All Time" and "I Wanna Know". Also includes 2 new studio tracks: "Steal Away" feat vocals by Jeanny Jolly and piano by Zo! and "All The Kisses" feat Amber & Paris Strother of KING. (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

Strong second album from Massive Attack! Protection sets the stage with stunning one-two punch of the title track and "Karmacoma" – 13+ minutes of flawless, hypnotic trip hop with a strong sense of moody soul, thanks in the always impeccable (to this point, anyway) production and all the more wonderful thanks to some strong guest vocals by Tracey Thorn. If the opening couple tracks set the bar a little to high to be sustained to the end, there's still a lot to love here, and the other titles include "Weather Storm", "Spying Glass", "Better Things", "Eurochild", "Sly", "Heat Miser" and "Light My Fire". CD

Massive mix put together by Dimitri From Paris – two CDs plus a bonus disc – featuring tracks by D Train, Grace Jones, Tortured Soul, Fat Larry's Band, Change, Stereo Mutants, Incognito, Gato Barbieri, India, Jafrosax, Sylvester, and more. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD

Jazz-meets-hip hop-meets-new grooves compilation put together by the folks at the Red Hot organization in the mid 90s. Titles include "Time Is Moving On" by Donald Byrd, Guru, and Ronny Jordan; "Stolen Moments" by United Future Organization; "This Is Madness" by The Last Poets & Pharoah Sanders; "The Scream" by US3 & Joshua Redman; "Trouble Don't Last Always" by Incognito, Carleen Anderson, & Ramsey Lewis; "Nocturnal Sunrise" by Me'Shell NdegeOcello & Herbie Hancock; "Proceed II" by The Roots & Roy Ayers, "Un Ange En Danger" by MC Solaar & Ron Carter, and "The Rubbers Song" by Pharcyde – plus a bonus disc with two versions of "A Love Supreme" and remix of Creator Has A Master Plan". CD

Raw, stripped down hip hop sample blues from Kid Koala – done on his trusty SP1200! It's unlike anything Koala's done to date, and unlike any of the more famous examples of a producer-DJ mining old school blues records. It's cool stuff – grainy, gritty and respectful of root materials – but creative enough to add some scratches and other head-nodding hip hop touches. 12 tracks in all: "1 Bit Blues" through "11 Bit Blues" – plus "Denouement". (Hip Hop, New Grooves) CD

Good EP from these guys – good in that it features less of the lame vocals and raps that wreck some of their records, and instead concentrates on some of their great instrumental sounds. Plus there's some nice remix work by folks like Nobukazu Takemura and Palm Skin Productions, both of whom ad some nice touches to the Silent Poets own brand of Japanese acid jazz. Tracks include "Going Home (original & Child's View mix (Nobukazu Takemura))", "Shalom (Palm Skin Production mix)", "Answer", "Elements", "Children Of The Future (Turnpike Blues mix)", "Reverse", and "La Vie (Morocan Mood mix)". CD

One of the best new Afro Funk albums we've heard in years – a tremendous effort from percussionist Lekan Babalola, served up with a full bonus disc of remix material! The core grooves here are a fair bit jazzier than most other efforts of this type – still with heavy percussion from Lekan, but also featuring beautiful sax and trumpet lines on most tracks – boldly stating themes, then stretching out in well-spirited solos that break the record past typical rhythmic conventions for this sort of set! There's also some really great electric keyboards on the record too – snaking out in the grooves to give them a nice little 70s touch – and really coming to the forefront on some of the remix work by Phil Asher, Bob Sinclar, IG Culture, and others! Main tracks include "Kabioye", "Aso Kere", "Oba Laye", "Oososi", "Oya", and "Ide Osun" – and remix tracks include "Oba Awon Oba (Afronaught vs Misa Negra vocal)", "Oya (Broken Beats Le Pico rmx)", "Aso Kere (IG Culture rmx)", "Kabioye (Mark De Clive-Lowe rmx)", "Kabioye (Phil Asher Restless Soul mix)", and "Elegba (Bob Sinclar remix)". (Global Grooves, New Grooves) CD