The sound of industry, circa 1969 Italy – which means that everything sounds a heck of a lot groovier than you might expect! Soundtrack genius Alessandro Alessandroni handled the album – and it's completely fantastic right from the very first note – nothing like an industrial album, nor even some of the peppier "industry themed" sound library sets of the European postwar theme – and instead, the music is full of jazzy elements and cool wordless vocals – especially those scatting styles you'd know from Alessandroni's work with I Cantori Modern! Tremendous throughout – and quite possibly one of the grooviest albums the composer has ever given us. Titles include "Moto Blues", "Dialogando", "Circolazione", "Basso Regime", "Vie Motrici", "Escursione", and "Numero Uno". CD

A cool contemporary set from Beirut producer Charif Megarbane – a set served up in a style he bills as "Lebrary" – which is a combination of Lebanese elements with a classic sound library aesthetic! The tunes here are short, funky, and colorful – and almost feel like some 70s studio take on expected Mid East musical modes – with the exotic and the groovy shaking hands in some very cool styles throughout! There's plenty of wonderful grooves on the record, with a nicely varied sense of instrumentation – and titles include "Shanklish", "Ma Ward", "Abou Boutros", "Chez Mounir", "Pas De Dialogue", "Soul El Ahad", "Tarator", "Ya Salam", "A Parking Lot By The Sea", and "Pale Baleine". (Global Grooves, Sound Library) CD

A mystical trip through the south seas – courtesy of Italian soundtrack composer Piero Umiliani, working here in a rare sound library setting! The tracks are moody and ethereal – with lots of spare percussion, and some dreamy island-type touches – like floating voices, isolated strings, and even a bit of moog, used to create some nice 70s exotica! There's one or two tracks that get harder-hitting, taking the percussion over the top with some snapping grooves – but most are in a 70s update of older exotica styles, including some of those that Piero might have used on some of his 60s soundtracks! Titles include "Tamburi Di Guerra", "Esorcismi", "Plenilunio", "Erbe Magiche", "Benvenuti All'Isola", "Canoe", "Sotto Le Palme", and "Pellegrinaggio Al Totem". CD

Legendary drummer Tullio De Piscopo is all by himself on the cover, and that's how he sounds on the record – just playing solo, but with amazing grooves that hardly make you miss the other instruments at all! Tullio's got a long legacy in both jazz and club music – yet this set may be one of his most unique, and one of the purest demonstrations of his talents as a musician – as he manages to serve up these solo tracks that are all rhythmic and very groovy, with a melodic command of the drum kit that fills in all the other elements you might miss – on tracks that move between classic hip hop break cuts, to Brazilian-inflected groovers, to some other rhythmic masterpieces that were certainly years ahead of their time back in 1974! Titles include "Afro Cubano", "Samba Carnival", "Rocking Special", "Afro Jazz", "7/4 Rock", "Fast Afro Samba", "Drum Fantasy", "Onda Nueva 3/4", "Moderato Swing", and "Dodiciottavi". (Jazz, Sound Library) CD