Really wonderful sounds from an overlooked sound library genius – and an artist who's also a great one to turn to if you want to hear the groovier side of the spectrum too! Rene Costy recorded these tracks on the 70s scene in Belgium – which is why he's probably not as well-exposed as sound library creators from the UK, France, and Italy – but that obscurity is also what makes some of these tracks so great – as the groovier numbers come across with a freshly bubbling feel that's very positive, and has the warmth of some of our favorite French soundtrack tunes from the 70s – and the darker tracks have an unusually sharp approach, but somehow while still sounding tuneful! Keyboards are the dominant instrument – and CD one features "grooves", which make up the biggest part of the collection – followed by a shorter array of darker tracks on the "scapes" of CD two. Titles include "Danger", "Ever Faithfull", "Cue Joe", "Automatisme", "Scrabble", "Longuest Night", "Country Dance", "From Time To Time", "Barbara's Dream", "Machinery", "Anxiety", and "Phantasmes". CD

One of the many things we love about keyboardist Greg Foat is that he's never willing to sit still – that he's always on the move into some new dimension of his music – so much so that it's very difficult to ever compare one of his records with another! This set's got a very keyboard-heavy approach – recorded with just drums from Morgan Simpson of Black Midi – and a style that's like some of the best tracks from that moment when the sound library scene went more electric at the end of the 70s – although in a way that still stretches out with the enigmatic depths of some of Foat's more ambitious projects! The album's full of wonderfully spacey lines and laidback grooves – on titles that include "Underwater Fantasy", "Tropical Love", "Arctic Cavern", "The Investigation", "Green Odyssey", "Riding Into Battel", "Subterranean Lake", and "World Of Tiers". (Jazz, Sound Library) LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare sound library gems – back to back on a funky 45! "Thoughtful Popper" moves a bit slow, but in a really great way – stepping with a mellow vibe from funky drums – while light flute, cello, and other instruments do some mighty great things over the top! "Chamber Pop" picks up the pace slightly, and still has some great funky drums – doing mighty nice things with the rhythms while some cool string work opens up in these warmly melodic ways! (Funky 45's, Sound Library) 7-inch, Vinyl record

You might know the music of keyboardist Tonu Naisso from his work in jazz, but here the approach is slightly different – still jazz-based, but with the more compact approach of vintage sound library work – as Tonu serves up a dozen great instrumentals, all with a range of excellent keyboard styles! The music's not canned, but performed by a live group – one that includes excellent saxes and flute from Markus Holkko, whose edges and inflections really open up the sound next to the electric work from the leader – given rhythms that are both cosmic and funky from Aleksi Heinola on drums and Temu Akerblom on bass. Titles include "Hello Sunshine", "Matsi Mari", "Dangerous Dance", "Cabrera Sundown", "Pacific Breeze", "Shapes & Colours", "Urban Life", and "Pocket Galaxy". (Jazz, Sound Library) LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet psychedelic set, but one with very mysterious origins – originally recorded as a sound library session, by a group that was really the better-known Nuova Idea! The album's definitely got a vibe that fits its sound library roots – all instrumental, with a bit less bravado than most psyche albums of this type – almost more of a focus on the rhythms, which stretch out strongly amidst the Hammond and guitar solos on the set. The whole thing's still pretty rockish, but also has a deeper sensitivity to the overall sound too – a quality that's partly due to production efforts of Giampiero Reverberi. Titles include "Easy", "Psycheground", "Traffic", "Ray", and "Tube". (Rock, Sound Library) CD

A long-overdue entry in this legendary series of compilations – one that taught us an awful lot about funky soundtrack music back in the day, finally back in action after a long hiatus! This time around, the groove has gotten even deeper – as the series has stretched to include some killer sound library material as well – really mixing together all the jazz, funk, and cinematic elements that were in the previous volumes – yet all with the hip Euro-styled groove that we loved in all of those releases too! There's a huge amount of funky nuggets here, but all with a vibe that's very different than 70s work from the US scene – and although we've missed the Easy Tempo series for many years, we're so glad to have them back – as they're still one of the best. Titles include "Take Me To New York" by Brooklyn Bridge Group, "Undertown" by Orchestra Mustang, "First Time Three" by Roberto Pregadio, "Angelus" by Soul's Soul, "African Flute" by Ninety, "Super Cat" by Les Chakachas, "Sunshine Train" by Hugh Bullen, "Un Uomo Che Lavora" by Carlo Cordara E I Waterloo, "Meeting" by Gino Marinaaci, and "Guida Sicura" by Enzo Scoppa. (Funky Compilations, Sound Library) CD

A long-overdue entry in this legendary series of compilations – one that taught us an awful lot about funky soundtrack music back in the day, finally back in action after a long hiatus! This time around, the groove has gotten even deeper – as the series has stretched to include some killer sound library material as well – really mixing together all the jazz, funk, and cinematic elements that were in the previous volumes – yet all with the hip Euro-styled groove that we loved in all of those releases too! There's a huge amount of funky nuggets here, but all with a vibe that's very different than 70s work from the US scene – and although we've missed the Easy Tempo series for many years, we're so glad to have them back – as they're still one of the best. Titles include "Take Me To New York" by Brooklyn Bridge Group, "Undertown" by Orchestra Mustang, "First Time Three" by Roberto Pregadio, "Angelus" by Soul's Soul, "African Flute" by Ninety, "Super Cat" by Les Chakachas, "Sunshine Train" by Hugh Bullen, "Un Uomo Che Lavora" by Carlo Cordara E I Waterloo, "Meeting" by Gino Marinaaci, and "Guida Sicura" by Enzo Scoppa. (Funky Compilations, Sound Library) LP, Vinyl record album