A really well-chosen set of classic Afro Funk records from Fela Kuti – hand-picked by Idris Elba, and brought together in this limited box set! Open & Close is an early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! Fela teams up with vibist Roy Ayers on Music Of Many Colors – one of the best soul collaborations ever – a whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Opposite People is seminal work from one of Fela's most crucial periods – recorded at a time when his soul was the deepest! The album features 2 long tracks – "Opposite People" and "Equalisation Of Trouser & Pant" – and they both have beautiful spooky keyboards in the instrumental passages, then leap into hard soul vocals by Fela. Tremendous stuff – done in a style that shows that no matter how many people cop or remake Fela's sound, he's still the best one to do it! The rare Stalemate album features the side-long tracks "Stalemate" and "Don't Worry About My Mouth" – both really hard-driving numbers, with a fantastic mix of vocals and grooves! Live In Amsterdam is an excellent live set from Fela – one that shows that he was still very capable of going over the top during the 80s! The set's a double LP – and it features 4 great numbers by the group, with Fela on soprano sax, piano, and organ, and plenty of other great work on tenor, alto, and trumpet. Titles include "Gimme Shit I Give You Shit", "Custom Check Point", "Movement Of The People", and "Political Statement Number 1". I Go Shout Plenty is a great one from Fela – with a date of 1986, but a sound that's pure late 70s! The record features 2 long tracks – "I Go Shout Plenty" and "Why Black Man Dey Suffer" – and they're both hard groovers with a strong political feel. "Why Black Man" is especially nice, and has some great keyboard riffing in the middle, with that great tinny sound that you'll hear on the best Fela albums. One that we almost never see – and issued on the Decca subsidiary Afrodisia. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best soul collaborations ever! Fela and Roy Ayers team up for this whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Long overdue! LP, Vinyl record album

Polygram's totally cool 2 CD anthology of some of Roy's best work for the label, featuring tracks that run from the early 70's through the early 80's, with such stellar cuts as "We Live In Brooklyn Baby", "Coffy is The Color", "Pretty Brown Skin", "Africa, Center Of The World", "Freaky Deaky", "2000 Black", "Vibrations", "Searching", "Gotta Find A Lover", "You Send Me", and lots lots more! 31 cuts in all, with a nice set of notes, and discographical information. CD

One of the best soul collaborations ever! Fela and Roy Ayers team up for this whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Long overdue! CD

Seminal work from the Art Ensemble of Chicago – recorded during their most creative period ever! The album was recorded live in October of 1969 – at a time when the group had pulled up roots and moved to France for a few years, bursting on the European scene with unique creativity that was not getting the recognition it deserved in their hometown of Chicago. The studio sets from this time are already the stuff of legend, and have thankfully made it back on reissue heavily the past few years – and this brilliant live set stands perfectly next to them – matching any of the LPs in the Great Black Music series on BYG/Actuel for sheer creative brilliance and soulful energy! Fontella Bass joins the group for a bit of vocals, and the 2CD set features 2 long tracks – "Bon Voyage" and "Oh Strange". CD

A rare bit of righteous jazz from the Cali scene of the 70s – a record that's much more obscure than some of the better-known efforts from the Bay Area and the LA scene, but which resonates strongly with all the power of those classics too! James Benson was an educator as much as he was a musician – yet here, he proves himself very strongly as a hell of a leader – blowing flutes, tenor, and soprano in a cool combo that also features the greats Cal Green and Roy Gaines on guitars, Ed Pratt on alto, Buffalo Williams on piano, and Ronnie Randall on drums! There's plenty of percussion on the record, including some congas by Big Black – and the set mixes rootsy rumblings with spiritual solos in a really great way. Sandra Meadows sings a bit on the set, and titles include "Malcolm IX", "Spring 2000", "Brother Don", "Song For My Black Mother", "Nigeria West Africa", and a nice remake of "Compared To What". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Black & Wild on "Loyalty" and Cardan and Missy Lou on "No Commitment". Production by Devante, Phat Noize, and Stevie J. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Pianist Satoko Fujii has a really unique touch on the piano here – free lines that are very much in a Cecil Taylor side of the spectrum, but also often handled with a much lighter approach – so that there's these fleeting, scattered sounds that keep exploding from the instrument – matched with all these equally light touches from Mark Dresser on bass and Jim Black on drums! There's definitely a lot of improvisation taking place, but you can also get the sense of a larger structure in Fujii's approach – one that's often painterly, even when abstract – a bit hard to put in words, but very striking throughout. Titles include "Oscillation", "Then I Met You", "The Way To Get There", and "Shake Up & Down". CD

The greatest DJ in the world spins live in a wonderful set of grooves that perfectly displays Petersen's huge rep as a genre-bending DJ! The set's similar to some of Peterson's other music mix compilations – in that it blows away any expectations you'd have about the way genres should be put together, running through a stunning mix that includes funk, dub, Brazilian, jazz, jungle, and a heck of a lot more. Sounds like a mess, but the magical Mr P makes everything come out sparkly white in the wash – which is why he's still numero uno in our book! Titles include "The Ghetto/El Barrio" by George Benson, "Slowly Surely" by Jill Scott, "El Capitalismo Foraneo" by Gotan Project, "All I Have In Me (Original Musiquarium Mix)" by Young Disciples, "Blue Mosque" by Don Rendell & Ian Carr, "Black Mary" by Pariss Clemons, "Respect" by Rotary Connection, "Waltz For Koop" by Koop, "Mystery Of Man" by Sarah Vaughan, and "Mind Of A Killer" by Polar. 24 tracks on 2CDs! CD

A rare bit of righteous jazz from the Cali scene of the 70s – a record that's much more obscure than some of the better-known efforts from the Bay Area and the LA scene, but which resonates strongly with all the power of those classics too! James Benson was an educator as much as he was a musician – yet here, he proves himself very strongly as a hell of a leader – blowing flutes, tenor, and soprano in a cool combo that also features the greats Cal Green and Roy Gaines on guitars, Ed Pratt on alto, Buffalo Williams on piano, and Ronnie Randall on drums! There's plenty of percussion on the record, including some congas by Big Black – and the set mixes rootsy rumblings with spiritual solos in a really great way. Sandra Meadows sings a bit on the set, and titles include "Malcolm IX", "Spring 2000", "Brother Don", "Song For My Black Mother", "Nigeria West Africa", and a nice remake of "Compared To What". LP, Vinyl record album

All hits and almost no misses – starting with "Oooh", easily the best single of the '00, featuring some nice quotes from classic hip hop tracks ranging from the Funky 4 + 1 to Mos Def, and some of Redman's best verses in a while. De La Soul basically started the whole skits-between-songs concept, or at least they perfected it, and (unlike too many other artists) here they get it right again – even the three hilarious "Ghostweed" skits featuring cameo appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, and Black Thought hold up to repeated listenings. Also includes "My Writes", "Thru Ya City", "All Good?", 'Words FromThe Chief Rocker" and the "Art Of Getting Jumped" – 17 tracks in all. CD

A beautiful set of modern club tracks – put together with a real emphasis on soulful grooves! Most of the tracks on the set have a strong deep house vibe going on – with warm instrumentation, soulful vocals, and solid songwriting with a real focus on the feel of the overall track, not just a few effects. This is no surprise, though, as the set's put together by Lofty & Dr Bob Jones, who did such great work with the East West Connection – and the pair of them dipped into a wide range of labels from around the globe, just to come up with the perfect sound. Titles include "I Know A Place (Shades Of Black mix)" by Jaymz Nylon feat Mooney, "Latin Soul (not so Latin Sonic Soul mix)" by Turnstyle Orchestra, "Ain't No Running Away (Ricanstruction voc mix)" by Willie Washington presents Paula Ralph, "Across The Universe (full story version)" by Chari Chari, "Never Lost Faith (original mix)" by UC Heights feat Anthony Flanagan, "Universal (part 2)" by Solar House, "Still Loving You (Jii Hoo mix)" by Midnight City Soul Affair, and "Lost Tribes Of Ibadan (orixas rmx)" by Sfere. 10 tracks in all! CD

All hits and almost no misses – starting with "Oooh", easily the best single of the '00, featuring some nice quotes from classic hip hop tracks ranging from the Funky 4 + 1 to Mos Def, and some of Redman's best verses in a while. De La Soul basically started the whole skits-between-songs concept, or at least they perfected it, and (unlike too many other artists) here they get it right again – even the three hilarious "Ghostweed" skits featuring cameo appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, and Black Thought hold up to repeated listenings. Also includes "My Writes", "Thru Ya City", "All Good?", 'Words FromThe Chief Rocker" and the "Art Of Getting Jumped" – 17 tracks in all. CD

Madlib's debut LP headlined by the flip of his split personality – the one-and-only weird and wacky sounding Quasimoto. Another Stones Throw hip hop classic, with Madlib producing and rhyming on the tracks, speakin about jazz, outerspace, and microphones. Tracks include "Bad Character", "Microphone Mathematics", "Good Morning Sunshine", "Low Class Conspiracy", "Put A Curse On You", "Astro Travellin", "Phony Game", "Astro Black", "Return Of The Loop Digga", "Basic Instinct", "Bluffin", "Boom Music", "Green Power", "24-7" featuring Medaphoar, and seven more. This new edition CD includes a bonus disc featuring the instrumentals! CD

Eleven tracks from Truby Trio, Beanfield, Syrup, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Les Gammas, A Forest Mighty Black, Procreation, Minus 8, Classen Collective, and Jazzanova. CD

Killer set of modern house tracks – put together by Stuart Patterson, the driving force behind Soulsonic, one of London's best house music nights of the past 10 years! Patterson's got a keen devotion to classic house grooves and modern tracks that draw deeply from the history of disco and boogie – and the package is a stunningly produced set of tasty club tracks that you'll be hard pressed to find on the original 12" singles. Includes Frankie Knuckles' classic "Only The Strong Survive", plus "The Path" by Sandy Riviera, "Lost In the Loft" by Weekender, "Felony Funk" by Swag, "Spread Love" by Black Sun, "Don't Go Lose It Baby" by Hugh Masekela, "Dis Poem" by Mutaburuka, "Your Love" by Terence Parker, "Grey" by Circulation, and "The Voice" by ATFC. Plus, the CD set features one CD of unmixed tracks, plus one bonus CD of mixed tracks! CD

All hits and almost no misses – starting with "Oooh", easily the best single of the '00, featuring some nice quotes from classic hip hop tracks ranging from the Funky 4 + 1 to Mos Def, and some of Redman's best verses in a while. De La Soul basically started the whole skits-between-songs concept, or at least they perfected it, and (unlike too many other artists) here they get it right again – even the three hilarious "Ghostweed" skits featuring cameo appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, and Black Thought hold up to repeated listenings. Also includes "My Writes", "Thru Ya City", "All Good?", 'Words FromThe Chief Rocker" and the "Art Of Getting Jumped" – 17 tracks in all. LP, Vinyl record album

Righteous roots work from the 80s scene – a set that's done with a warmly bubbling vibe that's mighty nice – maybe a bit more old school than so many other productions of the time, and given a really spacious mixing job, thanks to work from Prince Jammy and Scientist! Yet neither of those talents take things too far – just open up the edges of the sound to let the message of Phillip Frazer flow strongly – set to riffing guitar from Chinna Smith, punctuated by organ lines from Jah McKaya – on titles that include "Great Pain We Feel", "Children Of God", "Come Ethiopians", "Righteous Works", "2000 Years", and "Africa". This edition features bonus cuts – "Black Rose", "Ethiopians Dub", "John Saw Them Coming In Disco Style", and "Troubles In Disco Style". LP, Vinyl record album

Madlib is back with his split personality rhymesayin self, the one and only weird and wacky sounding Quasimoto. Another Stones Throw hip hop classic, with Madlib producing and rhyming on the tracks, speakin about jazz, outerspace, and microphones. Tracks include "Bad Character", "Microphone Mathematics", "Good Morning Sunshine", "Low Class Conspiracy", "Put A Curse On You", "Astro Travellin", "Phony Game", "Astro Black", "Return Of The Loop Digga", "Basic Instinct", "Bluffin", "Boom Music", "Green Power", "24-7" featuring Medaphoar, and seven more. LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo set that Dr Dre cut after leaving NWA – and a record that not only set the tone for his solo career, but also for a huge run of albums from other folks in the years to come! Dre's as much of a production genius as he is a frontman here – really pushing forward some of the best elements he brought to the music of NWA, and also providing a great showcase for the young Snoop Dogg too! And yes, there were so many other records that tried to hit this territory right afterwards, and ended up more in the realm of parody – but the doctor really stays ahead of the pack here throughout, with a record that holds up surprisingly well over the years. Titles include the cuts "F**k Wit Dre Day", "Let Me Ride", "Nuthin' But A G Thang", "Lil Ghetto Boy", "A N***a Witta Gun", "B!tches Ain't Sh!t", "The Chronic", "Deeez Nuts", and "Stranded On Death Row". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic little collection – a look at the way that sounds from the Caribbean changed over nicely when brought to the UK scene – where immigrants from former British territory really helped to transform the sound of London in the 70s! The music here is served up in a range of different styles – certainly reggae, but with plenty of funk and soul too, mixed with other elements from the islands – all brought into new play together when taken up in the UK! Right from the start, the English artists were starting to put their own spin on things – so the cuts within offer up all these great new directions – maybe even more surprises than you're used to finding on some of the other collections from the Soul Jazz label! The presentation of material is superb, and there's some very detailed notes as well – with cuts that include "No Time For Hello" by Harry Beckett, "Ooh Boy" by Sandra Reid, "Don't Call Us Immigrants" by Tabby Cat Kelly, "RK1" by The Terrorist, "Black Pride" by Brown Sugar, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Black Harmony, "Positive Vibrations" by Pebbles, "Love Money" by Funk Masters, "Ragga Trip" by Ragga Twins, "Be Thankful For What You've Got" by Winston Curtis, "Fug" by Cymande, "Sticks Man" by Black Slate, "Rising To The Top" by Dee Sharp, "Misty Winter" by Digital Mystikz, "Compelled" by Cosmic Irden, and "Still In Love" by Janet Kay & Alton Ellis, and "Java Bass" by Shut Up & Dance. CD

Hard to believe it's been 20 years since the Far Out label first started making wonderful music – because their sounds are always so ahead of their time, it's as if they're still coming to us from the future! This wonderful 2CD set perfectly sums up all that's great about Far Out – their longstanding commitment to Brazilian music, their London-based ear for new styles of expression, and their way of reaching out to the globe with a vision that's continued to captivate listeners around the world for the past two decades! CD 1 features key Far Out cuts – including "Meu Samba Torto" by Clara Moreno, "Escape" by Marcos Valle, "Samba Da Silvia" by Joyce, "Brisa Mar" by Sabrina Malheiros, "Aos Pes Do Redentor" by Banda Black Rio with Caetano Veloso, "Ups & Downs" by Kirk Degiorgio, "Vagalume" by Democustico, and "Agua" by Nina & Chris. CD 2 features a huge mix of 27 tracks all handled by Spiritual South – including 11 numbers that appear here for the first time ever! CD

Music from New York Dolls, The Red Button, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Dave Davies, The Fuzztones, Catfight!, The Flaming Sideburns, The Breakers, The Hives, The Model Rockets, and more. CD

A huge dip into the history of hip hop – in a set that's something of a groundbreaking effort from the folks at the Smithsonian! If we're honest, we'll tell you that we're old enough to remember a time when folks thought that hip hop was just a fad – when it was a musical style that would disappear in just a few short years. But now, all these many decades later, the form has had such an impact on American culture that the Smithsonian Institute is giving it some official sort of due – something we never would have believed back in the 80s! The package is huge – 9CDs with a whopping 129 tracks in all, and a 300 page book that supports the recordings with an insane amount of notes, photos, and all sorts of other information – alongside a track list that was put together by folks who include Questlove, 9th Wonder, Chuck D, Jeff Chang, and MC Lyte! The set is especially great on old school tracks up through the golden era hip hop years – but also moves into the 21st century too – and artists include Treacherous Three, Afrika Bambaataa, Fearless Four, Cold Crush Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Run DMC, Fatback, Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Funky Four +1, T La Rock, Schoolly D, Beastie Boys, Kool Moe Dee, LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, Mantronix, Stetsasonic, Audio Two, Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, Marley Marl, Tone Loc, Jungle Brothers, NWA, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, 3rd Bass, De La Soul, Queen Latifa, DOC, 2 Live Crew, Dr Dre, Sir Mix A Lot, Digable Planets, Positive K, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Naughty By Nature, Black Sheep, Tribe Called Quest, Geto Boys, Pharcyde, 2Pac, Warren G, Gang Starr, Notorious BIG, and many many more! CD

The soundtrack to This Is It – the celebratory release of the King Of Pop's rehearsal footage from the days before his untimely death – which also serves as sort of a best of Michael's years at Epic/Sony! It does a fine job of touching on the each of the diverse styles Michael handled in his Epic years, the pioneering guitar accented pop soul magic to the more tender numbers, but, the boon for This Is It is the title track. It's a previously unreleased number with backing harmonies by the Jackson's, a fairly gentle and memorable tune, plus some disc 2 demos. Titles include "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Jam", "They Don't Care About Us", "Human Nature", "Smooth Criminal", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Beat It", "Black Or White", "Earth Song", "Billie Jean", "Man In The Mirror" and "This Is It" (main and orchestra version). Disc 2 includes demos for "She's Out Of My Life", "Wanna Be Startin Somethin" and a "poem" version of "Planet Earth". CD

Volumes 1-3 in Tompkins Square's masterful compilations of both rare vintage and the deepest modern acoustic guitar folk experimental instrumentals – in a single package that's a perfect intro to the series if you're like us and late to get in on it! The material is in the Takoma Records realm of adventurous, genre melding (or skirting) greatness – stunning stuff that blends older recordings by masters both iconic and obscure, newer recordings by pivotal figures, and modern work by younger artists that are just as awe inspiring, and the mix of old and new is seamless! Volume 1 includes "Imaginational Anthem" by Max Ochs, "Bouba's Bounce" by Brad Barr, "White Mule III" by Jack Rose, "Untitled" by Sandy Bull, "O Holy Night" by John Fahey and more. Volume 2 includes "River Of Heaven By James Blackshaw, "Future Shot At Life" by Peter Lang, "Leaving The Apple" by Michael Chapman and more. Volume 3 includes "Zocalo" by Richard Crandell, "Sleep Architecture" by Greg Davis, "Goblins" by George Stavis, "Texarkana 1971" by Shawn David McMillen and much more. CD

A much-needed tribute to this genius power-pop trio – local Illinois legends who labored in the indie underground during the biggest years of disco and punk rock! Shoes were something else entirely – a no-nonsense group with a really tight power pop feel – easily one of the proudest of the Yellow Pills generation, with an ear for a hook and sharp guitar line to rival their Illinois contemporaries Cheap Trick – even though Shoes never broke nearly as big at the time. This set's the first full career-spanning collection of their music – and features lots of tracks from early albums like Present Tense, Black Vinyl Shoes, Tongue Twister, and Boomerang – plus a few choice bits from later years (these guys are still going today!) – all wrapped together with some wonderfully personal liner notes too. Titles include "She Satisfies", "Tomorrow Night", "Okay", "Girls Of Today", "Only In My Sleep", "Curiosity", "Get My Message", "Feel The Way That I Do", "Your Devotion", "Your Very Eyes", "Oh Angeline", "Burned Out Love", and "Torn In Two". CD

A massive collection of Tortoise rarities – including work from non-US releases, tour-only EP material, compilation tracks and more – plus the long out-of-print, heavily sought after Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters remix album – all at a great price! You really couldn't ask for a better collection of errata from the celebrated group. It features some of the best work the collective and individual members (Jeff Parker ('97-present), John Herndon, John McEntire, Doug McCombs, Dan Bitney, David Pajo ('95-'97) and Bundy Brown ('91-'94)) have ever done! Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters – featuring adventurous re-imaginings by such a diverse roster as Casey Rice, Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Jim O'Rourke and Mike Watt – is possibly the face value boon of the collection given it's known "legendary lost" status, but pretty much everything here is just as tough to find, if not literally impossible! The set contains 3CDs and a DVD, which features most of Tortoise's music videos and extensive rare live performance footage. Frankly, we'd have paid $20 just for a CD single with "Gamera", and that's just the kick off track on disc 1! Other tracks on disc 1 include "Blackbyrd", "Sex For Elizabeth", "To Day Retrieval", "Whitewater", "Autumn Sweater", "A Grape Dope", "Blue Station" and more. Disc 2 includes "Madison Area", "TNT (Nobukazu Takemura remix)", "Why We Fight", "CTA", "Adverse", Cliff Dweller Society" and more. Disc 3 (Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters) includes the tracks "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "The Match Incident", "Tin Cans", "Not Quite East Of The Ryan", "Cornpone Brunch" and more. DVD includes the videos for "Salt The Skies", "Dear Grandma And Grandpa", "Seneca", and more, plus live footage from Toronto in '96, the Deutches Jazz Festival in '99, Chic-A-Go-Go in '05 and the Burn To Shine project in '04. CD

Spacey Far Out Brazilian grooves from the stellar label's roster – some of the wilder, more tripped out and psychedelic sounds on the label – from leftfield dancefloor grooves, to psych rock inspired grooves, to some of the more experimental numbers by Brazilian music legends! The 2CD set features numbers by Azymuth, Joyce, Binario, Jose Mauro and others – including a number of remixes that have never been released on CD before now! Includes "Apocalipse" by Jose Mauro, "Reza Brava" by Piri, "Tudo Bonito" by Joyce, "Black Magic" by Kirk Digeorgio Presents Offworld, "Caca A Raposa" by Azymuth, "Diretriz" by Binario, "Ao Amigo Quartin by Victor Assis Brazil, "Las Vegas" by Rabotnik, "Intergalactic You, Intergalactic Me" by Troubleman and many more. CD

Include music by Kurtis Blow, Sugarhill Gang, Treacherous Three, Eric B. & Rakim, Too $hort, Roxanne Shante, Naughty By Nature, Biz Markie, Public Enemy, 3rd Bass, Black Sheep, Onyx, Method Man, Wu-Tang Clan, Common, Busta Rhymes, 2Pac, and more! CD

Massive grooves from Schema Records – a special Japanese-only collection that features some of the best recent work on the label, mixed in with a few key classics from the early days! There's a simple, elegant feel to most of the tracks here – a sound based in older jazz and bossa roots, carried off in a blend of acoustic instrumentation with slight contemporary programs and processing – but never too much to obscure the warmth of the sources! Most titles have a warmth that's undeniable – far more than you might guess from the stark black cover image – and tracks include "Stay In Mood" by Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi, "This Is What You Are" by Mario Biondi & High Five Quintet, "Samba Royale" and "Afro Impression" by Paolo Achenza Trio, "Cortante" by Gerardo Frisina, "Missione A Bombay" by Nicola Conte, and "Cinemaroma 3", "Destination Moon", "No Problem", and "Driving" by The Dining Rooms. CD

Mighty nice work from The Brother Boys – a contemporary group, but one who've got a sound that's very steeped in older folk and country styles – all at a level that makes them a perfect group to focus on in this excellent series! As you might guess from their image on the cover, the group work heavily with acoustic instrumentation – in ways that move forward from postwar bluegrass and hillbilly styles, but which often have some of the sensitivity of the hipper country-inspired singer/songwriter scene – with echoes of Gene Clark or Gram Parsons from time to time! The double-length package features lots of work from the group's earliest years, and later material too – a total of 51 tracks that include "Pinto Pony", "Blue Days Black Nights", "Two Men", "Majestic", "The Diamond Stream", "Blue From Now On", "Band Box", "Moosnhine Grin", "I Just Roll Along", "Conversation With Death", "The Ramshackle Shack", "Crazy Heart", "Darkest Day", and "Gonna Row My Boat". CD

Includes the songs "Cry! Cry! Cry!", "Hey Porter", "Folsom Prison Blues", "I Walk The Line", "Get Rhythm", "Big River", "Guess Things Happen That Way", "Ring Of Fire", "Jackson", "A Boy Named Sue (Live)", "Sunday Morning Coming Down", "Man In Black", "One Piece At A Time", "Highwayman", "The Wanderer", "Delia's Gone", "Rusty Cage", "I've Been Everywhere", "Give My Love To Rose", "The Man Comes Around (Early Take)", and "Hurt". CD

Great later work from Abbey Lincoln – music from that time when she's found just the right setting for the magnificent instrument that was her maturing voice! Abbey always had one of the most distinct styles of any jazz singer around – but in later years, the slight rasp that came in was even more present – adding almost this sort of wisdom that made the lyrics feel even more pointed, especially at some of the more understated moments. The vibe here is nicely laidback – work from a core trio that features Brandon McCune on piano – and guest performances from Jerry Gonzalez on trumpet and Joe Lovano on tenor. Titles include "Tender As Rose", "Windmills Of Your Mind", "Lucky To Be Me", "I'm Not Supposed To Know", "I Could Sing It For A Song", "A Heart Is Not A Toy", "Blackberry Blossoms", and "Somos Novios". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the funkiest records ever cut by studio jazz genius Janko Nilovic! This set definitely earns the "soul" in the title – as Janko blends his usual mad mix of studio sounds with some heavier 70s elements – including a fair bit of fuzzy guitar, funky beats, and some nice horn fills. About half the tracks on the album benefit from this sort of approach – kind of a cross between blacksploitation soundtrack scoring and the tighter instrumental moods of work by The Duke of Burlington. The other half is more in Janko's usual bag – nicely groovy jazz numbers, some with a slinky 70s edge! Titles include "Hippocampus", "Open Country", "Crazy Enterprise", "Drug Song", "Soul Impressions", "Man Of Genius", "Push Push", and "Family Tree". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant grooves from the London scene – some of the greatest cuts to come out on the Afro Art label, a huge precursor to some of the groundbreaking British imprints in recent years! There's a really righteous vibe to most of these numbers – that first burst of post-jungle sounds from London, when beats were first getting broken, and lots of cosmic jazz elements were running through the mix! Titles include "Headspace Lullaby" and "Crusing Home" by Black Science Orchestra, "Space & Time (Phil Asher's Restless Soul mix)" and "E Side Story/Lude No 7" by Souldrummers, "Prophecy Reveal (night time is the right time mix)" by Ballistic Brothers, "In Dub" by Dance Freak, "Sambana" by United Eye Vs Souldrummers, "Phoenix Rising (a new beginning mix)" by Universal Jones, "Question (Phillysophical soul mix)" by The Man", "Keep On Keepin On (road to Washington mix)" and "Sunshine (sunset mix)" by Black Science Orchestra, and "Jazz Room" by Paul Murphy/Marc Woolford Project. CD

Includes tracks by Black Sabbath, Scott Walker, Minnie Riperton, Robert Wyatt, Lee Hazelwood, Cat Power, the Troggs, Japan, Nino Rota, and the Cure. CD

With tracks by Talib Kweli & Hi Tek, Aceyalone, Blackalicious, Poor Righteous Teachers, Medina Green, J Rocc of The Beat Junkies, Rakaa-Iriscience, Saul Williams, Mike Ladd, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

An album issued under the name of Victor Axelrod, but one that features his talents as a producer and performer – working alongside a whole host of other artists who are part of the mighty soul and funk stable of Daptone Records! The set includes some 7" only cuts handled by Victor, plus unreleased numbers too – and if you know his work, you'll know that he's got a great way of updating older Jamaican soul and rocksteady modes with some of the leaner Daptone styles of the 21st Century – really letting the vocals soar in a wonderful way, while also serving up plenty of head-nodding grooves! Titles include "One Step Ahead" by Sugar Minott, "I Can Be Cool" and "I Can't Stand These Lonely Nights" by Bob & Gene, "I'd Rather Go Blind" by The Frightnrs, "Lover Like Me" by Binky Griptite, "If You Ask Me To" by Leon Dinero, "Whatcha Doing To Me" by Charles Bradley, and "How Long Do I Have To Wait For You" by Sharon Jones. LP, Vinyl record album