Excellent work from funky harpist Amanda Whiting – one of a handful of 21st Century artists who are continuing the soulful legacy of Dorothy Ashby on this age-old instrument! Whiting's got a great approach to the harp, one that is mostly plucked, sometimes strummed – and set up perfectly here in some well-done grooves from a small combo – very lean and groovy, which lets the harp do all these wonderful things over the top! Two cuts have vocals from female singer Peach, and one other tune features guest flute from Chip Wickham – on titles that include "Facing The Sun", "Alchemy", "Feels So Far Away", "Intertwined", "Rite of Passage", "Waiting To Go", and "No Turning Back". LP, Vinyl record album

Benchmark dub by Scientist – and introduction to a truly pivotal figure! Introducing Scientist is certainly one of his best records – and if it doesn't fully live up to the subtitle boast ("the best dub album in the world"), it really does come pretty darn close! Mixed at master King Tubby's studio and bearing Tubby's influence very strongly, the record features Scientist and dub music at a genuine, pre-Space Invadors peak. A timeless dub masterpiece from one of the greatest ever! Titles include "Steppers", "Rubber Foot", "Elasticated", "Rocking", "Lovers", "Front Line", "Scientific", "Jungle", "Bali-Hi" and "Chemistry". LP, Vinyl record album

Two of our favorite mixers take on some great work from Nicola Conte – each making the tunes very much their own! DJ Spinna brings plenty of soul to "New World Shuffle" – letting the tune crackle and build over the long space of eight minutes – while Bridgette Amofah sings lyrics over the warmly flowing groove! Our local hero Anthony Nicholson brings a wickedly funky groove to "Inner Light" – starting with a tribal house rhythm, then getting more straightforwardly funk – while Raashan Amad delivers some knowledge over the top! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A really wonderful project from Gianluca Petrella – one that seems to take all the deeper currents he used in his work with Nicola Conte, and push them even farther here on his own! There's a righteous depth to the record we never would have expected from Petrella a few years before – an album-length set that's full of jazz and soul, equally intertwined – with a quality that almost feels a lot more like some of the best London work in recent years than some of the more familiar modes we know from the Schema label. Petrella's at the helm of the proceedings, leading the group on trombone – and there's plenty of key guests on the record throughout – including Soweto Kinch on tenor and vocals, Beppe Scardino on baritone, Pasquale Calo on tenor, Vanja Contu on harp, and Anna Bassy on vocals. Titles include "Nomads", "Ancient Jazz", "Unknown Dimension", "Natsu", "Comes From The Ground", "Universal Language", "Wonder", and "Connection". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music for the Alejandro Jodorowsky film The Holy Mountain – even more compelling and complex than his sounds for El Topo! The score is a wonderful mix of earthy, organic elements and a few more composed and equally groovy parts – handled by Jodorowsky in collaboration with trumpeter Don Cherry and pop producer/arranger Ron Frangipane! Some of the work has the hypnotic blend of global elements you'll find in Cherry's recordings of the time – particularly his groundbreaking early 70s work in Sweden – and although Frangipane brings in some bigger, fuller charts, he always does so with a sense of irony, and this undercurrent of darkness that continues to link his sounds with those of Cherry. The double-length score is a wonder throughout – maybe Jodorowsky's highest musical moment – and titles include "Psychedelic Weapons", "Rainbow Room", "Alchemical Room", "Mattresses Masks & Pearls", "City Of Freedom", "Starfish", and "Violence Of The Lambs". LP, Vinyl record album

Only an EP, but one that packs plenty of punch – thanks to strong production from Blockhead on most of the tracks, with help from El-P and Aesop Rock himself! The set begins with the iconic "Daylight", followed by the counterpart "Night Light" – then runs through a no-skit, all-tight set of tracks that more than makes up for the shortness of the set. Vast Aire guest on "Nickel Plated Pockets" – and other cuts include "Bracket Basher", "Forest Crunk", "Alchemy", and "Maintenance". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazzy group, but one that's not straight jazz either – as they work with a strongly rhythmic vibe that's somewhere between classic fusion and some of the contemporary sounds we love on Schema Records – maybe no surprise as this combo also hails from the Italian scene as well! There's a great mix of keyboards in the music – Korg Sigma, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CP70, and Farfisa Synthorchestra – the latter of which sounds especially great, and gives the music some great spacey touches around the edges. Rhythms are all live, and have some great currents from classic boogie and late 70s club – but the vocals on most tracks bring in a special sort of vibe, in part because the singers shift, and the lyrics are in Italian. Titles include "Malavita", "Fuga Finale", "Citta Futura", "Napoli Visionaria", and "Oro Di Miele". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't think "rock", think "groove" – because oud player John Berberian takes his instrument into some very groovy territory here – mixing its Mid-East roots with a sweet array of modal rhythms and psychedelic elements – all of which make for an album that's even trippier than you'd guess from its cover! The album's one of the few "jazz meets world" sets that really gets things right – bringing together different global elements to come up with a sound that's wonderfully new and fresh – and which moves the whole thing way past its roots in Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and North African styles! Joe Beck plays some great electric guitar on the record – but the main string focus is on the oud, which Berberian uses with this exotic tinge that rivals the instrument in the hands of Ahmed Abdul-Malik on his own albums like this. The lineup also includes tenor and other reeds from Souren Baronian, plus other percussion, and nice use of electric bass to hold the whole groove together – and titles include "The Oud & The Fuzz", "Tranquility", "Chem-oo-Chem", "Iron Maiden", "Flying Hye", "3/8=5/8=8/8", and "The Magic Ground". LP, Vinyl record album

Memphis power pop from Van Duren – insistent and nearly as catchy as the midwest and west coast practitioners of the era – but with a bit more of an elastic, loose limbed, and measured approach to the songwriting! It's tough to get around a Big Star comparison given the Memphis roots, and tougher still given that the closing track was co-authored by Jody Stephens – but Van Duren really does his own thing. It's simply straight up, sharply tuneful stuff that was probably too genuine to make a huge commercial impact at a time when non-punk or post punk guitar pop was becoming fairly insipid. More than worth the while – very nice work! Tracks include "Chemical Fire", "This Love Inside", "Oh Babe", "Waiting", "Grow Yourself Up", "Positive", "New Years Eve", "So Good To Me (For The Time Being)", "Yellow Light", "The Love That I Love" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A wickedly sharp album from Earl Sweatshirt – a set that comes on strong from the very first notes, then keeps on with a tightness that really makes a nice difference from some of Earl's other albums – an approach that's maybe more compact in terms of the way the songs are laid out, especially compared to sprawling efforts from bigger names – at a level that shows that there's plenty to learn from the left side of the spectrum in hip hop! Production is by Black Noise and The Alchemist, Armand Hammer make a guest appearance on "Tabula Rasa", and other cuts include "Old Friend", "2010", "Sick", "Fire In The Hole", "Titanic", "Vision", "God Laughs", and "Lye". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that brought the excellent, but heretofore underappreciated duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks into the band – and pretty much changed the fabric of 70s rock! Older fans of the Peter Green and Bob Welch Brit blues eras of Fleetwood Mac may have been in for a shock initially, but this really is one of the best unpretentious pop rock albums of the 70s – they didn't get as hugely popular as they did by luck – the songs, energy and chemistry are really perfect. We may even love this one more than Rumours, especially the deeper cuts that haven't been overplayed over the years. Includes "Monday Morning", "Blue Letter, "Rhiannon", "Say You Love Me", "Warm Ways", "Over My Head", "I'm So Afraid" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie's still in electro-grooving mode here – not groundbreaking as earlier records, but still handled by Bill Laswell, and with a tackhead groove pretty firmly in place. The tracks are a bit more complicated than before, with vocals by Sugarfoot, and bass by Bootsy Collins. Titles include "Vibe Alive", "Perfect Machine", "Chemical Residue", "Beat Wise", and "Maiden Voyage/P Bop". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool little record – one that takes an older Italian sound library mode and reworks it with some of the contemporary flavor of the Schema label – but all with live instrumentation that's mighty nice all the way through! Lorenzo Morressi handles bass, guitar, and plenty of vintage keyboards – while Luicano Cantone plays live drums throughout, which gives the record a crisp crackle that might be missing if the pair worked with too many programmed rhythms, samples, or overdubs! There's also plenty of live instrumentation on the set too – including sublime flute lines from Tenderlonious, and electric piano from Giovanni Guerretti – on titles that include "Allegro Funerario", "Slalom", "Odeon", "Savana Urban", "Beta Erotica", "Sulla Strada Della Luna", and "Poste Presente". LP, Vinyl record album

An almost-accidental classic by Prodigy – a great solo project after the split of Mobb Deep, and a set that was originally intended to just circulate as a mixtape – but which got issued properly based on the quality of the tracks! Alchemist is a key partner here – and the tracks have this approach that's straightforward, yet sophisticated – that subtle blend that Mobb Deep did so well, but pushed into more of a 21st Century east coast vibe. Titles include "Down & Out In New York City", "Return Of The Mac", "Stop Fronting", "My Priorities", "Nickel & A Nail", "That's That", "Take It To The Top", and "The Rotten Apple". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the mighty Piero Umiliani – sounds initially written for a film that was an international "sexpose" of daily life in Sweden – but which have grown to even greater fame on their own over the years – thanks to the talent of the maestro! The music here is awash in groovy elements – lots of sweet Hammond organ lines, mod basslines, and some especially cool wordless vocals from the choir of Alessandro Alessandroni – scatting away in a great way alongside the instruments, and bringing an added level of breathy eroticism to the whole thing! This special LP version recreates the original Omicron release of the record – with titles that include the two lyrical tracks "You Tried To Warn Me" and "Sleep Now Little One", sung by Lydia McDonald – plus the tracks "Topless Party", "Eva Svedense", "Essere Donna", "La Signora Cameriera", "FotoModelle", and "Le Ragazze Dell'Archipellago". (Note, does not contain the track "Mah Na Mah Na", which is on other versions of the soundtrack – but it appears on the "partner" reissue of Umiliani's Psichedelica from Schema, under the title "Viva La Sauna Svedese".) LP, Vinyl record album

Great spiritual grooves from Web Web – a group who've always had a warm blend of electric and acoustic elements, but who take things further in this second collaboration with Max Herre – who brings in all sorts of keyboards and drum machine bits to the music! The core style is still jazz, with excellent tenor and flute from reedman Tonk Lakatos, whose presence really gives the album a soulful vibe – next to the core leading energy of Roberto Di Gioia, who works on a whole host of instruments – organ, mellotron, trumpet, guitar, piano, and even harp! There's other percussion in the group, warm basslines from Christian Von Kaphengst, and guest performances from a variety of others – including the great Carlos Nino on two tracks – all in a style that's got more of the warmth of Schema Records than the usual Compost sound. Titles include "La Planete Fantastique", "The Source Of All Things", "Perennial Journey", "Olobo", "Artist Unknown", "Look Beyond The Sun", and "Zutuma". LP, Vinyl record album

The coolest collection we've ever seen to focus on the soundtrack work of the great Serge Gainsbourg – and the most complete as well! The package really digs deep – and seems to offer up tracks from just about every single film that Gainsbourg was involved with – from his own compositions, to partnerships with greats like Alain Goraguer, Michel Colombier, and the mighty Jean-Claude Vannier – all of whom come up with very groovy, often funky instrumentation that rivals Serge's own releases! In fact, we might well even say that we find the Gainsbourg soundtrack material to be even cooler – as the films often gave Serge a chance to experiment, and try out new ideas he wouldn't do on his own records. This LP package is a great distillation of the larger CD set, with a focus on the grooviest cuts – and includes selections from the films L'Eau A La Bouche, Manon 70, Anna, Si Jetais Un Espion, Le Pacha, Slogan, Une Vueve En Or, and Les Chemins De Katmandou. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of reggae remakes of famous soul and funk tunes – all served up from a later generation of the scene, which makes a nice change from some of the more ska and rocksteady collections of this nature! It's no secret that Jamaican music was initially given a strong inspiration from American soul – and even in this generation, when the Kingston scene had really found its own groove, other influences would still come into the music in a really great way – as you'll hear on these really cool reworkings of themes from Ohio Players, McFadden & Whitehead, Barry White, and others! The production of most of these cuts is great – different than some of the more disco-oriented material that would copy American work – more laidback, with some currents of lovers rock as well – and funky, but in a laidback way. Titles include "Midnight" by Willie Lindo, "Skin Tight" by Lloyd Charmers, "Strange Compulsion" by Sheila Hylton, "Moving On" by Leslie Butler, "Funky Rasta" by Ronnie Butler, "Crowded City" by The Messengers, "Chemistry Of Love" by Susan Cadogan, "Can't Stop Rasta Now" by Ras Midas, and "Deeper & Deeper" by Lloyd Charmers. LP, Vinyl record album

Features selections from Gina G, Crush, Toni Braxton, La Bouche, Crystal Waters, The Original, Real McCoy, The Bucketheads, Whitney Houston, Faithless, Chemical Brothers, Notorious BIG, Deborah Cox, Lisa Stansfield, No Mercy, Qkumba Zoo, Haddaway, and Mark Morrison LP, Vinyl record album

Action Bronson's first proper full length in a while, and his most high profile to date, released by Atlantic and Vice! Mr Wonderful sports allstar production credits for Mark Ronson, Alchemist and others – plys some strong guest appearances by Chance The Rapper and more – but make no mistake, it's AB's show! Action Bronson spits venom when duty calls, but he's also got a playful style that keeps it easygoing and entertaining. Good stuff. Includes "Brand New Car", The Rising" feat Big Body Bes, "Actin Crazy", "Baby The Blue" feat Chance The Rapper, "Galactic Love", "Easy Rider", "Only In America" feat Party Supplies and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from the eternally underrated Hoyt Axton – whose rich, folksy lead vocals are given some fairly soaring arrangements on tunes that range from topical but not quite protest folk material to some trippier, chemically enhanced narratives! Hoyt's got the kind of easygoing, laconic drawl to keep a rustic vibe in the overall sound, but on these tunes he really stretches out into some some lyrically ambitious numbers that bring Tim Buckley to mind, and he also employs mean growl to some seedier numbers that surprised us even more. He dabbles in these eclectic sounds without ever betraying his Hoyt-ness (look at that, we made up a new word). Titles include "Way Before The Time Of Towns", "Beelzebub's Laughter", "Sunshine Fields Of Love", "Sunrise", "Kingswood Manor" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Great lost work from Ornette Coleman – material recorded in New York and LA during the years 1959 through 1961 – never issued at the time, but pulled together in this wonderful package at the start of the 70s! Although not recorded as an official album, the record stands easily with the best Ornette had to offer at Atlantic Records – and all tracks here have that sense of sharpness, rhythm, and timing that made the Coleman combo one of the most exciting of the time. Players include Ornette on alto throughout, plus Don Cherry on trumpet and pocket trumpet, Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins on drums, and Charlie Haden (mostly), Scott LaFaro, and Jimmy Garrison on bass. All tracks are originals by Ornette – and titles include "Moon Inhabitants", "The Fifth of Beethoven", "Circle with a Hole In the Middle", and "The Alchemy of Scott La Faro", featuring the great late bassist, Scott La Faro! LP, Vinyl record album

This set may be the best record ever by thie Chicago soul group! The record's got a full batch of original tracks written and produced by Curtis Mayfield – including their amazing, funk steeped version of "Don't Change Your Love", with a breakbeat that lit up the sampler culture for years! That raw drum sound is in effect on even the more delicate numbers, and the lead vocals and harmonies soar or sink deep to the soul, as the groove demands. There's also some kind of tripped out touches in the production in spots, making for a nice balance of sweet soul and leftfield touches. Kind of an underappreciated effort in the grand scheme of Curtis Mayfield productions, but wholly essential! Other titles include "Stay Close To Me", "New Dance Craze", "Baby, Make Me Feel So Good", and "Little Young Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that brought the excellent, but heretofore underappreciated duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks into the band – and pretty much changed the fabric of 70s rock! Older fans of the Peter Green and Bob Welch Brit blues eras of Fleetwood Mac may have been in for a shock initially, but this really is one of the best unpretentious pop rock albums of the 70s – they didn't get as hugely popular as they did by luck – the songs, energy and chemistry are really perfect. We may even love this one more than Rumours, especially the deeper cuts that haven't been overplayed over the years. Includes "Monday Morning", "Blue Letter, "Rhiannon", "Say You Love Me", "Warm Ways", "Over My Head", "I'm So Afraid" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The album that brought the excellent, but heretofore underappreciated duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks into the band – and pretty much changed the fabric of 70s rock! Older fans of the Peter Green and Bob Welch Brit blues eras of Fleetwood Mac may have been in for a shock initially, but this really is one of the best unpretentious pop rock albums of the 70s – they didn't get as hugely popular as they did by luck – the songs, energy and chemistry are really perfect. We may even love this one more than Rumours, especially the deeper cuts that haven't been overplayed over the years. Includes "Monday Morning", "Blue Letter, "Rhiannon", "Say You Love Me", "Warm Ways", "Over My Head", "I'm So Afraid" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Hi Note, indeed! Gerardo Frisina's latest is awe-inspiring – a completely seamless blend of Italian and Latin jazz, bossa rhythms and percussion, and some of the most tasteful and naturally blended electronic elements you could ever expect to hear on an album so steeped in a genuine affinity for live jazz instrumentation! If memory serves, earlier Frisina recordings relied a bit more on the production side of the coin, but this one's so strong on great instrumentation we're rendered pretty close to speechless. Lots of great horn arrangements, rolling bass lines and piano, sublime vibes and driving drums and percussion. Totally sweet throughout – this is way up there with the best dancefloor jazz Schema's ever released! Tracks include "Inviolatin", "Joyas", "Bluesanova", "Beyond The Moon", "Ombroso", "Sophisticated Samba" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from Stefon Harris – one of the boldest voices on vibes of his generation– with a sound that resonates strongly with older work by Bobby Hutcherson and Walt Dickerson! Like both of those players, Harris has a way of approaching the vibes that is freshly modern, yet also strongly rhythmic and swinging – a groove that comes out even on the more experimental numbers in the set, and which makes the album resonate with colors and tones that few others on the instrument can match. The overall sound here is marked by Greg Osby's presence in the group and his production – but thankfully, those elements are a bit underplayed – and other players on the record include Steve Turre on trombone and Jason Moran on piano. Titles include "Feline Blues", "There Is No Greater Love", "Of Things To Come", "Bass Vibes", "Collage", "The Alchemist", "Chorale", "Faded Beauty", and "After The Day Is Done". LP, Vinyl record album

Double-length brilliance from the mighty Sahib Shihab – a set that collects a number of killer 60s sessions with members of the Clarke Boland Big Band – all of them great! The small combo work here is amazing – hard-hitting modal jazz that matches, if not tops the best MPS/Saba sounds of the time – all produced to perfection with a really sharp edge, and a cutting approach to jazz that's gone onto inspired countless others in the current scene – including artists on Schema and Ricky-Tick Records, as well as most Japanese club jazz combos! But long before any of those cats started copping his groove, Sahib Shihab had it all totally together – a great ear for his own amazing solos on baritone and flute, and a way of hooking up with players like Francy Boland on piano, Fats Sadi on vibes, Benny Bailey on trumpet, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. All players here were Shihab's partners in the Clarke Boland Big Band, and they use these small combo sessions to explore some great new ideas – stripped-down groovers that are heavy on rhythm, and really allow full expression from all the players involved. Titles include "Companionship", "Om Mani Padme Hum", "Bohemia After Dark", "Serenata", "Yah Yah Blues", "Balafon", "Talk Some Yak-ee Dak", "The Turk's Bolero", "CT + CB", "Jay Jay", "Stoned Ghosts", "Just Give Me Time", and "Dijdar". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful bossa work from Toco – a session recorded in Rio with production by S-Tone, and featuring some wonderful acoustic guitar from the legendary Roberto Menescal! Menescal's presence here really helps give the record a classic grounding – a sense of depth and history that surpasses even Toco's great debut – and which is made even better by the presence of Rosalia De Souza on guest vocals on a number of tracks! As with Rosalia's recent Rio sessions, there's a sound here that's warmer, jazzier, and even more traditionally bossa-based than previous Schema releases – with a bit less of a dancefloor focus in the rhythms, and a lot more live instrumentation! All numbers feature small combo backing, and titles include "Litoral", "Zum Zum", "Assuntos Banais", "Bom Motivo", "Samba Noir", "Barracao", "Voz Da Lapa", and "Contradicao", which features guest vocals from Coralie Clement! LP, Vinyl record album

Late 70s solo effort from this founding member of the Wailers, self-produced on his own Solomonic label and then licensed to Island for worldwide distribution. A solid roots effort from one of the most significant moments in Jamaican music history, this album maintains Livingston's nicely crafted take on the heavily political roots rock that was both his and the Wailers' signature sound, and features backing from much of the Wailers band, though Robbie Shakespeare takes Family Man's bass spot. Includes a nice version of the Wailers' classic "Get Up, Stand Up", plus "Johnny Too Bad", "Follow Fashion Monkey", "Who Feels It", "Scheme Of Things", "Quite Trying", "Wanted Children" and "Moses Children". LP, Vinyl record album

Beck in a largely easygoing, electronic psych pop mode on Hyperspace! A lot of it is produced by Pharrell, whose approach to sparely keyed, yet thick-sounding electronics over prominent beds of beats has long made him one of the more recognizable pop producers out there – and his longevity in his niche is nearly as impressive as Beck's – but Beck's own distinctive stylistic wanderings keep this from ever getting too predictable from track to track. The single "Saw Lightning" actually sounds more like Mellow Gold era Beck than most things he's recorded since, making that track a pretty wild standout here – and other tracks include "Hyperlife", "Uneven Days", "Die Waiting", "Chemical", "See Through", "Hyperspace", "Dark Places", "Star" and "Everlasting Nothing". LP, Vinyl record album

The cut here is "Make It In Life" with Group Home stepping up the lyrics and add more energy to the vocal style since their days on Payday, plus some nice dense production by Agallah. A tale of giving up the thug life, complete with vocal samples from Louis Farrakhan. Production on "Stupid Muthaf*ckas" by the Alchemist. 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the records that marked a key moment when Nas was returned to the glory of his earliest years – coming across with a renewed sort of intensity, and lyrics that maybe put even more of the man himself inside of his music! There's still plenty of street show going on here, but Nas blends that front with energy going on behind it – in ways that still hold up strongly all these many years later, and which maybe set a new standard for work of this nature at the time. Production includes key efforts from Salaam Remi and The Alchemist, and the set has a ghostly guest appearance from 2Pac, as well as features from Alicia Keys, Bravehearts, and Kelis – on tracks that include "Revolutionary Warfare", "Hey Nas", "Zone Out", "Made You Look", "Get Down", "The Cross", "Mastermind", "Warrior Song", and "Thugz Mansion NY". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Asha Puthli cut some killer club cuts in the 70s – spacey numbers that were years ahead of their time, and which did an incredible job of mixing her multi-octave vocals with soaring, cosmic grooves! The approach is one that's finally gotten global appreciation in the 21st Century – and this set brings together new mixes of some of Asha's classic cuts by younger producers who really take inspiration, and let the songs flow with some slight contemporary updates – but always at a level that never gets in the way of the energy of the original tunes! Titles include "I'm Gonna Dance (Jitwam rmx)", "Right Down Here (Psychemagik rmx)", "One Night Affair (Turbotio & Rgz rmx)", "Lies (Kraak & Smaak rmx)", "Space Talk (Maurice Fulton rmx)", and "I Am Song (Yuksek rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

The first full length set from Radio Citizen – shifting his name a bit since his first EP for Ubiquity, and coming off here with an even deeper sound! The groove here is somewhat the same as that great debut – a mix of downtempo beats, jazzy flourishes, and some surprising soul vocals from the enigmatic Bajka – who sings on 6 of the album's tracks! Instrumental numbers often mix warmer sounds on acoustic bass, Fender Rhodes, or other instruments – in a way that hits a jazzier groove on the best numbers, almost in a Schema mode at times. Yet we've gotta say that the vocal cuts really stand out the most – and Bajka's enigmatic singing graces the tunes "The Hop", "El Cielo", "Everything", "Voices", "Championsound", and "Nightingale". Gaelle sings on the track "Dust", and other tunes include "Night (parts 1 & 2)", "Love Serenity Blues", "Mondlicht", "The Prophets", and "Roads". LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Jerome Richardson – remixed! Richardson's funky flute and searing tenor work have appeared on some of our favorite jazz groove classics – both European and American – and here, two of his tunes are made by Nicola Conte and Panoptikum! Conte uses a host of extra musicians – vibes, piano, alto, and vocals – to expand Richardson's "Way In Blues" with an incredibly groovy and snapping sort of sound. Schema jazz meets the classic MPS groove – with incredible results! Panoptikum go for a more modern approach with "Minor Flute" – snapping the beats a bit more, but still allowing plenty of space for Richardson's wonderful work on flute! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great remix here from Afra Kane – who opens up the soulful sound of "Got To Move On" in a really great way! Kane puts lead vocals over the track, which has much more of a Brand New Heavies sort of vibe than anything else we've ever heard from S-Tone – although the man himself also adds in some mighty nice keyboards! "Rosa Da Ribeira" is remixed too – a cut that has more of the clubby Schema vibe of other S-Tone records, complete with vocals from Toco! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the greatest in Scientist's early 80s run of essential dub records! In The Kingdom Of Dub find's Scientist working his dub alchemy on a dozen Roy Cousins productions laid down by Sly & Robbie, Santa & Flabba, Ranchie McLean,Pablo Black and Skully. It's an excellent set of deep space dubs – and all the more exciting, given the too rarely heard source rhythms! Includes "18 Drumalie Avenue Dub", "14 Grass Quit Glade Dub", "Chariot Dub", "Thunder & Lightning Dub", "Disciple Dub", "Burning Sun Dub", "Next Door Dub", "11 Guava Road Dub", "Jurusalem Dub" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Double-length brilliance from the mighty Sahib Shihab – a set that collects a number of killer 60s sessions with members of the Clarke Boland Big Band – all of them great! The small combo work here is amazing – hard-hitting modal jazz that matches, if not tops the best MPS/Saba sounds of the time – all produced to perfection with a really sharp edge, and a cutting approach to jazz that's gone onto inspired countless others in the current scene – including artists on Schema and Ricky-Tick Records, as well as most Japanese club jazz combos! But long before any of those cats started copping his groove, Sahib Shihab had it all totally together – a great ear for his own amazing solos on baritone and flute, and a way of hooking up with players like Francy Boland on piano, Fats Sadi on vibes, Benny Bailey on trumpet, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. All players here were Shihab's partners in the Clarke Boland Big Band, and they use these small combo sessions to explore some great new ideas – stripped-down groovers that are heavy on rhythm, and really allow full expression from all the players involved. Titles include "Companionship", "Om Mani Padme Hum", "Bohemia After Dark", "Serenata", "Yah Yah Blues", "Balafon", "Talk Some Yak-ee Dak", "The Turk's Bolero", "CT + CB", "Jay Jay", "Stoned Ghosts", "Just Give Me Time", and "Dijdar". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice 80s digital dub era grooves from Sly & Robbie! For years, We'd back and forth on how we feel about Bill Laswell's slick modern production – but we've really come around on it more recent years, especially considering how influential the 80s style turned out to be in post-millennium music, be reggae or just about any other popular genre. That said, we've never doubt Sly & Robbie, so in the grand scheme of things, this album always boiled down to a winner. Like a lot of mid 80s Material productions, this one pulls in an all star cast to lend a hand to the Rhythm Twins, including Bernie Worrell, Herbie Hancock, Wally Badaru, Manu Dibango, Afrika Bambaata, Bernard Fowler, Mike Hampton, Doug E Fresh and even Bob Dylan. The overall groove is very electro, with 6 long-ish numbers: "Make 'Em Move", "No Name On The Bullet", "Mile (Black Satin)", "Bass & Trouble", "Language Barrier" and "Get To This, Get To That". LP, Vinyl record album

A wickedly sharp album from Earl Sweatshirt – a set that comes on strong from the very first notes, then keeps on with a tightness that really makes a nice difference from some of Earl's other albums – an approach that's maybe more compact in terms of the way the songs are laid out, especially compared to sprawling efforts from bigger names – at a level that shows that there's plenty to learn from the left side of the spectrum in hip hop! Production is by Black Noise and The Alchemist, Armand Hammer make a guest appearance on "Tabula Rasa", and other cuts include "Old Friend", "2010", "Sick", "Fire In The Hole", "Titanic", "Vision", "God Laughs", and "Lye". LP, Vinyl record album

Ron Geesin's a British arranger with a host of amazing talents – from early work in the exotica field, to a famous collaboration with Roger Waters – always handled with a mindblowing sense of sound and scope! Here, he delivers a superb score for the film Sunday Bloody Sunday – a dark-themed drama that's given backing by Geesin that's maybe even more illuminating than the images on the screen at times – as Ron captures a moody vibe in perfect ways, but also changes things up a fair bit instrumentally – which makes each new selection feel very different, even though they are unified in mood. Bridget St John sings on the track "Chemical Dreams", and plays guitar on "Motoring Sparkle" – and other titles include "Intriguing Cables", "Sky High Balloons", "Piccadilly Bustle", "Blitzful Memories", and "Affections For String Quartet". Plus, the LP also features great bonus tracks from other Geesin projects – four more tracks from a 1985 documentary on Viv Richards, and six more from a 1970 documentary on mental health, titled "Shapes In A Wilderness" – both a great match for the main score. LP, Vinyl record album

Breathtakingly organic sounds from Jon Hassell – performing here live, and at a level that's a nice evolution from his studio modes in the earlier part of the 80s – with all sorts of long-blown lines, and nicely complex elements in the sound! Hassell handles both his famous electrified trumpet and keyboards, with a group that includes keyboards, guitar, bass, and percussion samples – all mixed live by Brian Eno, who definitely adds a darkness to the whole proceedings – recalling the Fourth World experiments that he and Hassell had done about a decade before, but with a quality that really respects all the growth that Jon went through as an artist in the intervening years. Titles include "Ituri", "Alchemistry", "Mashujaa", "Paradise Now", "Nightsky", and "Adedara Rising". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the records that marked a key moment when Nas was returned to the glory of his earliest years – coming across with a renewed sort of intensity, and lyrics that maybe put even more of the man himself inside of his music! There's still plenty of street show going on here, but Nas blends that front with energy going on behind it – in ways that still hold up strongly all these many years later, and which maybe set a new standard for work of this nature at the time. Production includes key efforts from Salaam Remi and The Alchemist, and the set has a ghostly guest appearance from 2Pac, as well as features from Alicia Keys, Bravehearts, and Kelis – on tracks that include "Revolutionary Warfare", "Hey Nas", "Zone Out", "Made You Look", "Get Down", "The Cross", "Mastermind", "Warrior Song", and "Thugz Mansion NY". LP, Vinyl record album

Prodigy's solo debut HNIC – gritty and raw from intro to outro, with a methodical flow on par the with the best of his work with Mobb Deep in the best moments – while taking stylistic detours! Naturally, there's a personal vibe to the peak tracks here that he couldn't explore so singularly on rhymes in the Mobb Deep canon, but there's some less personal, more boisterous bangers here too. Stands the test of time pretty strongly production wise, too. Includes the classic "Keep It Thoro", "Wanna Be Thugs", "Infamous Minded", "Trials Of Love", "What U Rep", "YBE", "Three", "Can't Complain" and more, plus guest appearances by Havoc, Big Noyd, Cormega and production on a few tracks by Alchemist. LP, Vinyl record album

With Al Tariq on "My Word" and Missin Linx with production by The Alchemist on "What The F*ck!". 12-inch, Vinyl record

Snoop brings Doggy Style over to Geffen – also the home to the Neptunes' Star Trak, Snoop's partners for this seriously strong later effort – also working with a diverse roster of producers and vocal guests including Alchemist, Lil Jon, 50 Cent, Hi Tek, and others. Snoops laidback rhyme style sounds really great on the Neptune productions, with that glittery minimalist electro sound and the digital handclaps that meld perfectly with Snoop's hazy delivery. The the now classic status of the standout single "Drop It Like It's Hot" is pretty much all the evidence you need, but Snoop's on a real high (artistically, that is) here, and mainstream street hop is all the better for it! Other tracks include "Bang Out", "Can I Get A Flicc Witchu" feat Bootsy Collins, "The Bidness", "Let's Get Blown", "Step Yo Game Up" with Lil Jon, "Oh No" with 50 Cent, "Pass It Pass It" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Angkor Wat, School Of Violence, Lethal Aggression, Hatred, Karrion, Impulse, Dirge, Silent Scream, Alchemicon, Four Walls Falling, Tyrranicide, Certain Death, and The Dehumanizers. LP, Vinyl record album

Strong solo work from saxophonist Darius Jones – a set that really lives up to both the "raw" and the "lone operation" in the title – as Jones blows here in a space that's very much all his own – with raw emotionality in the spotlight all the way through! Yet the work also draws key inspiration from earlier giants – as many of the tunes are reworkings of older compositions, from artists who include Roscoe Mitchell, Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, and Georgia Anne Muldrow – taken to very personal territory by the performance. There's a strong sense of space to the recording – one that reminds us of hearing Mitchell play solo in a cathedral many years back – and titles include "Nonaah", "Love In Outer Space", "Figure No 2", "Sadness", and "Beautiful Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most beautiful records we've ever heard from Italian pianist Oscar Rocchi – a set that still holds onto some of the modern elements of his music, but which also shows a warmly lyrical side as well! That latter quality really comes through strongly in the flute lines of Hugo Heredia – which grace about half the record, and have this flowing brilliance that really stands out – a quality that's nicely balanced with some harder trumpet lines from Sergio Fanni, who plays here with the same depth of soul as Heredia! Hugo also blows a bit of tenor on the album, too – creating a crackling energy when he does – but it's also clear that Rocchi's the real star of the show, with his bold command of the piano, his strong vision as a leader, and his great writing on all the album's original tracks. Other group members include Furio DiCastri on bass and Gianni Cazzola on drums – and titles include "Sulphur", "Rubedo", "Nigredo", "Gold Fast", "Solution", and "Mercury". LP, Vinyl record album

A great title for this album from Bobby Hutcherson – given the way he commands such great tones from his work on the vibes! The album's a real gem from his Landmark Records years – that great back-to-basics point when Bobby was almost doing more by doing less – especially in a record with understated brilliance like this. The group's a warmly sensitive one – with Mulgrew Miller on piano, John Heard on bass, Airto on percussion, and Billy Higgins on drums – a perfect rhythmic accompaniment for Hutcherson's hip vibes. Titles include "Rosemary Rosemary", "Remember", "Never Let Me Go", "Recorda Me", "Bemsha Swing", and "Whisper Not". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally great cut from the glory days of Blondie – originally issued in 1981 only as a flexidisc, but every bit the same sort of hip hop groove as their classic "Rapture"! In fact, this cut might be even more of a hip hop cut – as it features Debbie Harry rapping alongside Fab 5 Freddie, who co-wrote the cut with the group. There's definitely some echoes of "Rapture" in the mix, particularly on the chorus – and the cut is almost as if they reworked the spirit of the tune for a holiday song! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Produced by DJ Premier and The Alchemist. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Exactly the kind of record that makes us love sound library records so much – and definitely the sort that sets the style apart from anything else we can think of! Both Sandro Brugnolini and Giorgio Carnini turn in some great work here – a mindblowing mix of modes over the space of ten short tracks – some tunes a cascading array of instrumentation, in a hip groove that's neither American jazz or soundtrack funk, but a special space of its own! Other tunes use an electronic approach that's years ahead of its time – as groovy as 60s analogue, but a lot darker, too – in ways that the rest of the world might not touch until the German new wave. The balance is almost even between swinging groovers and darker electronic cuts – and titles include "Grinta", "Azione CIA", "Scalo Clandestino", "Alambicco Cibernetico", "Strutture Generative", "Omicido Bianco", and "CIA Massacre". LP, Vinyl record album

Fred P offers up two very fresh takes on these cuts from the team of Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella – both nice and long, and with a sense of flow that's really wonderful! "African Spirits" comes across with a tribal house sort of vibe – lots of live instrumentation on percussion and trombone, but also a percolating groove that stretches into more house-based energy as the tune moves on! "Tribes" follows a similar groove – also stretching way past 10 minutes as Fred builds the whole tune nicely out of acoustic elements layered into the rhythms! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Production by Swizz Beatz, Alchemist, Buckwild, DJ Clue, and Ayatollah, plus guest spots by Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Angie Stone, and MOP. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Mofos, Magnolias, PS, Bob Dunlap & Symphonic Fuzz, Otto's Chemical Lounge, Halo Of Flies, Breaking Circus, Whole Lotta Loves, David Postlewaite, Twa Corbies, Good Joe, and The Jayhawks. LP, Vinyl record album

2 wicked Latin jazz jammers – both issued here for the first time on vinyl! Nicola Conte's beautiful groover "Nefertiti" may well be one of the best things he ever recorded – a midtempo Latinish number that builds on snapping drums, warm bass, and sweet wordless vocals – drifting into the mix right before the tune's core instrumentation of vibes, piano, and horns kick in! "Gica's Dance" is an equally well-done track – again with more great vibes and percussion – created by Gerardo Frisina in a style that's very similar to that of Conte's. Both tracks only ever appeared on the Freedom Jazz Dance CD – and make for a fantastic single back to back! 12-inch, Vinyl record

An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album is Prince's second album, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you can really hear the seeds of his later efforts – a really remarkable, unique, and fascinating record that stands up with some of his best work, and bucks all late 70s trends and cliches in pop, soul and funk! In some ways this is one of our favorite Prince records, as it has a kind of intimacy that was lacking on later sets – or maybe because the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" has such a mad groove! "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" has the sly sound that would run throughout the rest of Prince's better work for years to come – and Chaka Khan would later cover "I Feel for You", and hit large with it in the 80s. Also includes "Sexy Dancer", "With You" and "When We're Dancing Close & Slow". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album is Prince's second album, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you can really hear the seeds of his later efforts – a really remarkable, unique, and fascinating record that stands up with some of his best work, and bucks all late 70s trends and cliches in pop, soul and funk! In some ways this is one of our favorite Prince records, as it has a kind of intimacy that was lacking on later sets – or maybe because the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" has such a mad groove! "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" has the sly sound that would run throughout the rest of Prince's better work for years to come – and Chaka Khan would later cover "I Feel for You", and hit large with it in the 80s. Also includes "Sexy Dancer", "With You" and "When We're Dancing Close & Slow". LP, Vinyl record album

An Italian funk double-header – a sweet little set from the end of the 60s, and one that features killer cuts from both Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi! We love either artist on their other own records, but there also seems to be something about putting them together here that makes them even better than before – certainly funkier, as the album's full of the kind of sharp, hard-grooving titles that first made us fall in love with sound library records in the first place! The date of the album's 1969, and both musicians make nice use of psych elements in their instrumentation – adding a bit of fuzz, wah-wah, or trippy guitar in just the right spaces – never going over the top, or getting too indulgent – but just moving in a groove that's tightly jazz funky at the bottom, and maybe a bit freaky at the top. Wonderful work throughout – and titles include "Sweet Beat", "Repetition", "Starter", and "Makkaresh" by Stefano Torossi – and "Wawa", "Motuproprio", "Polyphony", and "Flyer" by Sandro Brugnolini. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album of contemporary jazzy grooves – a set issued at the start of the century, and one of the first to really get a blend of classic elements right – after so many others were foundering around in too-remixed, too-programmed work in the 90s! For years, Nicola Conte was a seminal force in the new Italian scene of the 90s – working as a DJ, promoter, producer, and sometimes recording artist under the odd 12" single. Yet this album marks his first full effort – and after years of bubbling under in the Italian scene, Nicola emerged as a breathtaking mix of 60s bossa, soundtrack, and easy themes – put together with never a dull moment, and always a focus on the kind of mid and uptempo grooves that have been pushing the Italian and German scenes to reinvent older jazz, funk, and bossa. The record features great mixes from a few of Nicola's 12" singles, plus a wealth of excellent new material that really expands his groove wonderfully – with a totally real, totally honest sound that pushes past the gazillion retro remix throwaway albums that usually cluttered the dance racks Tracks include "Il Cerchio Rosso", "Dossier Omega", "Trappola Mortale", "Jazz Pour Dadine", and "Bossa Per Due". LP, Vinyl record album

Gerardo Frisina always seems to give us joyful sounds – but this time around, that might be the case more than ever – as the album's overflowing with all sorts of lively rhythms that are peppered with jazz-based instrumentation! Things are less hard-driving than some of Frisina's earlier work – which allows more space for things to seep into the grooves in a really nice way – warm Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, and sweet solos on saxes, flute, and trumpet! As always, Frisina's the maestro at the helm – working rhythms both acoustic and electric – but there's also a fair bit of guest players who provide the live instrumentation – on tracks that include plenty of Gerardo's own songs, plus takes on tracks by Joao Donato, Waltel Branco, and Yusef Lateef. Titles include "Misterioso", "Hombre", "Naquela Base (new blend)", "On Again (album version)", "Hechizo Magico", "Dansi Na/Mahaba", "Parkview Theme", "Duende", and "Africa (Brazil)". LP, Vinyl record album

"Family Ties" features Freddie Foxx with production by The Alchemist. "What It Is" produced by Necro. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A sweet set of remixes – material from the already-clubby album Body & Soul, taken to even further dancefloor territory by maestro Stefano Tirone! The core album already had a really upbeat vibe – with nicely varied vocals from Toco, Afra Kane, and Laura Fedele – and the remixes here balance things out in an equally great way – on titles that include extended remixes of "Pra Voce", "In The Name Of Love", and "Rosa Da Ribeira" – plus remixes of "Midnight Sun", "No Meio Do Samba", "Move On", and "Body & Soul" – and an Invisible Session remix of "Odoya". LP, Vinyl record album

Two groovy groovy tracks! You may recognize "La Coda Del Diavolo" from it's recent use in a TV commercial – or remember it, as we do, from Conte's sublime Jet Sounds album – and it's given a great push here by the Karminsky Brothers, who mix vibes, sound snippets, and flutey vocals together wonderfully! "Missione" is kind of a bossa-Indian number – one that blends together vibes, sitar, and funky beats, all remixed here by Ursula 1000! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Produced by the Alchemist, with rhymes by Channel Live, RA the Rugged Man, Craig G and Agallah. 12-inch, Vinyl record

After the dope independent singles and then the just-aiight singles on Tommy Boy, we didn't know what to expect from the Defari LP. We're happy to hear him deliver some nice LP tracks that live up to the independent singles with production by Evidence, Alchemist and E Swift, and some nice guest verses from Xzibit, the Alkaholiks and Evidence of Dilated Peoples. 8 tracks on this single vinyl promo version: "Focused Daily", "Lowlands Anthem", "Yes Indeed", "Killin Spree", "These Dreams", "Juggle Me", "Thunder & Lightning" and "405 Fridays". LP, Vinyl record album

A short, brilliant blast of creative wordplay from Earl Sweatshirt – who'd been riding a peak for years leading up the Feet Of Clay and shows no signs of coming down – with production by ES himself, Alchemist, Ovrcast and a Mach Hommy, all tasked with providing a moody, headnodding backdrop for such a distinctive figure, and they pull it off perfectly. The vinyl version of Feet Of Clay plays longer than the earlier digital releases, but it still has the short and sweet feeling of being dropped into a strangely lyrical dream and lifted out before you wake up. 9 tracks that for the most part find Earl in peak unfiltered stream of consciousness flow from beginning to end, each track seamlessly floating to the next. Includes "74", "East", "Mtomb" feat L.Ive, "OD", "El Toro Combo Meal" feat Mavi, "Tisk Tisk/Cookies" and "4N" feat Mach Hommy, "Ghost" and "Whole World". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Latin groover Gerardo Frisina's got a key new partner here – DJ Maurizio Bonnizoni, who helps give the single an upbeat, club-heavy vibe! "Voices Of The Jungle" still has all the earthy elements we love in Gerardo's music – acoustic piano and percussion, and an overall spirit that echoes the late 50s exotic years – yet Maurizio also kicks things up with a house-heavy bassline at the bottom, which drives the tune in a very different way! "Orient" follows in similar spirit – with keyboards, tenor, and sweet percussion – but all kicked up with a warm clubby groove! LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool, very groovy soundtrack from this Italian film about satanic ritual and demonic possession! The great Piero Umiliani serves up a wide-ranging batch of tracks, from breezy vocal pop numbers (with vocals by Shirley Hammer), to spooky funk instrumentals with a sort of "haunted feel", to some surprisingly-placed Brazilian inspiration (actually recorded in Brazil, with performances by Wilson Das Neves)! Insane stuff, but wildly entertaining throughout, and with mix of moods, all incredible! Includes "Sweet Revelation", "Saudade", "Magical Children", "Macumba", "Now I'm On My Own", "Toccata E Samba", "Iniziazione Di Una Giovanea Strega", "La Foreesta Incantata" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A gem of a record from the great Piero Umiliani – and maybe one of his funkiest, grooviest projects ever! The set is more sound library funk than soundtrack – and features some very strong keyboard work in the lead on most track – including Fender Rhodes, moog, Hammond, and even Lowrey organ! Other instrumentation is nice and spare – lots of tight and slight rhythms – which lets the keyboards carry equal parts of the groove and the melody, in a really wonderful style! Players on the session include Umiliani on moog and Fender Rhodes, Oscar Valdambrini on trumpet, Giovanni Tommaso on bass, Franco D'Andrea on piano, Dino Piana on trombone, Antonello Vannucchi on Hammond, and Marcello Boschi on flute. The whole thing's wonderful – a deep deep treasure all the way through – and tracks include "Lady Magnolia", "Open Space", "Goodmorning Sun", "Railroad", "Safari Club", "Free Dimension", "Truck Driver", and "Music On The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

Produced by Alchemist 12-inch, Vinyl record