A sweet little group with a real 70s Cali vibe – very much in the spirit of the cover, with kind of a blue-eyed soul approach to jazzy AOR! The instrumentation is great – plenty of Fender Rhodes and other keyboards – providing this warm glow for the lead vocals of the group's two different singers – both of whom have a nice sort of rasp in their approach, which brings a sense of humanity to the record amidst the well-crafted rhythms and guitar lines. The whole thing almost feels like a lost set from the era of the Doobies – and titles include "Take The Shine", "Keep On Believin", "Nostalgia", "One More Try", "All I'm Trying To Say", "Before It Started", "Donnie", and "Back Against The Wall". LP, Vinyl record album

Ben LaMar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records we've ever heard from Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa – even wilder than some of his famous funk sessions of the time! The set definitely lives up to its African Rock promise – as it features lots of sparely percussive tracks that build beautifully – clearly drawing from African inspiration, in the same way that other albums by Akira drew from American funk – then also adding in some cool production and hip effects that help further some of the "rock" side of the agenda! At points, the record almost feels like a solo percussion jam – but at others, the guitars really get heavy, with a jamming intensity that's simply mindblowing. There's lots of psychedelic overtones when the guitars come in – and they make for a wicked contrast with some of the more organic, percussion-oriented moments. All tunes are nice and long, and titles include the extended break cut "Pigmy", plus "Vita", "Na Tu Penda Sana", and "Wanyamana Mapambazuko". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records we've ever heard from Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa – even wilder than some of his famous funk sessions of the time! The set definitely lives up to its African Rock promise – as it features lots of sparely percussive tracks that build beautifully – clearly drawing from African inspiration, in the same way that other albums by Akira drew from American funk – then also adding in some cool production and hip effects that help further some of the "rock" side of the agenda! At points, the record almost feels like a solo percussion jam – but at others, the guitars really get heavy, with a jamming intensity that's simply mindblowing. There's lots of psychedelic overtones when the guitars come in – and they make for a wicked contrast with some of the more organic, percussion-oriented moments. All tunes are nice and long, and titles include the extended break cut "Pigmy", plus "Vita", "Na Tu Penda Sana", and "Wanyamana Mapambazuko". LP, Vinyl record album

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A brilliant bit of psychedelia – still as fresh today as it was many decades back – and the crowning achievement of Pink Floyd during the early Syd Barrett years! The album's got all the best elements of the group firmly in place – the penchant for long-jamming tracks that still manage to always maintain a sharp edge – mixed with some of the wittier, more playful lyrics that Barrett brought to the group – all wrapped up with a sense of depth and darkness that goes way beyond most of their contemporaries. The record's a masterpiece through and through – from its first guitar-heavy jam on "Astronomy Domine", through the strutting, vamping madness of "Bike" – all up and down other gems that include "Lucifer Sam", "The Gnome", "Take Up Thy Stethoscope & Walk", "Interstellar Overdrive", "Chapter 24", and "The Scarecrow". LP, Vinyl record album

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A fantastic early record by Sahib Shihab – a motherlode of modal jazz grooves, cut during the early days of the Clarke-Boland Big Band! The record features a core group of players from that ensemble – including Shihab on alto, baritone, and flute, plus Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Joe Harris on bongos, and Kenny Clarke on drums – all coming together here with a groove that's really groundbreaking – a style that's sweet and soulful, but rhythmically revolutionary too! The tracks are all long and grooving – with the kind of dancing jazz tone that you'd expect from the Saba/MPS label during the mid 60s – a big change from the Argo label that originally issued the record. But that's no surprise, either, as the session was actually recorded in Europe by Gigi Campi – the man behind the CBBB albums on MPS – with a feel that's quite similar to other Shihab classics, like Companionship or Seeds. The whole thing's great – one of Shihab's most wonderful records, and totally worth owning – and titles include "Lillemor", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Waltz For Seth", and "Herr Fixit". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful early album from Cassandra Wilson – a singer who already had a really deep sound, right at the start – and definitely hit her stride with music like this! The album mixes jazzy currents with rootsier elements – some of them from a more global perspective – and the production is nicely understated, so that Wilson's strongly in the lead throughout. Titles include "Sankofa", "Black Crow", "I Can't Stand The Rain", "Children In The Night", "Hellhound On My Tail", "Come On In My Kitchen", and "Tell Me You'll Wait For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Back in the first decade of this century, Build An Ark were one of the few groups to really carry forward the spiritual jazz legacy of the 70s – part of the same LA underground that rose up on Nimbus Records back in the day, and guided by the unstoppable power of Carlos Nino – who worked perfectly as both an instrumentalist in the group, and their producer! There were always some contemporary elements in the music, but maybe more surprising was the way that Build An Ark resisted all the remixing and programming that would often get in the way of the few others who tried for this territory – as they were always a committed spiritual jazz ensemble from the outset, not a club jazz act or a funk group. The package brings together all the best music from their out of print albums – a great 3LP run of titles that include "You Gotta Have Freedom", "John Coltrane", "Mother", "Build An Ark", "Door Of The Cosmos", "In The Park", "Sunflowers In My Garden", "Dawn", "Healing Song", "Love Sweet Like Sugar Cane", "World Music", "Our Cry For Peace", "Conversations", "Pure Imagination/The Tortoise & The Hare", and "When Ancestors Speak". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary group who never fully got their due – and maybe one of the creepier acts on the British scene at the start of the 70s! The cover art probably gives things away – but the sound of the record is even more haunting – with some acoustic elements that echo the acid folk movement of the time, but more dynamic energy at other spots that resonate more with prog – all topped by vocals that have a completely sinister sound that really makes the group stand out! Despite the acoustic guitars, these guys are hardly the traditional-leaning style of some of their folk rock contemporaries – and, if anything, it feels like they opened up some Pandora's box from the past, and let out all this weird Wicker Man energy. Titles include "Bitten", "The Prisoner", "Diana", "The Herald", "Song To Comus", and "Drip Drip". LP, Vinyl record album

Fruupp are a group who may use ancient imagery on their covers, but who work with a very modern feel overall – or at least one that was pretty darn contemporary at the time of this release from 1973! The vibe is prog, but a bit more focused than tied around album-side jams – as Fruupp always bring things back with a nice sort of vocal presence in their music – one that's balanced equally well with some of the more full-on guitar or keyboard passages on the record! The album's got a strength that's wonderful, and which really lives up to the other great work from the group – on titles that include "Future Legends", "Decision", "As Day Breaks With Dawn", "Song For A Thought", "Olde Tyme Future", and "Lorde Of The Incubus". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from a really overlooked group – one who have the skills of a prog act, but some of the sensitivity of a more folksy combo – which maybe is why they were such a perfect fit for the unusual sound of the Dawn label in the UK! These guys clearly have chops – the keyboard and guitar solos certainly testify to that – but they also space things out with some gentler, more personal moments – and here are also maybe a bit more hook-heavy than in the past, with a sense of almost crossing over with a few key cuts on the set. One of the catchiest numbers here is the great "Janet Planet", which has really cool production from Ian McDonald, who brings out all the best elements in the tune – and other titles include "Gormenghast", "Misty Morning Way", "Sheba's Song", "Mystery Might", and "Why". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from Fruupp – one of the more progressive acts on the legendary Dawn label from the UK, and one who aren't afraid to mix in a bit of oboe with their freewheeling guitar and keyboard lines! The group have a sound that's a bit hard to peg – maybe a slight classical influence at times, although they never stop rocking either – and their sense of a tune is a bit different than most, with a slight touch of whimsy that maybe comes through as much in the instrumentation as in the lyrics! Peter Farrelly handles lead vocals – and titles include "Garden Lady", "Three Spires", "White Eyes", "Wise As Wisdom", and "Faced With Shekinah". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant setting for the spiritual reed talents of the legendary Idris Ackamoor – set here amidst more meditative sounds from Carlos Nino, who uses percussion and other instrumentation to create a magical landscape of sounds – while guitarist Nate Mercereau also joins in the mix, and also directs the overall sound of the set from the recording studio too! The sharper reed lines of Idris are a wonderful contrast to the more organic elements in the music at times – and really gives the feel of a jazz performance to the record, which might be more of a soundscape effort without his mighty presence. Titles include "Lightning Progression"," Time On Earth", "Group Effervescence", "We Love You So Much", and "Heaven Cruise Heaven Humming 2". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure set of zouk from the glory days of the genre – but one that's also cut in a style that's nice and lean, and maybe a bit more down to earth than some of the more commercial zouk records of the time! All the best elements are still in place here – rhythms that draw plenty from electro styles of the US scene a few years before, but tuned to more tropical grooves overall, and warmed up in all the right way with keyboard lines and vocals – set up on tunes that have a gentle sort of complexity – never too overwhelming, but very groovy throughout! Titles include "Histoire D'Amour", "Songe Ethiopie Apartheid", "Marie Helene", "Pa Flipe", and "Vivre Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with an unassuming cover, but a wonderfully rich sound within – a set of easygoing spiritual jazz numbers that have a very live, very spontaneous vibe – in part because the musicians collaborated on the cuts in a very short span of time, and were able to create something very fresh and vibrant in the process! Miles Spilsbury leads the group on saxes and keyboards – and the lineup features additional piano and keys from Oliver Cadman, drums from Finn Booth, and a bit of vocals from Alizee Leriche – plus percussion and "texturising" from Carlos Nino – whose spiritual sonic touches are very clearly present on the recording! We're not sure why the record was issued in such a limited, white label pressing – as it hardly fits the depth of the music – yet perhaps that's also part of the mystery and charm as well. Titles include "Tungsten", "Water On Water", "Cyclamen", "Gratitude", "Light Theme", and "Cloud Formations". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic second chapter of work from Timeless Legend – material that's even more obscure than their famous first album – and that record is pretty darn rare! The vibe here continues from that one – an older style of sweet soul that's often more in the early 70s mode from the Philly/New Jersey scene, but given some slight shifts in the instrumentation – yet still never updated at all to fit a more mainstream 80s mode! There's a wonderful balance of groovers and mellow moments on the record – making the whole thing feel like some sort of Stang/All-Platinum album from the mid 7 0s – and titles include "I Was Born To Love You (parts 1 & 2)", "Do You Love Me", "You're The One", "Everybody Dance (parts 1 & 2)", "Where There's Love There's A Way", and "Baby Don't Do This To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from this important Brit jazz group – working here with an augmented lineup that's mighty nice! In addition to soprano, baritone, and bass clarinet from John Surman – plus bass from Barre Phillips and drums from Stu Martin – the set also features cornet from Harry Beckett and Mark Charig, trombone from Nick Evans and Malcolm Griffiths, piano from Chick Corea, tenor and flute from Alan Skidmore, trumpet from Kenny Wheeler, alto and clarinet from Mike Osborne, and bass from Dave Holland. Titles include "Conflagration", "After The Morrow", "Nuts", and "Malachite". LP, Vinyl record album

Brazilian fusion from Denmark – a really wonderful set from this cool Scandinavian combo! The record feels a fair bit like some of the Brazilian jazz coming out of the west coast of the US during the 70s – soaring, soulful, and put together with a breezy brilliance that almost takes off into hipper new directions than work coming out from Brazil at the time. And like most of that other work, this album's a hip mix of acoustic and electric jazz elements – great keyboards folded in alongside tenor sax, bass, and percussion – and topped with vocals on a few cuts too! There's a nicely free sense to the rhythms – but one that's never too open-ended – and for comparison's sake, the material also feels a bit like some of the best grooves on the early volumes of the Glucklich series on Compost. Titles include "Black Wing", "The Girl With Three Faces", "Would You", "When I Close My Eyes", "7:47 To Rio", and "From Dusk Towards Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a great hint at the energy going on here – as reedman Nat Birchall soars out into infinite space on a set of spiritual explorations that are completely sublime! The record's got a very personal, soulful sort of vibe – maybe in part because Nat handles all the instruments himself – blowing saxes over his own work on percussion and keyboards, but never in a way that feels gimmicky at all – as the end result is much more like that of a live group working together in the studio, with no sense of trickery to the listener – and in a way, Birchall seems to be responding to his own internal rhythms on each instrument – which makes the flow of the whole thing really magnificent, and easily makes the record one of Nat's best. Titles include "Kalaparusha Arha Difda", "Spirals", "Celestial Harmony", "Metagalactic", "Cosmic Dawn", and "Heart Spirit Love", LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early work from British singer Vashti Bunyan – an important figure in the acid folk scene at the end of the 60s, heard here on some really wonderful work from a few years before! Some of the tracks have a really trippy style, and others are a bit more like conventional Brit girl pop of the time – but given a very weird twist overall, with a sound that's quite hard to describe! Vashti's vocals have these really dark qualities overall – and even when the backings are fuller (which often they are not), there's a sad, earthy feel to her singing. But equally great is her guitar work – heard with more prominence on most of the album's previously-unissued tracks from mid 60s tapes. Bunyan plays with these warm harmonics that kind of nestle and bristle underneath her vocals – pushing the tunes up with a sense of brightness in contrast to the voice – almost in a Nick Drake sort of way (and trust us, we don't throw around comparisons to his music easily!) The package is a wonderful look at these almost-lost years of Vashti's career – and it features both sides of her Decca and Columbia singles, an unreleased Immediate single, and a lot more tracks pulled from rare tapes from 1964, 1966, and 1967! Set features 25 tracks that include "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind", "Train Song", "Love Song", "Winter Is Blue", "Leave Me", "How Do I Know", "Go Before Dawn", "Girl's Song In Winter", "Don't Believe", "17 Pink Sugar Elephants", "Someday", and "I Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime blend of jazz and organic sounds from multi-instrumentalist Bex Burch – a record that sounds as if it might have come from the studio of Carlos Nino, but which almost has a more personal, poetic sort of quality! There are some sounds of nature here – including bird calls from a sanctuary in Illinois – and even the more familiar instruments, like piano, drums, reeds, violin, or bass are often mixed with some "room" elements that really locate the recording in a special place – in ways that also seem to have some of that post-studio touches around the edges that we love from the International Anthem label. Burch clearly delivers most of the sound herself, almost doing an "in residence" to create the music – but she gets help along the way from guests who include Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, Anna Butterss, and Macie Stewart – on titles that include "When Love Begins", "Don't Go Back To Sleep", "Dawn Blessings", "Follow Me I Make You Happy", "Start Before You're Ready", "Pardieu", and "If I Was You I'd Be Doing Exactly The Same". LP, Vinyl record album

"Now you can experience transcendental consciousness without spending 10 years in a Tibetan monastery" – or so the liner notes proclaim – a pretty great description of what's bound to happen after making your way through this very trippy album from the early 70s! The set's essentially a set of long electric guitar solos – played by Wilburn Burchette on his self-created "impro guitar" – recorded with lots and lots of echo, and maybe a bit of distortion too – so that the long, cyclic lines ring out beautifully – with every bit of the hypnotic feel you might expect! The whole thing's almost like an electric version of some of John Fahey's longform solo work – and titles include "Dawn Of Awakening", "Regeneration", "Transformation", "Introversion", and "Piercing The Psychic Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

"Now you can experience transcendental consciousness without spending 10 years in a Tibetan monastery" – or so the liner notes proclaim – a pretty great description of what's bound to happen after making your way through this very trippy album from the early 70s! The set's essentially a set of long electric guitar solos – played by Wilburn Burchette on his self-created "impro guitar" – recorded with lots and lots of echo, and maybe a bit of distortion too – so that the long, cyclic lines ring out beautifully – with every bit of the hypnotic feel you might expect! The whole thing's almost like an electric version of some of John Fahey's longform solo work – and titles include "Dawn Of Awakening", "Regeneration", "Transformation", "Introversion", and "Piercing The Psychic Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably the most classic Alice Coltrane album on Impulse – and a strong group effort that features some great work from Pharoah Sanders! Coltrane leads two different small combos on the record – both with Sanders on saxes, plus either Cecil McBee or Charlie Haden on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – plus assorted percussion from Tulsi and Majid Shabazz, and some really enigmatic work on oud by Vishnu Wood! Tracks are long and drawn out, and open with the beauty of a field of flowers meeting the dawn – as Alice plays with a sound that's gentle and poetic, but which also has some wonderfully dark undertones. Titles include "Stopover Bombay", "Isis & Osiris", "Shiva-Loka", and "Journey In Satchidananda". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful soul album on the Black Fire label – a hip 70s imprint best known for spiritual jazz – stepping out here on a record that has a lot more vocals than their other releases, but which makes for a mighty nice fit! Wayne Davis is wonderful here – singing with the warmth of a Leroy Hutson at times, and some of the more righteous currents of DJ Rogers at others – often with harmony backings that really elevate the tunes, and a jazzy current in some of the instrumentation that ties things strongly back to the other artists on the Black Fire label! One of those groups, Experience Unlimited, lend their horn section for the record – and Davis himself shows off his deeper musical skills by also handling the piano and keyboards on the record. The whole thing is great – and titles include "Morning", "Things See Just Right Now", "Strive On and Be Strong", "The Garden", "Look at the People", and Al Johnson's "Dawn of a New Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan The Automator pool their skills for this dawn of the 2000s sci-fi hip hop classic – the masterful Deltron 3030! The guest list is almost too long to get into, but Money Mark, Prince Paul, PB Wolf and Mr. Lif are all here, along with many others. One of the benchmark albums in the leftfield underground hip hop canon – and a hugely influential set that burst the doors wide open for the more creative spirits in the hip hop and even experimental pop. Tracks include "State Of The Nation", "3030", "The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza", "Things You Can Do", "Positive Contact", "St Catherine St.", "Virus", "Mastermind", "National Movie Review", "Time Keeps On Slipping", "Turbulence (remix)", "Battlesong", "Memory Loss" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible fantasy of California pop – recorded too late in the 60s to really strike big, but with a perfect approach to mid-decade Beach Boys at their best! Mark Eric's clearly borrowing plenty of pages from Brian Wilson's bag for this set (and maybe Brian Hyland too) – and the original tunes have the beautiful quality of Wilson's best writing in the pre-Pet Sounds years – dealing with deeper themes, but in a very careful and sometimes guarded way that makes the tunes that much more heartfelt. The arrangements are Wilson-inspired too – but have a more mature style than the lyrics – handled by Vic Briggs with a quality that's similar to the brilliant Surf Symphony album of the same year – almost a dreamy remembrance of the sweeter side of California earlier in the decade, but undercut with some of the bluer, more adult modes of the time. Backings feature swirling strings, ringing vibes, and some groovy guitar – and Mark's vocals are often recorded in a way that harmonizes them against the lead – a one-man vocal group, with echoes of The Four Freshmen at times. Titles include "California Home", "Move With The Dawn", "Laura's Changing", "Lynn's Baby", "Just Passing By", "Sad Is The Way That I Feel", and "Take Me With You". LP, Vinyl record album

Ben LaMar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". LP, Vinyl record album

Matt Gold is a Chicago guitarist, one you might know from his work with Makaya McCraven – but here, he's out on his own, as a very different artist overall – delivering a mix of moody little numbers that were all recorded on his own during the depths of a Windy City winter – with Matt adding in some vocals, and handling a range of different instruments as well! A number of tracks have acoustic guitar, and are more laidback, personal, and almost recall solo work from the acoustic underground – while others are more song-based, with forward rhythms that are usually topped with vocals. Titles include "Hazel Friend Of Mine", "Sing Us Till Dawn", "On Our Way Out", "190 Proof", "Coming Up Shy", and "Remains". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't think "African rock", think spiritual jazz – as the set's a brilliant blend of the funky styles of Akira Ishikawa and his Count Buffalos combo with some deeper percussive elements that bring a whole new global sound to his music! Ishikawa was already a tremendous talent before this point in his career, but this set represents a handful of African-titled records that really had him hitting his stride – taking an older Japanese funky band mode and fitting it to some hipper elements for the 70s – including some sweet electric touches, used in all the right ways! This set may also be the most ambitious of these albums, too – as it's written like a larger suite of tracks – with titles that include "Love", "Hunting", "Animals", "Dawn", "Prayer", and "The Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really helped push guitarist Ronny Jordan over the top – a set that took that sharp, clean sound that made him the 90s heir to the funky Grant Green sound – and updated it nicely with some help from DJ Krush! The record is one of the most successful blends of jazz and hip hop from the time – one of the few that really gets things right, and which knows when to lean into soul as well – and is maybe a key part of an early legacy that would later flourish in Blue Note projects from artists like Madlib and Robert Glasper! Titles include the killer "The Jackal (the illest mix)", which has Dana Bryant delivering a very hip spoken part – plus "S**t Goes Down (but I phunked up mix)", "Love I Never Had It So Good", "Season For Change (dawn of the season mix)", "Bad Brother (how ya like my wheel mix)", and a great remake of "So What (tuff n smooth mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Walter Lang brings all his own compositions to this beautiful trio set – a record of understated genius that's handled with a really beautiful approach to recording! Lang's tunes are complex, but never in a way that's cold – and although he clearly can really work his way around the keyboard, he also does so in ways that aren't showy or overdone – really just these light painterly strokes in sound at times, given gentle groove through the work of Thomas Markusson on bass and Sebastian Merk on drums. Titles include "Still Gone", "Dawn Song", "Precious Love", "I Wonder", "Translucent Red", and "Afterglow". LP, Vinyl record album

Mighty nice work from Leones – an Italian duo, but one whose sound is a perfect fit for the Star Creature label – as they come across here with a really cosmic blend of drums and keyboards, often cut with plenty of jazz! The drums are live at most moments, which really opens up the flow of the music – and gives the whole thing a beating heart that's very different from more clubby material of this nature – a spontaneous groove that really has the keyboards stretching out with some solo moments, instead of just vamping along with the groove! The whole thing's nice and lean, and instrumental throughout – on titles that include "Dawn Of The Day", "The Fugitive", "Refresh & Smile", "Love The Sea You'll Be Free", "Last Sunset In The Savannah", and "The Running Gazelle". LP, Vinyl record album

Makaya McCraven pushes his unique jazz genius even further – by serving up a completely groundbreaking remix of live jazz performance on the London scene! McCraven's already stood out from the pack in the way that he breaks down jazz norms by playing with a recorded performance later in the studio – but this time around, he really pushes that approach to the forefront – working in a mode that really lives up to the "mixtape" of the title – but which also still has everything that we love from his other records too! Makaya's on drums – and plays with a massively heavy groove – and he plays here with some of the leading lights of the contemporary London scene – Soweto Kinch and Nubya Garcia on saxes, Joe Armon Jones on Fender Rhodes, Kamaal Williams on keyboards, and Theon Cross on tuba – in amazing performance activity which is then brought home to Chicago, where the music gets additional remix and overdub help from LeFto, Don Leisure, Earl Jeffers, Ben LaMar Gay, Emma Jean Thackray, Quiet Dawn, and Lexus Blondin. Clearly, Makaya's one hell of a collaborative spirit – yet he also manages to make this record his boldest personal statement to date – as you'll hear on titles that include "Halls", "Suite For Artis Gilmore", "Ox Tales", "The Bounce", "Oracle", "Run Dem", "Too Shy", and "Drums & Bruk & Feel The Vibe". LP, Vinyl record album

Nas's sorta comeback record from the dawn of the millennium– a strong one at the time that still stands strong today! Stillmatic was a welcome change of pace after some not so great work in the later 90 – with the return-to-form rally cry "One Mic" setting the pace – and the best cuts on this set (which make up the majority of the run time) still sound great! 15 tracks including "Stillmatic", "Got Ur Self A...", "2nd Childhood", "You're Da Man", "The Flyest" featuring AZ, "Rule" featuring Amerie, "Ether", "What Goes Around", "Every Ghetto", "Braveheart Party" featuring Mary J Blige and more – included here is the bonus track "Every Ghetto! LP, Vinyl record album

Extremely haunting early work from Nico – a set that really has her stepping forward on the path to solo greatness! The album's only Nico's second solo album – after the legendary Chelsea Girls for Verve – but it's got a spark, stark, totally-drained quality that's immediately gripping. John Cale handled production, and he's working here with Nico in a junkie haze of violin, harmonium, and other jagged instrumentation – all set to perfectly balance against the flatness and lack of emotion in the vocals, in a way that still sends chills up our spine every time we hear it! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Julius Caesar", "Evening Of Light", "Lawns Of Dawn", "Ari's Song", "Facing The Wind", and "Frozen Warnings". LP, Vinyl record album

Reed player Zoh Amba is in some fantastic company here – every bit as great as you'd guess in a trio setting with William Parker on bass and Francisco Mela on drums! Yet even amidst these giants, Amba more than holds her own – especially on tenor, which she blows in this raw, raspy quality that almost has echoes of Albert Ayler at times – in terms of individuality and spirit! The tracks are all quite long, and build with a nice sort of intensity – and Zoh also plays flute on the record as well. Titles include "O Life O Light", "Mountains In The Predawn Light", and "Mother's Hymn" – plus the shorter "Satya". LP, Vinyl record album

A never-issued album from Cali surf legends The Chantays – and a set that offers up a surprisingly nice twist at this late point in their career! The surf guitars of before are still very much in place, but the rhythms and production have changed in a nice way – reflecting that moment when surf records were becoming a strong pathway to Sunshine Pop – a mode that's echoed here especially on three surprising vocal numbers on the album too! The shift also makes for a subtle current of darkness that the group never had before – one echoed on the sun setting down on them in the cover, and which really deepens the feel of the record in a wonderful way. Titles include "A Dawning Sun", "Copenhagen", "Raylene", "Now That It's Over", "Take It Like A Man", "Sentimental Guitar", "Mr Moto", and "Outside's Inside Sad". LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely wonderful record from De La Soul – a set that's sometimes eclipsed by its legendary precursors, but which would easily stand as the best record in the catalog by any other group! Prince Paul's production is impeccable – leaner than before, likely due to new restrictions on samples – but with a focus that really hones in on the incredible word play that De La have developed even more strongly than before! That strong sense of whole album presentation the group really helped forge in hip hop is definitely in place here – on titles that include the classics "Ego Trippin' (Part 2)" and "Breakadawn", "Eye Patch", "En Focus", "Patti Dooke", "I Be Blowin'", "3 Days Later", "Area", "I Am I Be", "In The Woods", and "Stone Age". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare later set on the Italian Flipper sound library label – much later than most of the 70s funk classics we know from Flipper, and a record that's equally groovy in its own sort of way! There's definitely plenty of the sax promised in the title – blown with a sharper edge than most other 80s fusion-inspired records, which is a nice balance to the more electric rhythms that make up most of the tracks – and the more digital-styled sound that can come from other instruments, like the piano! We're not sure who the saxophonist is, but they do a great job in the lead – on cuts that include "Lunch & Dinner", "First Class", "Walking On Air", "Night With Champagne", "Dance Power", "Dawning", and "Flowers". LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing full length debut of Joni Mitchell – and a record that instantly set a whole new tone for singer/songwriter material in the late 60s! Joni had years of folk experience before this set, but the record is something else entirely – dark at times, deeply personal, and inflected with an understanding of jazz phrasing that haunts some of the guitar work, and maybe a bit of the vocals – yet all in a way that's very different than much of Mitchell's later work too. The record is definitely one of those landmarks in this moment of an artist who emerges fully formed, with a sound that's all their own – resonating with a strength that's as powerful now as it was way back then! Titles include "I Had A King", "Sistowbell Lane", "The Dawntreader", "Cactus Tree", "Song To A Seagull", "The Pirate Of Penance", "Nathan La Franeer", and "Night In The City". LP, Vinyl record album

Sinister sounds from MF Doom – working here under his Viktor Vaughn identity, yet serving up the same fantastic blend of hardness and wit as in the other records under his own name! There's a lean, mean quality to the record that's wonderful – thanks to production from King Honey, Max Bill, and RJD2 – who help Doom find the best sort of spirit for these tracks. Titles include the wonderful "Open Mic Night", with some great Last Poets energy – plus "Vaudeville Villain", "The Drop", "Lactose & Lecithin", "A Dead Mouse", "Raedawn", "Modern Day Mugging", "Never Dead", and "Popsnot". LP, Vinyl record album

Sinister sounds from MF Doom – working here under his Viktor Vaughn identity, yet serving up the same fantastic blend of hardness and wit as in the other records under his own name! There's a lean, mean quality to the record that's wonderful – thanks to production from King Honey, Max Bill, and RJD2 – who help Doom find the best sort of spirit for these tracks. Titles include the wonderful "Open Mic Night", with some great Last Poets energy – plus "Vaudeville Villain", "The Drop", "Lactose & Lecithin", "A Dead Mouse", "Raedawn", "Modern Day Mugging", "Never Dead", and "Popsnot". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe not the most politically correct of the entries in the Greasy Mike series of weird and wild 45s – as the collection brings together material that offers a postwar take on the East – in a weird mish-mash of rocking styles blended with imagined ideas of Pacific-rimmed culture! The territory is surprisingly playful, if you can put aside any sort of winge factor – and the "exotic" approach makes for lots of unusual guitar lines, offbeat arrangements, and even some cool reed solos too! The set features 16 titles in all – and tunes include "Husband Wife Lung Slices" by The Fugu Five, "Saki Rock" by The Windsors, "Hong Kong" by Jackie Lee, "Hot Sake" by Copper Penny, "Far East Rock" by The Manhattans, "Along The Ginza" by Yo Yo Hashi, "Tokyo Stomp" by Chuck Fayne, "Saki" by Earl Craig, and "Chop Suey" by The Dawnbreakers. LP, Vinyl record album