Sun Ra, Parliament, and other soul and jazz acts famously took us into space back in the day – and in the wake
of their journeys, countless other artists elected to take the trip too – soaring to the
cosmos on a blend
of beats, basslines, keyboards, and vocals – all elements that are given an especially electro-tuned vibe in this great second volume
of the series! The space age journeys are maybe more akin to the world
of Newcleus than Earth Wind & Fire – lots
of processing on the vocals, sweet riffing on the keyboards, and basslines that are tightly tied to the rhythms
of the grooves – served up here in a way that references sounds
of the street, west coast funk, and even earlier hip hop – all brought together in a very well-chosen array
of tracks! As always with Soul Jazz, the presentation is as great as the music within – a set list that includes "More Ounce Rap" by Bobby Deemo, "Master Groove (inst)" by Chance, "Shine Your Light" by The Grainers, "Get Right" by Mid City Crew, "Summer Times" by Frank James & Shadow, "Year 2001 Boogie" by Rich Cason & The Galactic Orchestra, "Smurf Trek" by Chapter Three, "Let's Ride" by Junei, "Breakdance" by Command Performance, and "Computer Pop" by Maggotron.