Essential! A hard to find compilation of seminal grooves, the long-out-of-print first volume to the legendary Headz compilation! This one blew everyone's mind back in the mid 90s, and it shaped the world of beathead production dratically for the next few years. Loads of great titles, including "Slipper Suite" by Palmskin Productions, "2000" by R.P.M., "In Flux (alternative interlude '93 version)" and "Lost & Found (SFL)" by DJ Shadow, "They Came In Peace" by Tranquility Bass, "Stars" by Nightmares On Wax, "Contemplating Jazz" by Attica Blues, "The Time Has Come" by UNKLE vs Major Force Orchestra, "Head West – Gunfight At The OK Corrall" by Howie B, "Destroy All Monsters" by Skull, "Lowride" by Autechre and 'Ravers Suck Our Sound" by La Funk Mob, plus a bunch of other smoked out trip hop grooves! CD

"New York is now" – a pretty bold statement from saxophonist Ornette Coleman, but one that definitely shows his shift in role – from a major force on the LA underground of the early 60s, to an artist who was helping pave the way for a huge wave of growth on the New York downtown scene in years to come! Ornette's at his most late 60s unbridled here – freer than before, and working with a lineup that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – still no piano at all – plus great work from Dewey Redman on tenor, who really burst into new prominence with this album. Ornette plays a bit of violin alongside alto sax – and tracks include "Toy Dance", "Round Trip", "Broad Way Blues", and "We Now Interrupt For A Commercial". CD

"New York is now" – a pretty bold statement from saxophonist Ornette Coleman, but one that definitely shows his shift in role – from a major force on the LA underground of the early 60s, to an artist who was helping pave the way for a huge wave of growth on the New York downtown scene in years to come! Ornette's at his most late 60s unbridled here – freer than before, and working with a lineup that includes Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums – still no piano at all – plus great work from Dewey Redman on tenor, who really burst into new prominence with this album. Ornette plays a bit of violin alongside alto sax – and tracks include "Toy Dance", "Round Trip", "Broad Way Blues", and "We Now Interrupt For A Commercial" – plus an alternate take of "Broad Way Blues"! CD

Not the first solo album from Lou Reed, but definitely the one that established him as a major force away from the Velvet Underground – and a record that still stands as one of the best from this groundbreaking early 70s moment in music! Part of the record's strength is its resonance with the Ziggy Stardust world of David Bowie – who produced the record, and had Spiders From Mars guitar genius Mick Ronson adding some extra guitars to the whole set. Yet at the same time, it's Lou Reed's brilliance with both songwriting and delivery that really makes the whole thing amazing – capturing a moment when New York was rotting out from the inside, when danger seemed to come from simple moments, and when the rules were changing faster than anyone could keep up with. A fantastic example of this is the amazing "Perfect Day" – but the whole album's incredible, with titles that include "Hangin Round", "Satellite Of Love", "Andy's Chest", "I'm So Free", "Vicious", and the always-classic "Take A Walk On The Wild Side". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking collaboration between Brian Eno & David Byrne – recorded with a spare, stripped down love of electronics and found sound samples – in a mode that would have a huge influence on countless records to come! Part of the set resonates with the quirky grooves found in Byrne's early Talking Heads records – but the overall sound is much more stark than that work, and is characterized by key found vocals and odd ethnic bits that really set the tone for each new tune. Eno's influence is felt strongly in the simplicity of the tracks, and in the darkly resonant production modes – that classic Eno touch used here before it became a bit too trademark, in a way that could still make a record like this sound great, even when coming from major label sources! A key force in shaping countless genres to come in the next 25 years – with great tracks that include "America Is Waiting", 'Regiment", "The Jezebel Spirit", "Qu'ran", "Moonlight In Glory", "A Secret Life", "Come With Us", and "Mountain Of Needles". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first really important full length albums in hip hop – the set that really pushed the Sugar Hill label into the major leagues, and helped show the world that rap music was definitely way more than just a New York phenomenon! The set features the group's classic "Rapper's Delight", edited down into a shorter mix than the 15 minute 12" single – which helped the track get plenty of radio and chart play – and the set features core instrumentation from the trio of Doug Wimbush on bass, Keith LeBlanc on drums, and Skip McDonald on guitar. The Sequence also make a guest appearance, Positive Force help out on a few cuts – and titles include "Rapper's Delight", "Here I Am", "Rapper's Reprise", "Bad News", "Passion Play", and the long funky "Sugarhill Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

A big package of work – all the albums recorded by The Weather Girls, plus solo material and bonus tracks too! First up is Success – maybe the greatest moment ever from The Weather Girls – a long-running duo who started out as backing singers for Sylvester in the 70s, then recorded as Two Tons O Fun, and finally got the chance to cut this classic for a major label in the early 80s! Both Martha Wash and Izora Armstead are great singers – and work here with previous disco maestro Paul Jabara, who has a great way of shifting the groove to 80s club, while still allowing all the playful elements of the decade before! In a way, this was definitely one of those records that showed the world that in the right corners, disco wasn't dead – heard to best effect on the classic "It's Raining Men" – alongside other cuts that include "Success", "Hungry For Love", "Dear Santa", "Hope", and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair". Next is Big Girls Don't Cry – soaring vocals from The Weather Girls, set to bouncy grooves that are equal parts soul and pop! Martha Wash and Izora Armstead have mighty vocal chops throughout – that bold duo approach they first crafted as Two Tons O Fun, and pushed even more strongly as The Weather Girls – set here to keyboard-heavy backings from Leon Pendarvis, who knows just where to put the best hooks in the grooves! Titles include "Well A Wiggy", "Lock Me Up", "No One Can Love You More Than Me", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "You Can Do It", "Laughter In The Rain", and "March". Next is the self-titled Weather Girls album – the last album in the original run of The Weather Girls – and a set that's full of well-produced tracks from Reggie Lucas and Full Force, balanced out nicely as a way of pushing the duo's sound strongly past the disco years from which they emerged! Sylvester makes a guest appearance on the cut "Love's On The Way" – and other titles include "Why Can't We Show Our Love", "Burn Me", "Love You Like A Train", "Opposite Directions", "Something For Nothing", and "Land Of The Believer". Last up is a super-huge solo set from Martha Wash – made a number of years after her fame in The Weather Girls, and at a time when she had really emerged as an important voice in dance music after a big cut with C&C! By this point, Wash had plenty of recording experience under her belt – and she knocks it out of the park with vocals that are disco-trained, but much richer in soul content overall – certainly more so than some of her other contemporaries on the early 90s club scene. The album features help from a huge amount of studio talent, but it's clear that Wash is the shining star in the lead – really blowing away so much of the work from the "sound system with singer" generation of club – on cuts that include "Leave A Light On", "Give it To You", "Runaround", "Things We Do For Love", "So Whatcha Gonna Do", "Someone Who Believes In You", "Just Us", "Hold On", "When It's My Heart", and "Carry On". 4CD set features bonus tracks on every CD – 22 more bonus mixes and more! CD

One of the funkiest box sets we've ever seen – and amazingly issued by an American major label! The 4CD package is a treasure trove of funky work from a decade of Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and related labels – tunes pulled both from mainstream album releases and much more obscure 45s – all expertly collected here into a whopping batch of 91 tracks, all packaged in a cool little box with an 80 page booklet! This one goes way past some of the silly "decade" sets from Rhino, and really displays a new level of cool and connoisseurship – one that finally appreciates the rich depths of funky work at their fingertips, most of which has not been properly reissued in the US! Titles include "Almendra" by Macondo, "Goin Down" by Allen Toussaint, "Wah Wah Man" by Young Holt Unlimited, "Spinning Wheel" by Wade Marcus, "Hard Times" by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters, "What's So Never The Dance (parts 1 & 2)" by Houseguests, "8 Days On The Road" by Howard Tate, "Getting Uptown" by United 8, "Wanoah" by Black Heat, "Let It Crawl" by Society's Bag, "Flute Thing" by Seatrain, "Try It Again" by Bobby Byrd, "Funky To The Bone" by Freddi Henchi & The Soul Setters, "Improve" by Darrow Fletcher, "Rien Ne Va Plus" by Funk Factory, "Gossip" by Cyril Neville, "Spreadin Honey" by Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, "Stoned Soul" by Artie Christopher, "Sexy Coffee Pot" by Tony Alvon & The Belaires, "Tampin" by The Rhine Oaks, "Jan Jan" by The Fabulous Counts, "Sing A Simple Song" by The Noble Knights, "It's All In Your Mind" by Soul Angels, "Funky John" by Johnny Cameron, "Don't Come Around Here Any More" by Mark Putney, "Keep On Dancing" by The Commodores, "Right On Brother (part 1)" by South Shore Commission, "Pop Popcorn Children" by Eldridge Holmes, and "The Deacon" by Brute Force. CD

One of the first really important full length albums in hip hop – the set that really pushed the Sugar Hill label into the major leagues, and helped show the world that rap music was definitely way more than just a New York phenomenon! The set features the group's classic "Rapper's Delight", edited down into a shorter mix than the 15 minute 12" single – which helped the track get plenty of radio and chart play – and the set features core instrumentation from the trio of Doug Wimbush on bass, Keith LeBlanc on drums, and Skip McDonald on guitar. The Sequence also make a guest appearance, Positive Force help out on a few cuts – and titles include "Rapper's Delight", "Here I Am", "Rapper's Reprise", "Bad News", "Passion Play", and the long funky "Sugarhill Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

Time will tell whether the sophomore LP Late Registration will prove to be as revolutionary of a commercial force as College Dropout turned out to be – but it's a better album! We loved the debut as much as the rest of the world did, but this one's an easier listen from beginning to end. The production is tight, the guests earn their spots, and the whole thing's furiously soulful. Much is being made of LA hipster/orch pop troubadour Jon Brion's co-production, but this is Kanye's show. On one level Kanye can rock a subject as cliched as "Gold Digger", and still come out with a fresh perspective that runs deeper than it sounds on the surface, then deliver a serious track about the evils of the diamond trade that still rocks the ice. And those are just the first singles. Another great one! Tracks include "Wake Up Mr West", "Heard 'Em Say", "Touch The Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco, "Gold Digger" feat Jamie Foxx, "Drive Slow" feat Paul Wall & GLC, "My Way Home" feat Common, "Crack Music" feat Game, "Roses", "Bring Me Down" feat Brandy, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (rmx) feat Jay-Z, "We Major" feat Nas & Really Doe, "Gone" feat Consequence & Cam'Ron and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully well-done collection – one that brings together some of the more hard-hitting tracks from the early days of Algerian rai music – cuts that stand in a really strong contrast to the more polished mode that showed up on record charts during the big years of world music! This isn't the music of the major labels and associated imprints – and instead, almost all the cuts here were issued on small cassette-only releases, which almost seems to be the perfect format for the lo-fi approach of the cuts – often just beats, keyboards, and slight instrumentation – topped by vocals that are incredibly expressive, even beyond the boundaries of language – and which soar out in a wonderful way! The leaner instrumentation only seems to enforce the strength of the singers – in ways that didn't always happen with later rai – and the set brings together 14 rare tracks, with work from Cheb Hader, Nordine Staifi, Chaba Ahmed, Tchier Abdelgani, Cheb Hindi, Houari Benchenet, Chab Mohamed Sghir, Benchenet, and Chab Hamouda. CD

A wonderfully well-done collection – one that brings together some of the more hard-hitting tracks from the early days of Algerian rai music – cuts that stand in a really strong contrast to the more polished mode that showed up on record charts during the big years of world music! This isn't the music of the major labels and associated imprints – and instead, almost all the cuts here were issued on small cassette-only releases, which almost seems to be the perfect format for the lo-fi approach of the cuts – often just beats, keyboards, and slight instrumentation – topped by vocals that are incredibly expressive, even beyond the boundaries of language – and which soar out in a wonderful way! The leaner instrumentation only seems to enforce the strength of the singers – in ways that didn't always happen with later rai – and the set brings together 14 rare tracks, with work from Cheb Hader, Nordine Staifi, Chaba Ahmed, Tchier Abdelgani, Cheb Hindi, Houari Benchenet, Chab Mohamed Sghir, Benchenet, and Chab Hamouda. LP, Vinyl record album

The record that really put Jurassic 5 on the map – a set that came out after some key indie fame, but with a platform that helped the group become one of the more important mainstream hip hop forces of the century! All the creative lyrical interplay of the underground is firmly in place here – as the record's a major label effort, but one that's not sacrificing quality for success – thanks in part to the wonderful production from Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist – well-schooled in the more sophisticated styles of the 90s, yet also able to keep things lean and sharp – without some of the headier bedroom hip hop modes. Rhymes are by Zaakir, Chali 2na, Akil, and Marc 7 – every bit as sharp as the production – and tracks include "How We Get Along", "Contact", "Quality Control", "World Of Entertainment", "The Influence", "Monkey Bars", "Quality Control", "Twelve", "Contribution", "The Game", "Improvise", "Swing Set", and "Jurass Finish First". LP, Vinyl record album

The record that really put Jurassic 5 on the map – a set that came out after some key indie fame, but with a platform that helped the group become one of the more important mainstream hip hop forces of the century! All the creative lyrical interplay of the underground is firmly in place here – as the record's a major label effort, but one that's not sacrificing quality for success – thanks in part to the wonderful production from Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist – well-schooled in the more sophisticated styles of the 90s, yet also able to keep things lean and sharp – without some of the headier bedroom hip hop modes. Rhymes are by Zaakir, Chali 2na, Akil, and Marc 7 – every bit as sharp as the production – and tracks include "How We Get Along", "Contact", "Quality Control", "World Of Entertainment", "The Influence", "Monkey Bars", "Quality Control", "Twelve", "Contribution", "The Game", "Improvise", "Swing Set", and "Jurass Finish First". CD

A solidly soulful album from drummer Cindy Blackman – a forceful batch of tunes that really match the best energy of the Muse Records soulbop scene of the early 90s! There's a nice blend of modern ideas and straight jazz energy here – sounds that grow strongly from the contributions of quintet members Steve Coleman on alto, Wallace Roney on trumpet, Kenny Barron on piano, and Lonnie Plaxico on drums – almost all Muse Records labelmates of Blackman, working here with energy that reminds us a lot of Roney's excellent sides for the company at the time. Blackman's the real boss, though – guiding things forcefully with her work on drums, and contributing a wealth of original numbers to the set – tunes that include "Code Red", "Anxiety", "Green", "Face In The Dark", and "Circles". CD

A mighty nice early album from Jimmy Cliff – a set that's maybe not as well-known as his massive hits of the 70s, but which definitely sets the tone for all the greatness to come! Jimmy's voice already has this raw, righteous power that's incredible – trained in the soul of the rocksteady generation, but given all these nice lean production touches that were handled by Cliff himself – clearly already really getting his ears around the best aspects of the forces available at Dynamic Studios! There's some key ringers in the set – including Winston Wright on organ and Tommy McCook on tenor – and The Heptones provide some mighty nice backing vocals too. The whole thing has a much rawer sound than you might guess for a record on a major label – and titles include "Black Queen", "Be True", "Oh Jamaica", "Commercialization", "The Price Of Peace", "Poor Slave", and "Rip Off". CD