Artist:JAZZANOVA
Title: IN BETWEEN
Label: Rope A Dope Records
Link:http://www.ropeadope.com/
Root: Germany/ Broken Beat
Few acts can claim the kind of influence the Jazzanova collective of DJs and producers has had on the music world since 1996. Their remix work for the likes of King Britt, 4 Hero, U.F.O, Ursula Rucker and countless others helped shape up a style comprised of Jazz elements, Hip-Hop, Soul, Afro and Latin rhythms, sampled and mixed under complex arrangements as potent on the dance floor as they are under the headphones. After a worldwide debate on proper terminology presided upon by Gilles Peterson, Nu Jazz was dumped for Broken Beat. Jazz however, is serious business for these 6 Berliner, and expectations run high for the release of their debut album In Between, several years in the making, for which they have enlisted a worldwide cast of like minded talents. Starting with their home base and the Sonar Kollectiv comprised of 24 musicians and artists, then over to Philadelphia where the King Britt connection has spawned collaborations with soul warrior Vikter Duplaix, MC 900 ft. Jesus rapper Hawkeye Fanatic and spoken word diva Ursula Rucker. London is represented with the talents of Valerie Etienne and Rob Gallagher, Japan by keyboard wiz Hajime Yoshizawa, while two prestigious figures of American jazz, Carla Bley's Vibes player David Friedman and Charles Mingus sidekick Doug Hammond complete this impossibly long list of contributors. In Between is more subdued than previous bombastic productions, with jazz references coming straight from the 60's birth of the cool, the hippy soul of Roy Ayers and the Brazilian vibes of Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim. But the intricate beat syncopation and the dexterity of the mixing take it out of the cocktail lounge straight to the jazz club to the delight of high art aficionados.

Artist: THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA
Title: EVERYDAY
Label:Ninja Tunes Records
Link: http://www.ninjatune.net/home and http://www.cinematicorchestra.com
Root:UK/ Soul-Jazz
Rarely will one find in these times of high consumerism and MTV icons an album of such magnitude. Back in 1999, the group's first album "Motion" set the world of critics ablaze, proving that a Jazz album on the same level as Miles Davis' In A Silent Way or Bitches Brew could emerge from the cut and paste world of electronica. What The Cinematic Orchestra founder J. Swinscoe emulates is precisely the cut and paste technique used by Davis' producer Teo Macero pieced together from hours of recording sessions. The end result was a powerful fusion of these elements with electronic textures and turntablism. On Everyday, the Orchestra has grown as a band and its music has dropped all electronic pretense, finding a pace and assurance with a more bluesy foundation, both murky and celestial, where sophisticated horn, organ, drum, bass, and harp arrangements build such emotionally charged harmonies that these soul anthems seem to pour straight down from heaven. From the blues and gospel intonation of 60's legend Fontella Bass to the conscious rhymes of Roots Manuva, guest vocals bring compassionate depth to the mix. The turntables are still present, but only as another instrument. The flow is so natural, that the complex production engineering becomes undetectable, letting this masterpiece breathe effortlessly and take a life of its own.

Artist: VARIOUS ARTISTS
Title: GIANT STEP RECORDS PRESENTS: SOUL SESSIONS
Label: Giant Step Records
Link: http://www.giantstep.net
Root: Various/ Neo Soul-Funk-Jazz
To the african-american performers whose musical talent have little to do with the hip hop and R&B of the commercial airwaves, NY's Giant Step Records has always offered a home of sorts, both through concert and club events around the world, as well as their marketing division who has helped launch the carriers of Macy Gray, Jill Scott and India Arie. Laying the grounds for modern soul in the early days of Acid Jazz with acts like the Groove Collective and Nuyorican Soul, the label has positioned itself today as the champion of the genre. Soul Sessions offers the definitive collection of Neo Soul's international talents, some like Herbie Hancock featuring Chaka Khan, Ultra Nate, Jody Watley, Koop with the legendary Terry Callier have fame past and present, while others illegitimate heirs to the Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Earth Wind and Fire and Marvin Gaye's legacy, like Donnie, Carl Hancock Rux, Nikodemus and Osiris, Jiva and Seek, to name a few, may very well become the classics of tomorrow. In the great Soul tradition, the 13 tracks warm the heart, inspire, and let the spirit soar.

Artist: DAVID HOLMES
Title: COME GET IT, I GOT IT (INTRODUCING THE FREE ASSOCIATION)
Label: 13 Amps Recordings
Link: http://www.davidholmes.tv and http://www.13amps.tv
Root: Various/ Blues-Funk-Soul
David Holmes' unmistakable signature 60's and 70's R&B grooves brought the "cool" to the soundtracks of Stephen Soderbergh’s films Out Of Sight and Ocean's 11. This new compilation offers a new twist on the genre, mixing the inspirational gems (Muddy Waters, The Johnny Otis Show, Cyril Neville et al) that have often served as source material to his three studio albums, with newly produced material under his new alias The Free Association, a moniker shared with programer Steve Hilton. The result is a seamless funky good time, a time capsule with enough jive talking to sell Huggy Bear back to his own mother. The 53 minutes list an impressive patchwork of 26 tracks, showcasing Holmes' DJ instincts, dropping the right element at the right time, creating a sexy uptown party mix with a gritty downtown flavor.

Artist: DJ CHEB I SABBAH
Title: KRISHNA LILA
Label: Six Degrees Records
Link: http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/ and http://www.chebisabbah.com/
Root: Algeria-India/ Asian Fusion
Krishna Lila (the Divine Pastimes of Krishna) is a radical departure from the style established in DJ Cheb I Sabbah's previous outings, 1999's Shri Durga and its remixed companion Maha Maya which came out a year later. Gone are the heavy electronic textures and syncopated rhythms which thus far categorized the sound of the Asian underground. Instead, the visionary blending of live instruments, vocals and programing stays closer to its organic source, the two distinct devotional music styles from the North (Hindustany) and South(Carnatic) of India. A vast array of classical musicians from both regions lend their talent to the recording, including the percussion of label mate Karsh Kale (a fast rising star of the Asian underground), while the dubbed up bass lines of world renowned Bill Laswell bring depth and bottom to the compositions. DJ Cheb I Sabbah's musical journey almost mirrors that of Michael Brooks, whose productions for Real World "westernized" the sufi chants of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who in his words best described this clash of cultures: "If the message is pure, the language matters not." Krishna Lila's language belongs to the divine.

Artist: PETER MURPHY
Title: DUST
Label: Metropolis Records
Link: http://www.petermurphy.org/ and http://www.metropolis-records.com/
Root: UK/ World
Up until now, Peter Murphy's career, from Bauhaus front man in 79 to an 8 solo albums since 85, rested on two facts: first, a careful study of glam rock drama, almost carbon copied from Bowie's incarnation of Ziggy Stardust, and second, the unwavering dedication of a cult following of goth devotees bent on the nostalgia of an bygone era. With Dust, Murphy kills the past and resurrects himself in a tribute to his adoptive country: Turkey. Blending Eastern and Western musical cultures (under the production skills of Turkish born Mercan Dede) into a visionary mix of devotional trance, prog-rock and pop, Murphy undergoes a metamorphosis only a few artists have had the courage to do. Free from traditional song structures and riding over rich sound layers and exotic textures, his operatic voice soars to heights never reached before, where the narrative expands into a new found mysticism. Resonating with elements from Peter Gabriel's The Last Temptation of Christ and Dead Can Dance's Labyrinth, Dust is surprisingly instrumental at times, building momentum for the incursion of Murphy's mantras, songs or chants, and creates a vibrant soundscape which opens onto a new path of musical exploration.

Artist: MR. VELCRO FASTENER
Title: OTHERSIDE
Label: Strata Recordings
Link: http://www.statra.com
Root: Finland/ Electro
The next chapter in the Electro phenomenon comes from Strata (the label which released the phenomenal Born On The 24th. Of July by Charles Webster) introducing a steroid infused beat monster called Mr. Velcro Fastener, aka Tatu Metsätähti and Tatu Peltonen, two fellow students from the city of Turku, the finish mecca for electronic music. Where other current artists are contempt to emulate or imitate the synth pop of the 80's, the finish duo borrows from more recent Detroit-like techno-industrial influences, ranging from Front 242 to Underworld, adding the occasional haunting machine-world vocoder to evoke a technological nirvana gone astray in a disco matrix meltdown. Otherside, through its bombastic production, is a monument of groove and beat construction, where the dark orwellian undertone is played against a fun campiness which dares to take the next evolutionary dance step into the unknown.

Artist: Q-BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE
Title: RE-ROUTED
Label: Eight Dimension Records
Link: http://www.q-burnsabstractmessage.com/
Root: US/ Pop-Electronica
Marking his departure from Astralwerks to his own label Eight Dimension, the latest release from Orlando DJ-producer Michael Donaldson aka Q-Burns Abstract Message, compiles the reworks and remixes of his previous album "Invisible Airline". While the later explored and sometimes got lost in a new direction towards a more "pop" sound, the remixes manage to refocus the songs on their essence as dance tracks, where a bass line, a chord progression, or a vocal sample may provide the inspiration to reconstruct a new version. The studio wizardry of King Britt, Thunderball, Hakan Libdo and others, demonstrates the infinite possibilities of remixing, extracts the emotional core provided by the sensual vocals of house uber-diva Lisa Shaw (the true shining star of Re-Routed) and places them again a musical background ranging from latin, deep, minimalistic house, to electro and tech, while still retaining the pop appeal of the original material. The result makes Re-Routed one of the best dance albums of the year, a hot and uplifting soundtrack to an endless summer party.

Artist: TELEPOPMUSIK
Title: GENETIC WORLD
Label: Capitol Records
Link: http://hollywoodandvine.com/telepopmusik/
Root: France/ Pop-Electronica
France's latest electronic offspring may follow on the hills of Air, Matthew Herbert and Zero 7, but Telepopmusik is here to claim a turf of their own. If others have paved the way stylistically, Genetic World offers an ironic spin on the concept of manipulation, where sound is used metaphorically to illustrate the struggle to preserve our humanity amidst an ever expanding technological world. The torchy vocals of Angela McClusky as well as analogue samples are juxtaposed against a soundscape of humming, beeping and zapping electronic oddities, creating a kaleidoscope of great pop where song crafting survives the House, Electro, Downtempo or Ambient knob twiddling looping treatment. One explanation would be that all three members (Fabrice Dumont, Stephan Haeri and Christophe Hetier aka DJ Anti-Pop) come from an Indie Rock background (notably Dumont hailing from Autour De Lucie) and remain conscious of the record's structure, while daring to extrapolate towards the bizarre and the unconventional.

Artist: PEACE ORCHESTRA
Title: RESET
Label: !K7 Records
Link http://www.g-stoned.com/ and http://www.k7.com/
Root: Austria/ Electronica
What happened to the Viennese duo Kruder and Dorfmeister ? After the world struggled to pronounce their names on everyone's sleeve notes from Madonna to Depeche Mode, the prolific tandem went on to refine their unique mix of dubbed up downtempo funk shuffle in separate projects. While Richard Dorfmeister dropped the bass to heavier places with Tosca, Peter Kruder released a slightly darker, brooding downtempo opus called Peace Orchestra. Reset leaves the rich layers of the source material into the capable hands of unique and talented producers like the Gotan Project, Beanfield, Rainer Truby Trio, Zero db, Chateau Flight, etc... More than a case of remixing the remixer, each artist applies his own sensibility with additional production and instrumentation that send Peace Orchestra on a new musical journey, blending latin vibes, House, Broken Beat, Jazz and Electro into an eclectic array of beat driven tracks. This ear-candy for the stereo is a treat tasty enough to hold us up through the wait for the next main course from K&D, or one of their many incarnations.

Artist: BLACKALICIOUS
Title: BLAZING ARROW
Label: MCA Records
Link: http://www.blackalicious.com/ and http://www.mcahiphop.com/
Root: US/ Hip Hop
Pause to meditate as thought takes over matter in one of the most profound hip hop album to be released of late. Celebrating a ten year career and their first release on a major label, the bay area crew known as Blackalicious (Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab) lay it down deep with strength and flow. With more soul and funk than a James Brown anthology, void of roughneck gangster attitude, Blazing Arrow represents Hip Hop's highest form of expression (that of Mos Def, Common, N.E.R.D, The Roots), socially and philosophically conscious, both spiritual and revolutionary, while taking the production to new heights of studio artistry. Joining the celebration is an impressive list of featured appearances by Zach De La Rocha (formely of Rage Against The Machine), Ben Harper, Sean Lennon, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Jaguar Wright, Saul Williams, Money Mark and ?uestlove of The Roots, as well as many other musicians and lyricists from a broad spectrum of musical backgrounds. Those with preconceived notions about what Hip Hop stands for, would be wise to discover this album, and realize that there is another political arena beyond the establishment, where "we the people" still bears some meaning.