Review: Oli Lazarus's Reel People Music drop the first volume in a new compilation series that will see the keys to the label's vaults handed over to a number of different remixers, with the intention of breathing new live into tracks that in some cases are nearly 20 years old. The man in the hot seat for this first installment is broken beat originator and Bugz co-founder Kaidi Tatham, who takes on tracks from/featuring the likes of Mica Paris, Atjazz, Sean Escoffery,Sebb Junior, Daz-I-Kue and of course Reel People themselves. Given the source material, it's no surprise that "smooth and soulful" is the mood du jour, generally: the beats never get TOO broken and self-indulgent jazzbo flourishes are kept to a minimum. File under 'baby-making music'.
Review: The artist formally known as Joey Negro aka Dave Lee brings together a fresh and unique compilation with partner in sound Will Fox that dives deep into the west end sound of London's broken beat, soul and two-step scene. Featuring tracks from the likes of Bugz In The Attic, Jazzanova and Atjazz to 4 Hero and Sunburst Band, we've pulled up numbers like NSM's deep, woozy and downtempo "DJ Power (Use It)" to Jazztronik's piano-laden and garaged influenced "Samurai". Sweet, warm and deeply vocal still is Afronaut & Melissa Browne's "Transcend M.E." with a stripped back, breathy and stepping number from Mark de Clive-Lowe, with Likwid Biskit's closing track "The All New Ummm" surfing into some balmy, LA beat-scene territory.
Review: There's much to admire about Kamaal Williams' contribution to the long running DJ Kicks series, not least the producer, DJ and keyboardist's blend of self-made exclusives (both under his name and his alternative Henry Wu alias) and largely overlooked gems. Highlights in the former category include a stunning live version of "Snitches Brew", the jazzy Latin house of "Projections" (a Henry Wu hook-up with Earl Jeffers) and "Lowrider", a jazz guitar-propelled cut from his collaborative Yusuf Kamaal project. In the latter category, we'd suggest wrapping your ears around Awanto 3's dusty and ultra-deep "Pregnant", the deep jazz-funk bliss of Diggs Duke's "Cause I Love You", the up-tempo dancefloor soul of Peven Everett's "Stuck" and the slow motion wonder that is Steve Spacek's "Hey There".
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