Joe 90 recommends
July 18th, 2002 by freddie96
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Urban Renewal Program
(Chocolate Industries / Ninja Tune)
Ninja Tune continues their role as benefactors of the underground, by getting involved in this compilation release from superb USA label Chocolate Industries. Since Ninja originally teamed up Choc. Ind. for the groundbreaking remixes of East Flatbush Project’s ‘Tried By 12’ a few years ago, the lines between experimental electronica and hip hop have become increasingly blurred, as its traditions are stretched, subverted, or ignored. Labels like Def Jux, Mush, and artists Prefuse 73, Clouddead, Anti Pop, and El-P have come to the fore of the most exciting development in hip hop for time, and this compilation presents tracks from most of it’s leading proponents. Prefuse, Aesop Rock, El-P, Souls Of Mischief, and RJD2, are all in check, on form, and in future mode. Fresh is the word.
NU SPIRIT HELSINKI
Nu Spirit Helsinki
(Guidance)
Whereas Lava sound like pale imitations of many things, Nu Spirit Helsinki’s debut LP only sounds like the very excellent Finnish collective of DJs and producers that they are. After a handful of 12″ releases for Guidance and Compost hinted at their strength in depth, this album delivers final proof of their talent, as it is a beautiful, accomplished, deep, and spiritual piece of work. From the string soaked vocal soul of ‘Honest’, through the electronic funk of ‘Trying’, to the star spangled chords of ‘Orson’, it is a luscious accompaniment to those other albums of the summer Koop and Cinematic Orchestra. A new spirit is alive and well.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Phonic:Hoop
(Unfold)
After letting the Scruffy one indulge his dub love for their first compilation, Tru Thought’s offshoot Unfold let the gaffer Rob Luis have a go, with this excellently selected collection, portraying their successful weekly shindig in Brighton Phonic Hoop. Without a doubt Rob Luis is one of the best selectors in the country, and his choices here, include hip hop, new jazz styles, laidback rhythms, ragga, and basically loads of good stuff. Flytronix, Zero DB, Life, Quantic, Corrina Joseph, and Headtop’s mighty ‘Madshit’ (nice one!) all get a look in, and on this evidence it’s easy to see why Phonic Hoop gets the props it deserves.
MINUS 8
Minuit
(Compost)
For a while one of the slept on assets in Compost’s mighty portfolio, despite having his ‘Snowblind’ track used by Apple Mac, Swiss Robert Jan Meyer follows 2000’s ‘Elysian Fields’ LP with his fourth album ‘Minuit’. Very much a ‘Compost record’, Meyer explores Bossa, house, jazz, Latin, drum and bass and soul with great aplomb and verve. A summery soundtrack vibe pervades, and there are some fine vocal contributions from Billie and Jillene Luce. Although ‘Minuit’ isn’t perhaps as engaging or stylistically challenging as say, Jazzanova – whose LP has it made it very hard work for anyone working in similar areas – tracks like ‘Snowblind’, and the bare faced sass of ‘Runaway’ make this a fine, if not a great, Compost release.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
One Step Ahead 2
(Straight Ahead)
Forming a vital, if somewhat smaller, link in Europe’s extended family of brothers in jazz rhythm, Alex Dallas’s Straight Ahead label for volume 2 of his label compilations. With the majority of tracks drawn from the label’s recent 12? releases, we get broken tech jazz, deep house, and electronic soul from Hidden Agenda, Sequel, and Tweak, and some notable guest appearances. Nicole Willis’ sublime ‘All The Time’, and the frustratingly hard to find new projects of Attica Blues, Wah-Chu-Ku’s subtly soaring ‘Tec Know Jazz’, and Charlie Dark’s Hearts Of Oak with the sensual two step of ‘Danger Movin’, are bombs in their own individual ways, and the wonderful Simone Serritella turns up from Arision Records with the spine tingling Samba groove of ‘Cisalpino’. One step beyond.
