When it’s done right, club jazz can be super far-out, man-luckily Diesler knows the score. On his second album for UK label Tru Thoughts, producer Jonathan Radford gets loose with everything from frenetic Brazilian beats and catchy horn hooks (“900 Degrees”) to moody, modal jazz spiced with deliciously lilting vocals from Suzanne Hughes (“Cannibal Lunch”). Perhaps most remarkably, Radford pulls off the trick of getting it all to hang together, with songs like the lovely mid-tempo soul of “Charmed” and fat-bottomed bruk beat numbers like “Stylus Rise” finding common ground in deft chord progressions and rock-solid rhythms. Throwing in a few particularly DJ-friendly tracks that would work well with Scandinavian hip-hop from Raw Fusion or dubby downtempo from Bastard Jazz, Diesler delivers a tight 50 minutes that could fill dancefloors or soundtrack an evening-no reason why both the clubbers and the couch potatoes can’t relish his fresh take on dance jazz.
Ghostface Killah Fishscale
Ghostface hype reached a fever pitch preceding the release of Fishscale, but sadly, it’s not quite the all-time classic everyone was predicting. Even on his worst day, Ghost is still capable of producing one of the year’s best rap albums, but given the names involved in this project, Fishscale could have been better. The much-hyped meeting of Ghost and MF Doom merely recycles old Doom beats from previous projects like 2003’s Monster Island Czars album. Still, Fishscale has plenty of highlights, such as Ghost’s tender rocking of a J Dilla beat on “Whip You With A Strap” and the Cuban Linx-like Raekwon collabos “Kilo” and “R.A.G.U.”
Roots Manuva Alternatively Deep
As he did following his 2001 masterpiece Run Come Save Me, Roots Manuva returns with a full-length companion piece to his latest LP, Awfully Deep, one that rivals the “big release” in ambition and quality. Where 2002’s Dub Come Save Me consisted primarily of remixes and versions of Run LP tracks, Alternatively Deep is comprised primarily of songs recorded during the Awfully Deep sessions; while they didn’t make the original cut, they’re just as high quality. Lyrically, Roots follows on the ruminative vibe of his last outing, sounding slightly more upbeat and optimistic on tracks like “No Love” and “Pep My Game.” But, as has often been the case with Manuva, his vocals are frequently overshadowed by his excellent, diverse beats.
Thievery Corporation Versions
Flexing their experience and skill, Thievery Corporation’s Versions is a dubbed-out remix album that comes out swinging. The list of artists reads like an iPod set on shuffle: Transglobal Underground, Anoushka Shankar, Norah Jones, Nouvelle Vague, and Sarah McLachlan are all tackled. Surprisingly, there’s hardly a gimmicky mix to be found here. Bebel Gilberto’s “Cada Beijo” retains elements that made the original shine, yet the song is deconstructed with a thoughtfulness that pays homage to the original-like most of the album. Besides The Doors’ “Strange Days” remix, which sounds forced and tacky, the majority of the project is extremely well-tailored.
AFX Chosen Lords
It was around Vol. 4 when I stopped paying attention to Richard D. James’ Analord 12″ series. The music wasn’t bad; it just felt that something was missing. James indulged his roots in acid techno and ’80s electro with 11 volumes of singles, but the results often sounded more like a sales shark showing off vintage analog gear in a music shop. Chosen Lords, at least, collects the best of those cuts, proving that James didn’t waste all of his time with the new guise. “Cilonen” is a fine dystopian funk track that recalls the stiffness of so many UK sci-fi flicks, while “Boxing Day” and “Klopjob” prove that the Roland TB-303 can still shed a good tear (or at least produce a good weeping sound).
Anvil New Music for Virtuosos
Call it “yacht-hop,” or “grooves to enjoy while staring at the Patrick Nagel lady paintings on your bedroom ceiling.” Whatever it is, Andrew Cohn playfully makes indie-hop fodder with the schmaltz of Reagan-era soft rock and Playboy Channel jazz. Cheap thrills abound here: Tracks like “Blood Red Sea” resemble Michael McDonald gone Anticon while “Bun and Run” and “Third Coast Boogie” are fine Scarface-informed takes on disco. There’s even a bit of leftfield abstraction on “Outside the Box.” New Music is kitsch that is so unfashionable, it‘s bound to unleash a virus upon retrophiles of all sorts.
Bitman & Roban Musica Para Despues De Almuerzo
On their Stateside debut, Chilean quartet Bitman & Roban draws heavily from American-born forms of party music (funk, electro, hip-hop, etc.) for inspiration, yet their fundamental sound is a uniquely Latin concoction of playful grooves and bilingual vocals. The lead single “Tatita” is probably the best example of their inviting funk, which superbly combines lush keys, thick basslines, Latin percussion, and classic hip-hop vocal snippets for an undeniably good time. With the exception of the rugged and out-of-place hip-hop cut “El Hechizo” (featuring MC Tea Time), DJ Bitman and company provide the ideal soundtrack for a night of letting loose.
Wordsworth Mirror Music: Deluxe Edition
When Wordsworth (of Lyricist Lounge fame) released Mirror Music in 2004, this once battle-ready rapper suddenly had listeners from all walks of life paying close attention. Wordsworth’s honest look within himself was simply magnetic. On the re-release of this reflective opus (which includes a bonus remix disc by Oddisee), his introspections still resonate. Whether Words is speaking on his single-parent upbringing (“Be A Man”) or how hard it was to break out of his freestyle rapper rut (“Gonna Be”), his Mirror Music remains essential listening.
Gerd Perspectives
As sonically rich as Gert Jan-Bijl and Paulo Delgado’s loungy productions are on Perspectives, it’s the numerous silky-voiced guest vocalists that provide much of the soul. The melancholy downtempo melodies on “Imaginary Friend,” for example, are perfectly complimented by the sorrowful yet strong resonance of Dee Ferguson. And on the broken beat-ish “What Is It?,” Portuguese-born Londoner Guida de Palma’s bilingual vocals simply float atop the jumpy rhythm. More than just instrumentalists, the masterminds behind Gerd have an ear for complete compositions, regardless of the style at hand.
Louis Logic and J.J. Brown Misery Loves Comedy
On Misery Loves Comedy, MC Louis Logic connects with his longtime producer-pal J.J. Brown to “Put the mom-and-pop-shop kids in smiles/With our infantile humor and our vintage style.” Over J.J.’s unflashy mid-tempo beats, Louis does maintain a sense of humor, but he also astutely speaks on subjects that most MCs don’t ever delve into: “All Girls Cheat” convincingly pins down infidelity and the battle of the sexes in one fell swoop. By not worrying about being politically correct or following lyrical trends, Louis Logic remains one of the more intriguing voices in hip-hop.
