Nola Grey & Parov Stelar – Starlight (2009)

1. Starlight (radio version)
2. Starlight (club version)

You are looking for the real groove, the unforgetable hookline with a floorfilling break? Well, step in and enjoy NOLA GREY´s world. Starlight gives a shit and don´t cares about genres or categories. It´s a unique piece of music for your personal primetime on the dancefloors. Nothing more to say…..let the music play!

Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen – Inspiration Information 4 (2009)

01. Against The Wall
02. Sinuhe
03. Selfish Gene
04. Path To Wisdom
05. Darker Side Of Night
06. Mama England
07. Got My Egusi
08. Cella’s Walk
09. Three Continents

Inspiration Information is an ongoing experimental project that mixes and matches artists from quite different backgrounds – but with certain things in common – for a limited amount of studio time to see what they can come up with. This fourth offering is perhaps the most unlikely pairing yet, but one of the most engaging and fully realised albums in the series so far. A truly inspired choice from Strut’s Inspiration Information series of collabs has lead to this album from Finnish electronic jazz maverick Jimi Tenor and the architect of the Afrobeat rhythm, Tony Allen. After a week spent in the studio the resultant album sounds like the pair have been at this for years, with Tenor’s jazzed-up sax, keys and flute gelling perfectly around Allen’s bristling rhythm section. Tony Allen is among the world’s most acclaimed kit drummers, famed for having co-created afrobeat with Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti during the 1970s and currently enjoying a late-flowering renaissance in his seventh decade. Although he knew nothing of Jimi Tenor beforehand, Allen was one of five artists Tenor told Strut he would most like to work with when they approached him.The session was mixed down at Tenor’s studio in Fnland and Berlin, lending a distinctly dubby but vintage classic sound to the set, helping to erase any blatant time markers and make this the Electric-Afrobeat-Jazz-Fusion classic that never happened, until now! Tip!

Flevans – 27 Devils (2009)

01. Hold On (feat. Sarah Scott)
02. Pretty From A Distance
03. 27 Devils
04. More On The Way (feat. Shona Foster)
05. Mad Perks
06. On & Out (feat. Sarah Scott)
07. Endless Things
08. Flicker
09. All To Play For (feat. Shona Foster)
10. Hold No Water
11. Lay Back (feat. Sarah Scott)
12. Neckbone

A melting pot of styles and sounds, glorious songs and dancefloor bombs, multi-instrumentalist Flevans’ third album sees him going totally sample-free and taking the plunge into full live instrumentation, with stunning results. ‘27 Devils’ is laden with irresistible hooks and dotted with charismatic vocal performances from guest stars Sarah Scott and Shona Foster, and Flevans himself. As a trained multi-instrumentalist (Flevans plays guitar, bass and piano amoungst others), Flevans had always incorporated some of his playing skills into his music, and after the release of ‘Unfabulous’ decided to throw out all the vinyl that he had previously sampled from, and move towards creating a more organic, live sound, free of samples. A big reason for this move was his involvement playing bass for Brighton band Backini the previous year – during his time in the band they played at Abbey Road Studios, Glastonbury and recorded a live Radio 1 set at Maida Vale studios – and this re-ignited his love of playing. More diverse and polished than any of his previous releases, it features the incredible vocals of Sarah Scott and Shona Foster, as well as several instrumental cuts, covering styles from funk, breaks, electronica and soul, all with Flevans’ original style and sound.

The New Mastersounds – Be Yourself (2003)

1. This Ain’t Work
2. Your Love Is Mine – New Mastersounds & Corinne Bailey Rae
3. Can’t Hold Me Down
4. Be Yourself
5. Better Off Dead
6. You’ve Had It All
7. Barca
8. Six Underground
9. Coming Up Roses
10. RTA
11. Do What You Gotta Do
12. Idel Time – New Mastersounds & LSK
13. This Ain’t Work

The New Mastersounds return with another funk album of classic proportion. Be Yourself sounds like it could have been recorded live, with its no-messing, just-let-the-music-speak-for-itself production (as it would’ve been in the ’70s). The songs have a refreshing quality that don’t tend to focus on one theme throughout and cover a multitude of tempos and styles including jazz, funk and soul. Whether it be the crisp, rolling drums or the intricate guitar work – and not forgetting the Booker-T style Hammond organ – it’s extremely difficult to pin-point a standout instrument or musician. With that in mind one has to conclude that it’s ALL GOOD. With their most recent offering – Leeds band The New Mastersounds have expanded upon their established pure funk template to include a subtler spectrum of textures, drawing upon a more relaxed jazz and soul approach to augment their usual blistering up-tempo attack. The album changes things up nicely from track to track, going for grooves that blend in a lot of different modes, and which show the group to be really expanding their format.

Nostalgia 77 Sessions – Featuring Keith & Julie Tippett (2009)

01. You Don’t Just Dream When You Sleep
02. Film Blues
03. Sketch for Gary / Billy Goes to Town
04. Mice
05. Rainclouds
06. Lapis Blue
07. Soothing the Rattlesnake
08. Miniature
09. Vienna
10. Visions
11. Okinawa
12. Temple
13. Four Whispers for Archie’s Chair
14. New Inner City Blues

One of the deepest records ever from Nostalgia 77 . An intriguing marriage of youth and experience, ‘Nostalgia 77 Sessions Featuring Keith & Julie Tippett’ sees prodigious producer Nostalgia 77 and close contemporary Riaan Vosloo (Nostalgia 77 Octet, Twelves Trio) collaborating with legendary British exponents of avant-garde contemporary music, Keith and Julie Tippett. The album’s even more jazz-based than other recent Nostalgia 77 work — and both Tippetts figure heavily in the sound — Keith on sharp-edged piano lines that haven’t sounded this good in many years, and Julie singing both wordlessly and with lyrics, in dark-toned lines that really remind us what a revolutionary singer she can be! Some tracks have a slow-burning groove, while others get a bit out at points — and the always-solid basslines of Riaan Vosloo really help ground the whole proceedings. The appearance of veteran English artists Keith and Julie Tippett makes producer Benedic Lamdin’s Nostalgia 77 Sessions an interesting prospect, with much of that promise realised over the album’s 14 songs. The music covers the ground between blues, soul and jazz, but it’s the left turns taken by the two stars that make it such an intriguing success.

Gerardo Frisina – Samba Skindim EP + Gerardo Frisina Introduces Emily Jones EP (2009)

Incredible grooves from Gerardo Frisina — only an EP, but a package of tracks that has all the depth of his full length albums! The sound here is almost all acoustic — save for a bit of rhythms from Paolo Fedreghini — real 60s-styled bossa/samba jazz, played by a tight combo that features heavy percussion, piano, tenor sax, and trumpet — all grooving away with a massively tight sound throughout! The set’s almost Frisina’s answer to the club jazz styles popping up in recent years from other European acts — showing that he was doing things first, and can still do them best. Andrea Maia sings lead vocals on two tracks — again with a really classic feel — and the instrumental numbers feature some especially great work from the tenor sax, played by Germano Zenga. Titles include “Samba Skindim”, “For My Mother”, “Solo”, and “EJ Estou Aqui”.

A jazzy little single from Schema — the first two sides from singer Emily Jones, who we’re sure will soon be doing great things for the label! Lo Greco back up Jones on both numbers — bringing a solid acoustic groove into play with their loping lines on bass and drums — supported with additional jazzy instrumentation on piano, alto, tenor, and trumpet — all wrapped up warmly by Gerardo Frisina with a hell of a great groove! “If Dreams Come True” has Jones singing in this breezy, wordless style — skipping along with the rhythms beautifully — and “Espontaneo” has a bit more of a Brazilian flavor at the bottom, a cool bossa groove that’s a perfect fit for Emily’s singing!

Chris Joss – You’ve Been Spiked (2004)

01. Discotheque Dancing
02. You’ve Been Spiked
03. Drink Me Hot
04. Wrong Alley Street (part 1)
05. Riviera 69
06. Shellah V.
07. Wrong Alley Street (part 3)
08. Waves of Love
09. A Part In That Show
10. Early Morning Wanderings
11. Waking Up In The Park
12. The Man With The Suitcase (bonus track)
13. The Wait (bonus track)

French producer/DJ Chris Joss has spiked the musical cocktail with an intoxicating mix of funky bass lines, wah guitars, and Hammond keys which pulsate over rooty sounding drums. With a dose of obscure samples, scratching and retro-futurist ambiances, Mssr. Joss creates a truly unique cinematic universe. Multi-instrumentalist/DJ/producer Chris Joss presents his acid jazzy electronica with a wonderful combination of quirk and cool. He’s as much David Holmes as he is Thievery Corporation, and as retro as he is future. All these qualities make You’ve Been Spiked a feel-good record for cool cats and one of those “if you ain’t dancing, you must be dead” albums. There are the usual wah-wah guitars, Hammond organs, and Italian soundtrack moments that the Thievery Corporation and their ESL roster love so much, but rarely are the pieces put together with such purpose. Barely anything sounds sampled and even though Joss is a one-man band, instruments play off one another like it’s a live jam session.

Waldeck – Make My Day

The Incredible Bongo Band – Bongo Rock (2006)

1. Let There Be Drums
2. Bongolia
3. Kiburi (part 1)
4. Apache
5. Sing Sing Sing
6. Dueling Bongos
7. In-a-gadda-da-vida
8. Raunchy ‘73
9. Bongo Rock ‘73
10. Hang Down Your Head
11. Sharp Nine
12. Okey Dokey
13. Pipeline
14. When The Bed Breaks
15. I Can’t Get No Satisfaction
16. Wipeout
17. Last Bongo In Belgium
18. Got The Sun In The Morning
19. Slightly Reminiscent Of Topsy

The Incredible Bongo Band was never actually a real band. During MGM studios downtime, whichever studio musicians were on hand were recruited to play during these recording sessions. This also included many well known musicians, but all musicians went uncredited for these recordings. In 1973 they released Bongo Rock and then in 1974 Return of the Incredible Bongo Band. This compilation is all the songs from both of those records.
They say the best results in life come through happy accident, and in the case of The Incredible Bongo Band’s Bongo Rock this philosophy couldn’t be any more conclusive. Formed by MGM A&R Michael Viner in 1972 to supplement the soundtrack to the virtually anonymous B film “The Thing With Two Heads”, The IBB went from loose studio collective to an instrumental pop covers consortium, interpreting classics of the day in their own inimitable percussive fashion. Contained is the two original albums produced by Viner and Perry Botkin Jnr, that feature the Hip-Hop National anthem “Apache”, adjacent to a host of rhythmic instrumentals that utilise some of the hottest drummers of the day, including Jim Gordon and King Errisson. Spanning between melodic horn led interludes, Hammond swells and razor sharp electric guitars each track has its own literal bongo breakdown with enough beats and pieces to satisfy the most hungry of S3000’s, and retro junkies alike. Falling somewhere amid library music and timpani funk this is another valuable lesson in the history of the music industry courtesy of re-issue specialists Strut. –Found Sounds

Sam Paglia – Electric Happiness (2009)

01.Vespa Soul
02.Unkamunka Walk
03.Bobsamnova
04.Una Donna Scimmia
05.Greasy
06.Hotel Ukraina
07.Wandrø
08.Electric Happiness
09.Mundial ‘70
10.Sammy’s Dream
11.Fried Noodles
12.La Nebbia Gratis
13.Uncle David
14.Let The Music Be The One

The grooviest set we’ve heard so far from Sam Paglia — no surprise, given that he’s issued this album on the ultra-cool DejaVu label! As on previous Paglia efforts, the keyboards are strongly in the lead on most numbers — mostly Hammond, but also some Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer piano, clavinet, and moog — all sweet keys used in a variety of settings, from 60s mod soul, to slow-stepping bossa, moogy madness, and more upbeat funk! A number of cuts are instrumental, but there’s also a few vocal numbers too — sung by Sandra Cartolari on a few soulful tracks.

Moca – Wroooooooooam (2003)

01. Jazz Tip
02. Clarke boland
03. Kippchen
04. Atombits
05. Flotter Tag
06. Der Springende Punkt
07. So Funky
08. A40 Bei Nacht, Linke Spur
09. Diskus
10. Gruntee
11. Funky Plusch
12. Too Far Out

The German act Moca’s first full-length album slips excitingly between categories, and by its hard-to-categorize nature is infinitely more interesting and listenable than the sorts of albums where the listener hears four measures and can already peg exactly which of the myriad subcategories of electronic dance music to slot it into. At its base, Wroooooooam is pure old-school house, early ’90s style, with its prominent, easy-to-digest beats and occasional snippets of soul-diva vocals. But on top of that, there’s more than a little downtempo mellowness (never so much that the album is in any danger of slipping into the muzak-like background wash of so many downtempo releases), and most obviously, there’s a huge influence here from plain old-fashioned ’60s soul-jazz and groovy ’70s fusion: wah-wah guitars that will have you checking the musician credits for George Benson’s name, funky electric piano and clavinet parts, and more vintage synths than can be found this side of a Stereolab flipside. Most importantly, however, there’s some real skill here not only in putting together slick and danceable grooves, but also compelling, sturdy melodies to go on top of them. Wroooooooam is the sort of album that even people who don’t normally go for this kind of thing can love. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

Federico Aubele – Amatoria Remixed (2009)

01.Luna Y Sol (Lance Herbstrong Remix)
02.Otra Vez (Gianma Breaks Remix)
03.Este Amor (Ancient Astronauts Remix)
04.Suena Mi Guitarra (Son Of Kick Remix)
05.Otra Vez (Gianma House Remix)
06.Amatoria (Pablo Anglade Five Days Remix)

ESL Music artist, Federico Aubele’s sultry musical ode to love, Amatoria, gets the remix treatment as Amatoria Remixed. The original version of Amatoria is Federico Aubele’s newest and most personal album yet. Inspired by the classic and passionate sounds of bolero and Argentinian tango, Aubele infuses his distinctive Spanish guitar sound with sultry vocals and subtle electronic beats to create a unique collage of intimate love songs. Entirely self-produced, Amatoria features vocal collaborations with Natalia Clavier, Sabina Sciubba of The Brazilian Girls, and Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto. Amatoria Remixed features six superbly re-worked tracks, this short album is a gem for DJs and fans of beefy electronic rhythms. “Luna Y Sol” is transformed by Lance Herbstrong into an exercise in throbbing basslines and stomping percussion, while Gianma provides upbeat breaks and house remixes of “Otra Vez” for the dancefloor. ESL cohorts Ancient Astronauts serve up a dub-hop version of “Este Amor” while Son of Kick turns “Suena Mi Guitara” into an epic electro-glitch dancefloor smasher. Pablo Anglade closes this set with a gliding minimal-techno version of “Amatoria” infused with Federico’s hypnotic guitar work.

Club Des Belugas – Zoo Zizaro (2009)

1. Passing On The Screen
2. Wild Is My Love
3. Radio Utopia Feat. Bajka – Human Loss And Gain (Club Des Belugas Remix)
4. Clyde Beluga
5. Wigwag
6. Floating On Air
7. Un Grao De Areia
8. Back To My Room
9. My Hunger Hurts
10. Ella Fitzgerald – Air Mail Special (Club Des Belugas Remix)
11. Something Big And Endless
12. Habana Twist
13. Zoo Zizaro
14. Too Late
15. Les Baxter – Jungle Flower (Club Des Belugas Remix)
16. Pain Is Temporary

Club des Belugas is one of the leading Nujazz projects in Europe, perhaps in the world. They combine contemporary European Lounge & Nujazz Styles with Brazilian Beats, Swing and American Black Soul of the fifties, sixties and seventies using their unique creativity and intensity.  This beautifully produced CD comes packed with 16 stunning electro flavoured jazzy tracks. As the 4 albums before, Zoo Zizaro is a writers and producers collaboration of Club des Belugas’ founders and all time members Kitty the Bill and Maxim Illion …. The most important thing is: they have never been better. Zoo Zizaro is the coronation of their work. The following guest musicians appear on this album: Newcastle/UK singer Ferank Manseed. His voice has a range of about 4 octaves. In the high regions he sounds rather woman-like, which gives him the alias Nina Someone . In the lower regions of his voice you will think that he is the reincarnation of Frank Sinatra. Ferank appears on 3 tracks of Zoo Zizaro. Swedish vocalist Anna-Luca. Who has already had 5 tracks on the 4th album SWOP , appears again on 5 tracks, starting with Passing on the Screen , one of the most impressive Club des Belugas tracks ever. Multi award winning Californian jazz impresario Brenda Boykin. Who has also appeared on the 3rd Club des Belugas album Apricoo Soul and the 4th album SWOP .

Not forgetting the 3 fantastic remixes: Ella Fitzgerald – Air Mail Special, which has been originally recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957. Les Baxter – Jungle Flower, which appeared originally on the album The Ritual of the Savage in 1952. Then the contemporary track Radio Utopia – Human Loss and Gain with the incredible voice of Bajka, who has had releases with Bonobo, Beanfield, Radio City and Una Mas Trio.

Concorde Music Club – Stereo-Fictions (2002)

1. Panorama
2. Déjà Morts
3. In The Past
4. From Outer-SPace
5. Stereo-Fiction Part 1
6. Models Are Not Angels
7. Movie Star
8. Mademoiselle ?
9. Stereo-Fiction Part 2
10. Silence
11. Separations
12. Megalopolis

Although he was discovered by Mirwais at the beginning of the 1990s, Thomas Deligny spent several years perfecting his first album, Stereo-Fictions, before releasing it under the name of Concorde Music Club. Evidently, it was worth the wait as the resulting acclaim led to his participation in several other projects as remixer and producer: a Tribute to Michel Polnareff, along side Pulp and Pizzicato Five, the compilation La Pulpe from the Pulp Flavor Recordings, which also included Jean-Jacques Perrey, as well as the production of the forthcoming album by francophile maverick Bill Pritchard… In 2003, Alternative-fictions, a collection of alternative remixes and unreleased tracks inspired by his first album, was released, a great opportunity to (re)discover this imaginary soundtrack. And there’s more – Thomas is also carving out his own niche on the French DJ circuit – often to be found manning the decks at the Café Chéri(e) in Paris, but equally at home on the mezzanine of the super-chic Alcazar (owned by Terrence Conran), or on a yacht in Cannes during MIDEM, or in that temple of fashion, le Printemps de l’Homme in Paris. Locked away in his Parisian electro-lab, Thomas is constantly refining a heady cocktail of cinematic electronica, fused with forgotten classics from the 60s and 70s, and distilled through a highly-developed pop sensibility to achieve his aim: a new and dangerous strain of popular music to which there will be no antidote.

Wolf Myer Orchestra & Parov Stelar – Funky Bastards (2006)

01. Funky Bastard (Ed Royal & Enne Remix)
02. Funky Bastard (Original Version)
03. Next To Me (The Dining Rooms Remix)
04. Next To Me (Original Version)

Funky Bastards is the first release resulting from a collaboration between the two Etage Noir masterminds Parov Stelar and Wolf Myer. Several well-known musicians contributed to the production of the two songs:. The legendary Hot Pants Road Club played a major role when recording Funky Bastard. The powerful vocals were performed by Eva Klampfer aka Lilith, the lead singer of the Wolf Myer Orchestra.  Next To Me features the outstanding vocalist and funkmaster Hubert Tubbs, who already performed for names like Jestofunk, Tower Of Power, Quincy Jones, Santana or The Grateful Dead as well as for local Austrian celebrities like Stereotyp or Megablast.  This release also includes remixes by no others than The Dining Rooms and Ed Royal & Enne, both transforming the songs into hot club tracks for maximum impact on the dancefloor.

 

V.A. – Brownswood Bubblers Four – Compiled by Gilles Peterson (2009)

01. Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So Maybe No
02. Souleance – Manana
03. yU – Fine
04. El Michels Affair – Shimmy Shimmy Ya
05. Lisa Papineau – Rene Thomas
06. The Misled Children And Odean Pope – Dadadun
07. Kafka – The Kafka Anthem
08. Oumou Sangare – Iyo Djeli
09. Jam Da Silva – Dia Santo
10. Keaver And Brause – Awake
11. Soundspecies – Can We Call It Love (With Ahu)
12. New Look – Everything
13. Floating Points – Peroration V Ft. Fatima
14. Lone – Sea Spray

Gilles Peterson’s annual round-up of up-and-coming or unfairly overlooked artists drops neat and tidy this week with a fourteen track selection of future soul, downbeat hiphop and mellow world grooves. Opening duties are given to Stones Throw phenomenon Mayer Hawthorn, the one man retro-soul mission with a stunning sound on ‘Maybe So, Maybe So’ uncannily recalling classic Curtis Mayfield. Souleance’s ‘Mañana’ ticks the bass-heavy post Dilla bracket with ease, while El Michels Affair roll out the coolin’ ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’. Lisa Papineau’s all too brief ‘Rene Thomas’ is an odd delight somewhere between Bat For Lashes and Goblin, while Mali’s Oumou Sangare takes the tracklist to Africa. We’d have to recommend checking Keaver & Brause’s ace nugget ‘Awake’, but the best is saved for last with Floating Points scaling astral heights on the exclusive ‘Peroration’ feat. Fatima and Lone provides one of the many highlights from last years ‘Lemurian’ LP with the psychedelic compressions of ‘Sea Spray’. Lovingly selected and beautifully presented, get in…

45 Dip – The Acid Lounge (2000)

1. Lizzie’s Balloon
2. Geisha Vampire
3. Augere In Orbit
4. Green Tomatoes
5. Beer Star
6. Bug Juice
7. Motorcity
8. Searching For Marden Hill
9. Parker Street Story
10. Scr Culture
11. Underwater
12. A Man & A Woman

The Acid Lounge is a curious record. Funky or chilled, soft or tough, it seems built on contradictions, not the least being its ability to poor cold and hot at any moment. 45 Dip, another one of those brilliant Hed Kandi babies, drive their lounge machine at high speed, negotiating headpin turns and other obstacles with grace. Although the opener, Lizzie’s Balloon, transports the listener into some 60’s light French film, with breezy vocals and stunning ambience, 45 Dip seems mainly influenced by American TV series of the 70’s. Most of the tracks on this album could have been featured on any Starsky & Hutch, The 6 Million Dollar Man or Charlie’s Angels episode. As the introduction of Auger In Orbit suggests, perversion and tension are never far away. The vocoder on Green Tomatoes evokes more 70’s funk than Air or Daft Punk. The heavy acidic bass on Beer Star could have been stolen from some George Clinton track if it was not so wicked. The lazy guitar on Motorcity surfs on waves of electric piano, and is perfect freeway music. The lyrics of Scar Culture are more perverse and sexy than anything else on this record. Like in the aforementioned seventies series, the baddies always end up losing, and the good always gets his wet kiss, here in the form of a shameless reworking of the Un Homme Et Une Femme theme tune. The oddity workshop run by 45 Dip is inspired, funny, disturbing. The Acid Lounge is the unlikely soundtrack of an even more unlikely movie, and will charm and enchant the listener with its cocky personality.

Anouar Brahem – The Astounding Eyes of Rita (2009)

1. The Lover Of Beirut
2. Dance With Waves
3. Stopover At Djibouti
4. The Astounding Eyes
Of Rita
5. Al Birwa
6. Galilee Mon Amour
7. Waking State
8. For No Apparent reason

Brahem creates music that floats in space, evocatively calling up references to classical music, jazz, Arabic modes and the indefinable beauties of spontaneous improvisation. Another gorgeous, evocative musical journey from oud master Anouar Brahem who delivers an album of warm, dark sounds anddancing, organic pulses. The music modulates between eastern and western cultures and disciplines yet the compositions are unmistakably Brahem’ s. There has long been a balance between Western and Eastern components in Anouar Brahem’s work. “I need both elements”, he says, but ratios change with each project. His early discs (such as  Barzakh and  Conte de l’Incroyable Amour ) carry a strong sense of traditions – including Brahem’s own – while his last two recordings,  Le Voyage de Sahar (2005) and  Le Pas Du Chat Noir (2001) found him at the center of a trio oriented more towards Eurocentric chamber music. With  The Astounding Eyes of Rita there is a sense of coming full circle. Brahem introduces a new group in a sinuous dance of dark sounds (oud, bass clarinet, bass guitar and hand drums), strong melodies, and earthy textures.

V.A. – Shapes 09.01 [2009]

CD1:

01. The Bamboos Ft. Kylie Auldist – I Don’t Wanna Stop (Acoustic Version)
02. Lizzy Parks – Time (Examples Of Twelves Mix)
03. Kinny Ft. Souldrop – Idle Forest Of Chit Chat
04. Belleruche – Don’t Let Them Push You Around
05. Stonephace – Wedgehead Gets Lucky
06. Unforscene Ft. Phil King – Dangerous (Part Time Heroes Remix)
07. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro – Arianita
08. Flevans – Mad Perks
09. Hint Ft. Laura Vane – One Woman Army (Mr. Beatnick Slow Jack Remix)
10. The Quantic Soul Orchestra Ft. Alice Russell – Pushin’ On (Situation Edit)
11. Natural Self – In The Morning (Paul White Remix)
12. Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno – Make Dub Not War (Version)
13. Bonobo – Shadowtricks
14. Nostaglia 77 Sessions Ft. Keith & Julie Tippett – Rainclouds
15. Milez Benjiman – Our House
16. Natural Self Ft. Andreya Triana – The Rising (The Broken Keys Remix)

CD2:

01. The Hot 8 Brass Band – We Are One (Natural Self Remix)
02. Spanky Wilson & The Quantic Soul Orchestra vs. Lanu – Don’t Joke With A Hungry Mother
03. Lanu Ft. Abby Joyce & Simon Grey – Rise (Opolopo Remix)
04. Me&You – Sneaker Thief (Hint Remix)
05. Azaxx – Caricoa Paradise
06. The Bamboos – Amen Brother (Kjell Remix)
07. Hint – School Bell
08. Azaxx – Pianissimo
09. Lizzy Parks – Raise The Roof (Madnuss & Scogil Remix)
10. Greymatter – Bunda
11. Tm Juke & The Jack Baker Trio – Heads High(er) (Tm Juke Remix)
12. The Broken Keys – Flow (Part 2)
13. Freddie Cruger A.K.A. Red Astaire – The Hustle

Tru Thoughts’ first Shapes compilation of 2009 is a rather massive 29 track double CD collection, featuring a selection of current highlights, remixes and exclusive tracks from acts including Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro, Bonobo, Belleruche, The Bamboos, Nostalgia 77 Sessions featuring Keith and Julie Tippett, Kinny, Stonephace and all the excellent artists currently signed to the roster, of which there are far too many to mention in one coherent sentence. Suffice to say, over the two discs – arranged into ‘home listening’ and ‘DJ’ modes – there is plenty of great music for your ears and dancefloors, from minimal soul through downtempo beats and lush jazzy vocal tracks to floor-filling basslines.

Ryuichi Sakamoto – Playing the Piano (2009)

1. Amore
2. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
3. A Flower is not a Flower
4. The Sheltering Sky
5. Tamago 2004
6. The Last Emperor
7. Tibetan Dance
8. Thousand Knives
9. Riot in Lagos
10. Reversing
11. Mizu no Naka no Bagatelle
12. Bolerish

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a giant of 20th Century music. A composer whose work has crossed nearly every genre conceivable, from film scores to the prototype Electronica of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, he is also a massively in-demand performer throughout the world.Playing The Piano presents the best known of Sakamoto’s compositions, performed by the composer on solo piano. Recorded in the immaculate setting of Sony’s Tokyo recording studio, Playing The Piano is an accessible and beautiful package which includes some of the best known music written over the last 30 years.