Oh this is a cracker! Things start with the driving blues of ‘Vox Humana’ and some glorious banjo from Leon Hunt and with excellent production from Jackie and David Wrench. Johnny Dowd adds vocals to ‘One Man One Guitar’ and a great version of ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ plus he narrates a horror story ‘The Skaters’ about a man killing a woman by a river. There’s a couple of tracks too in homage to Judee Sill and Kevin Coyne. Superb.

Graham Radley

For the south Bronx resident whose days in production started out with Damon Wild as techno producers back in the early nineties, the shape of Dance music today has developed many changing faces since Dennis’s first release. In that time his growth as an in demand producer is of itself testimony to his longevity within a rather fickle industry, but also of his ability to turn his hand at off loading successive dance floor gems of great strength; both in quality and lyrical profoundness and classy with mass appeal; as reflected in his work to date. His God given talents also display in various ways parts of who he is now, what he’s grown up on by way of music from many Black artist’s of the seventies through to a foray of influences from electronic dance of the eighties as well as dabbling with many West African Hi life sounds that have so complemented much of his classic works of the late nineties and beyond. Capturing all of the aforementioned elements and more is where is his debut double long player for King Street records comes in, so much so that a timely UK home for its release on Defected records was without question a must. For every track written and produced by Dennis bar a few co-written numbers, his skill for writing songs be it on the r & b crooning of "I Can’t Imagine", the Philadelphia enthused resonance of "Change The World" featuring Karlon Brooks Sr., or the accolades of poetical reasoning that is "Underground Is My Home", or the gospel-leanings of "How Do I Let Go" and "Run Free" reveal that speaking from the heart is the key to Ferrer’s success. It’s having a conscious to speak about the things that matter combined with a key bass line of simplicity that have made the status of the rather emotive opening cut ‘Church Lady’ the pinnacle of club hits of all the major dance floors around the world. From start to finish each track stands up for itself with a voice that has much to say as the booming bass driven beats of ‘P 2 Da J’ suggests, also the sublime techno and Afro tribal injections of ‘Transitions’ favoured by many DJ’s it blurred the lines of all house genres, just like the infectious organ thrills of ‘Son Of Raw’ a rampant foot stomp of a tune if ever there was such a template to hold up. Bonus cuts on CD are classic bullet tracks, no fillers but pure thrillers on this totally competent and impressive offering. It may be the world as Ferrer sees it but when others can see where you are coming from and share your sentiments things can only keep getting better for him and his fans.

Marcia Carr

Being championed by likes of Gilles Peterson for some time and now signed to his fledgling label is a dream come true I guess for the brilliant pianist, singer-songwriter and deejay Ben. He’s since made a name for himself with the trendy "So Good Today" taken from his said album with its Domu soul-fuelled broken beat mixes gained him notoriety amongst the heads (at Co Op shindigs amongst others), the house lovers alluring grooves came about thanks to a Part 2 twelve-inch single release of deep Afro house tipped Osunlade rubs that made it into the boxes of certain DJ’s and thereby giving the Bristolian a welcoming boost to those in the know. Ben has a definite love for soul, jazz classics and standards, drum and bass and for the original London sound of broken beat which have all made vast impressions on him. I dare say some of his productions may draw parallels to the early works of Jamiroquai when he offered a lot more soul passion in his work. However, Ben has a voice that is neither Black or urban in sound nor is it immediately obviously that of a blue-eyed soloist either. He’s not trying to be or sound like anyone he’s just keeping it real. What is original in his work is his ability to adapt melodies and bass lines of songs from yesteryear making them fresh and appealing by imprinting the technology of today’s hi tech sounds with live piano to make it work for the present generation of clubbers out there. "Get Closer" is a prime example as it effortlessly twists and turns through a busy drum and bass line and frantic rhythms with clean drops out and reverb effects behind the flashback melody of "Elevate Your Mind", a rare groove joint. Other cuts like "Bright Future" jaunts around various panned out brass sounds, some hard stepping drum licks and snares that would suitably get hardcore jazz dancers or enthusiasts of early seventies jazz styles in Jamaican reggae going on any dance floor. Similarly made for both the floor and lounge listening the r & b ethos of "Hang Around" would be a huge pop winner given some major backing, "Nothing Else" and "Dance With Me" are great stand out cuts also with potential for single’s options. Of the fifteen tracks showcased making a point of spotlighting Ben’s more sensitive and social consciousness is not forgotten and is most notable on the down tempo scribes of "Gotta Keep On", the instrumental sound of "Beauty" and the acoustical "Grey Skies". Consistency and a tight production holds this set together very well, placing this newcomer in the spotlight to hold his own with great prospects for the future. He deserves to be supported.

Marcia Carr

Although Mudd aka Paul Murphy (not the jazz DJ/producer and Afro Art Records boss of the same name) has been producing music in other guises for years now he first came to my attention in 2005 with ‘Kerry’s Caravan’ a collaboration with Chico Hamilton released on Rong Music. More recently he impressed with the brilliant ‘Villa Stavros’ which saw him team up with keyboardist Kevin Pollard. His latest release ‘Claremont 56’ is his debut solo album which takes in elements of slow motion disco, electro and folk resulting in an atmospheric Balearic soundscape. ‘C40’, a tripped out folk instrumental opens the set before merging into the ambient ‘Mount Pleasant Lane’ which features warm key chords from the aforementioned Pollard. ’54B’ is a solid discoid piece but it’s Mudd’s jazzier side that appeals to me the most with tracks such as the soothing fusion outing ‘Spyro’, ‘The Snicket’ which is underpinned with a subtle samba rhythm and the gentle Latin flavoured ‘Summer In The Wood’.

Andy Allen

Things have certainly changed with the internet and swapping music is affecting the music industry in many way, but on this occasion it worked for me. A friend sent me a few of the early releases on Flogsta Danshall, a name which meant nothing to me at the time but once I’d heard them, I was straight on the web hunting down copies of all their 7″ releases: five in total. The quality continues with this compilation with some of the funkiest, dirtiest beats you’ll here with year, with plenty of nostalgic Commodore 64 samples to keep the beat diggers and retro fanatics happy. I’d be very impressed if you’ve heard of any of the artists featured and it seems like most of the artists are based in Scandinavia, but I’m struggling to get more information. Of course it makes no difference where these tracks are made because they all just need to be played.

Simon Harrison

The third installment is here and boy you should be getting excited. I’ve been thinking for a few weeks about what to say on “Ma Fleur” and I cannot come up with a better description than that when I met up with Simon S from Futuristica Music and was chatting to him about this album:The first time you hear “To Build A Home” it makes you wonder if you’ve just turned on Cold Play but in reality this is just simply beautiful music with wonderful vocals from Patrick Watson. We have more of those stunning arrangements and the added extra of another pairing with Fontella Bass. It was sad to read in the press notes that Fontella is ill but if you need your spirits lifting, just play the amazing “Breathe” and “Familiar Ground”. There is a chance that a specially commissioned screenplay for a film might be made to accompany this release and I so hope Swincoe gets the chance to fully complete this project. Like both previous albums, just buy!

Simon Harrison

Volume One was full of real quality but the problem for me was that I had bought most of the tracks on there. Volume Two is somewhat different: yes there are a few tracks that I have, but if you don’t they are essential, like tracks by Marcina Arnold, Nicola Kramer and Grand Union. The other thirteen artists were mostly unknown to me until recently and myspace has been great getting more information. It’s so good to see the excellent “Tea Leaf Dancers” by Flying Lotus with beautiful vocals by Andreya Triana finally see the light of day because it’s been on most peoples’ wants list for months. You also need to hear tracks by Boomclap Bachelors, Matsi, Middlewood Sessions, Sarah Ann Webb and Daisuke Tanabe’s remix of Elan Mehler. Truly essential.

Simon Harrison

Originally released in 1973 Gary Marks’ ‘Gathering’ gets a welcome reissue by Kindred Spirits. Gary has a gentle yet mesmerizing quality to his voice and together with his band, featuring amongst others guitarist John Scofield and David Samuels on vibes, he delivers a stunning collection of folk-jazz compositions. ‘Sailing’, a tranquil piece, the blissful ‘We Free’, the funky fusion instrumental title track and ‘Him Sometimes’, a superb modal outing are all exceptional but this album is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end.

Andy Allen

When Adriana Evans’ self-titled debut was released in 1997 it impacted greatly on the newly emerging neo/organic soul scene. Although her follow up ‘Nomadic’ failed to spark the same level of interest this, her third set sees a return to form. It features all the traits of her first, strong beats, infectious horn arrangements and of course Adriana’s delectable vocal tones. She particularly shines on ‘Hey Now’, ‘Calling Me’ and ‘Undercover’ along with the mellow samba ‘Blue Bird In Bahia’ and the Latin flavoured ‘All For Love’, all of which are like a breath of fresh air.

Andy Allen

A best of from 1998 to 2003 on Anonym Records, The Lion Of Zimbabwe developed his Chimurenga Music (music of struggle) style to voice his concerns over political and social issues in Zimbabwe. At the core of the music is the spiritual sound of the mbira but there’s some jit jive and wider influences contributing too to his powerful vocal style and delivery. The CD starts with a track from his latest release ‘Toi Toi’. taking us back it time to ‘Chimurenga ’98’. Good collection.

Graham Radley