I’m not sure if it was the sad loss of J Dilla aka Jay Dee (R.I.P) in 2006 that sparked a new interest in beats but over the last few months we’ve seen quality albums from the likes Flying Lotus, Dr. Who Dat aka Jnerio Jarel, Hudson Mohawke and many more, with of course re-issues and new releases of Dilla material. Super Smoky Soul take the gauntlet and produce twenty heavy weight beats, that have had many beat junkies drooling. I don’t know much about these guys but once you get your ears around the likes of “After Smoke”, “Every”, “Simply”, “Smile” or “Classius Clay”, just to name a few, you’ll be hooked. The vinyl sampler will be in limited quantites, so be warned.

Simon Harrison

This is one I’ve been really looking forward to after hearing the snips on the Twisted Funk label website, and boy does it deliver. Marc Mac compiles the finest selection of the best broken beats you’ll hear in 2007, produced by some of the biggest players in the bruk scene. Yes they’re just about all here: Somatik, Cyberworks, Mark Force, Jonny Miller, Seiji, Hopper, Nu Era, Dr Stepper, Sonar Circle aka Domu and of course two tracks from Marc Mac. If you need any more convincing, I give up.

Simon Harrison

Yes, Compost Records are finally there; 250 releases and thirteen years old, I can’t believe how time flies. I don’t remember seeing their first release in the shops but I remember catching onto these guys pretty early. This compromises some of their recently singles and it’s the kind of compilation I like because I’ve been hammering most of these tracks to death. There is Moodymann’s remix of Ali Tree, Carl Craig’s remix of Beanfield, Todd Terje’s re-work of Felix Laband and Tony Nwachukwu’s remix of Karama, which are all essential. There’s also the added bonus of Soil and Pimps, Ben Mono and Koop. You need this.

Simon Harrison

Slope has always been consistent over the years and never really put a foot wrong. Even though I write that, recently I saw some of his remixes being released and finding myself not giving them a listen. Some of the best tracks on Clara Hill’s album were produced by Slope but again I didn’t quite register, that is until now. This is one album that I went back to again and again over Christmas. With quality remixes from Henrick Schwarz, Meitz, Daz-I-Kue and Afronaught, plus Slope re-works of Fat Freddy’s Drop, 1Luv, Deyampert and Daniel Magg this has finally woken me up to how good Slope is. Yep, he’s dope!

Simon Harrison

Driving into Leeds before Christmas with a friend and I put the “Belle Et Fou” cd on. To our surprise we heard the voice of someone who sounds so much like Barry White, I wondered if I was playing the right cd, or had Jazzanova really done a track with the legend. We finally found the cd cover to discover it was Capital A. What a way to grab your attention and the quality just continued. Micatone, Clara Hill, Thief and Georg Levin sound a treat, with covers from the Jazzanova back catalogue and loving homage to many of the greats.

Jazzanova spent five months working on this project to create the soundtrack, which was then used for the theatrical show aired last year. I just wish I’d known about this a little earlier. It’s great to see artists like Jazzanova and Legends of the Underground taking projects like this to a new level and audience, which will have a great effect on the scene as a whole. This will certainly keep fans of the collective happy until their new album arrives later this year.

Simon Harrison

This album from French producer Joakim begins in a very dark mood, with the theme firmly set on eclectism. You never know what your gonna get when you listen to either a Joakim remix or one of his own productions. Like a good Jack-of-all-trades, he masters all genres.
This is far from a club album (although ‘DrumTrax’ would go down a storm on the dancefloor), instead there is a fusion of electronica, pop, jazzy wiggle and dark chords a plenty to keep the mood deep and haunting. This is definitely the sort of album that takes a few listens to get used too. It’s so up and down tempo-wise that your never sure what’s about to drop. It would be hard to recommend this long player to anyone in particular, although I would suggest checking it out in depth and over time. Joakim definitely has some serious musical talent, which he puts to good use across the whole album and K7 have catered for their ‘left of middle’ fans by releasing this monster mash.

Jax

When a Nas album is about to drop I get a sense anticipation similar to when Gangstarr and Dre release long players, Just hoping it’s gonna be worth the wait. Nas’s last ‘Street Disciple’ was way off his usual high standard and earlier outings. For ‘Hip Hop Is Dead’ he’s switched labels to the force that is Def Jam, and I reckon this has definitely given the album the edge. The rhymes are tight and the beats are signature Nas. During the whole album Nas is blasting the Hip Hop industry, the commercialism of the front runners in the scene and the all out bullsh*t that surrounds a lot of major releases within this multi-million selling industry. He reminds everyone that whereas his peers are nowhere on the scene, he’s still releasing tracks true to his sound. Hip Hop is dead? Not with Nas around it’s not. Get this!

Jax

Sonar Kollektiv are by far one the busiest and most consistent labels in the electronic dance industry. They have some superb artists on their roster and most of the compilations they bang out are sheer class. This ‘Innervisions’ album is no exception! It sets the groove immediately with Chateau Flights elegant ‘Baroque’ which slips into Ame’s ‘Req’, probably one the best tunes to ever be released on SK. There are some belters by Tokyo Black Star, Atjazz and Stefan Goldman, all tinged with a lil’ Detroit / Berlin influence. The album finishes off with the exquisite collaboration between Ame, Dixon and Henrik Schwarz, a 4am treat of tune with good old Derrick Carter on shouty vocals. Brilliant! Per se from SK.

Jax

102% is the fifth album from my local funk band The New Mastersounds and if your tastebuds fancy some funk, you can never go wrong with these guys. There are no vocals but they’ve brought in Rob Lavers on sax and flute, who brings another dimension to their sound. Most of the tracks are their own work, except for a great version of Roots Manuva’s “Witness”, which is certain to gain them a few more fans, and ensure you check out “Thirty three” and “Carrot Juice”. One thing I would love these guys to do is work with more vocalists. They’ve already proved they can do it with the classic “Your Love Is Mine” with Corinne Bailey Rae, and with Nicola Willis blowing up over 2006 and expected to do big things in 2007, it would be perfect timing.

Simon Harrison

As we move into 2007 I’ve been finding numerous albums that I missed last year and I’m sure this will be the same in the coming year, as things released are arriving in vast quantities and we’re still in January. One I did miss was “Between Yesterday and Tomorrow” and I’ve no idea why especially when the single “Wanderers Creek” featured remixes by Domu and Maddslinky. I must have been daydreaming when that was released, but the good news is that it’s being re-issued via Goya very soon. So back to Art Bleek’s debut, we have an album that builds wonderfully over the thirteen tracks. Starting with the haunting cinematic “Wanderers Creek” through the jazzy hiphop “Get Your Weight Up”, to the more uptempo “Airgasm” and that’s just three corkers to get you started, proving to us all that whatever the style, Art Bleek certainly knows what he’s doing. Keep your eyes peeled for more blinding remixes from Slope, Charlie Dark and Lil’ Bo Tweek.

Simon Harrison