Those in the know will have noticed that this was released first in Japan a few months ago but those top people at BBE have signed it for UK release. Ski had been around on the scene for years and it’s always great to hear the solo productions. For this his second album he’s brought in some heavy weight vocalists aka Amp Fiddler, Valerie Etienne, Earl Zinger and Chi Turner and they all sound fantastic. Most of the attention has been on the Amp Fiddler tracks which are ace but make sure you listen to the other vocal tracks because they are outstanding. BBE roll out another classic.

Simon Harrison

This has to be one of the most eagerly awaited albums of 2005, ever since ‘Dust’ was heard last year. It is of course the follow up to the excellent ‘Cardiology’. Things kick off with another anthem in the making, ‘Landed’, but it’s not all about the big dancefloor tunes. There’s a proper mix up of styles and influences, which of course you would expect from a man of this talent. It may not grab you on first play but give it a few listens and you’ll be hooked for the rest of 2005.

Simon Harrison

As you may have gathered by the title, all of the ten tracks on Ernesto’s latest album have a blues influence. Mixing blues and electronic music may not sound good on paper but this is tastefully and beautifully arranged. Personally I’ve been hammering ‘another ten’ which featured on the 7″ single but ensure you check out the wonderful ‘Father’. Maybe more producers should move to Birmingham because it’s worked wonders for Ernesto.

Simon Harrison

Yet another corking album from the Compost stable and this time it’s from Eddy who is half of Eddy and Dus and Yannah aka Jana Valdevit. With a serious amount of musical history between them I always knew this would be good. With a mix-up of Broken beats, Jazz and Brazilian styles and top vocals from Yannah, make sure you pack this for your summer holiday because it’ll make perfect sense on a sandy beach in the sun.

Simon Harrison

I think most of you have heard or read about the Broadcite collective, so I won’t go into too much detail but these guys have been around for a number of years, creating their own music scene in London. We are now finally starting to their productions released on their own label and here is their first compilation, which features tracks signed from Public Transit and Sonar Kollektiv. This maintains the idea that anything goes but quality music is Broadcite’s number one objective. With tracks that cover just about every style inc. Funk, Broken Beat, Nu Jazz, Electro and Soul, you just can’t go wrong, adding this to your musical collection.

Simon Harrison

Looking at this album sleeve I was really unsure what to expect: electro or some new wave gubbins but this is a down right beautiful album, which wipes the floor with all the ‘lounge’ style compilations that are currently flooding the market. Things kick off with the lovely ‘Whistling In Tongues’ and all you need to do is sit back and listen to the wonderful experimental sounds. Perfect listening for when you need to calm down when stuck in a traffic jam.

Simon Harrison

This has been a long time coming and it’s great to have the finished copy. Things kick off with the amazing title track, which has been on playlists for well over a year and still sounds fresh. ‘Blue Eye Blak’ will satisfy the broken beats head with tracks like ‘Gotta Be A Place For Us’ and ‘Movin On’ and also for people just on the lookout for a damn good album, this has it all. This is a fantastic debut and yes, all the production was done by the man himself. Top marks to People Records

Simon Harrison

It’s not often I buy compilations but recently there have been some absolute gems. Here John Kong hand picks a brilliant selection of Canada’s finest jazz recordings and how many of us really knew that their jazz scene was so good. All the tracks were chosen for today’s dancefloors and Mr Kong deserves a pat on the back because they do exactly what they say on the sleeve. These tracks only received infrequent airplay on CBC and were available in very limited quantities, so it’s great to have a starter, to kick off the show. Simply this is beautiful and a great to start your Canadian jazz collection.

Simon Harrison

What struck me when I first listened to this album was I couldn’t quite believe this was their debut; it felt like they’ve been at this game for years. There are the big singles ‘Different Spaces’ and ‘Pheromone’ with not one of the other tracks can be called a filler, well maybe except the ‘Interlude’. It’s just tip top quality. Give this a listen when you’re next on a record hunt, you’ll be walking out of the shop with a copy.

Simon Harrison

It seems like Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet has been getting some serious attention over the pond recently. He’s just finished remixes for Madib and Jaydee’s Madvillian and his next single ‘Sun Drums and Soil’ is remixed by Sa-Ra, so what a perfect time to release his fourth instalment. You must be aware from the start that this is intense and downright mad but don’t let that put you off because it’s very cleverly produced, with all manner of influences mixed in the pot. Look out for the limited double vinyl because hidden in there is the full album on cd, perfect for home listening.

Simon Harrison