D.I.G. (Directions In Groove) - Curvystrasse (1999)




Directions In Groove (DIG) were a popular Australian acid jazz band originally from the suburb of Redfern in Sydney, who produced several distinctive acid-jazz / groove / funk albums in the 1990's.

DIG released several albums on the EMI Music Australia and Polygram labels, with "Speakeasy" and "Deeper" achieving double platinum status. DIG have also toured the world, playing alongside artists such Herbie Hancock and Bootsy Collins.

The original DIG lineup featured Tim Rollinson on guitar, Scott Saunders on keyboards and vocals, Rick Robertson on Sax, Terepai Richmond on Drums and Alex Hewetson on Bass. The band's most popular tracks include "The Favourite", "Reinvent Yourself", and "Hip Replacement".

DIG were also famous for their live performances at The Basement, a club situated in the heart of Sydney, near Circular Quay which has been a landmark of the Australian music scene since the early 1970s.

Please note that tracks 5 and 9 are missing. If anyone has them, I would love for you to get in touch with me.

1. Rumour Has It
2. Upside
3. Green T
4. Klikkety Klak
5. Sinbad (MISSING)
6. All Is Quiet
7. Aqua Temporal
8. Would We
9. X (MISSING)
10. Antimatter
11. O'Cumbayah


Speaking of Australian Acid Jazz, I am desparately after an album from a Sydney band called Bellydance. It's called "One Blood". There's not much about it on the net, the only details I can find on it are here. If anyone could hook me up I would be eternally grateful.

Get Directions in Groove - Curvystrasse at Amazon

Smoove - Gravy: Remixes & Rarities




This is the first of Acid Jazz’s 20th Anniversary projects. The iconic East London label that brought you Jamiroquai, The Brand New Heavies, JTQ, Terry Callier and countless other jazz funk and soul nuggets celebrates it’s 20th year this October. The powers that be have invited the northern monkey, DJ and re-mixer that is SMOOVE to take his pick from the legendary ACID JAZZ catalogue in order to come up with a number of remixes that celebrate the history of the label. A few of them are mixes of his own material (Dead Men’s Shirts – AJX LP/CD 164), but others feature Soul II Soul vocalist Rose Windross, northern soul legend Dean Parrish, acid jazz originators The Bukky Leo Quintet (which was the only project ever co-produced by the label’s originators Gilles Peterson and Eddie Piller), and a version of the top ten R’n’B hit from Andy Lewis which features the vocals of Curtis Mayfield protégé Keni Burke.

This is one for the dancefloor and the first of several projects to celebrate the label’s 20th birthday:

1. I'm A Man - Roberts, Dan
2. Looking Up Looking In - Lewis, Andy
3. Left Right And Centre - Lord Large & Dean Parrish
4. As If - Smoove (1)
5. Can I Be Your Man - Jinrai
6. All This Love That I'm Giving - Smoove & Mary Awere
7. Love In The Making - Windross, Rose
8. Tired Feet - Smoove (1)
9. Rejoice In The Righteousness - Leo, Bukky Quintet & Darren Grainger
10. Love Is Alive In My Heart - Lewis, Andy & Keni Burke

Smoove's Website

Get Smoove - Gravy at Amazon

Jamiroquai - Too Young To Die - Live Taratata 1993

Jamiroquai performs "Too Young To Die" live on French TV show "Taratata" in 1993.

Acid Jazz Originals

News from the Acid Jazz Records Site

This year sees Acid Jazz celebrate its’ 20th anniversary – and with a unique tie-up with reissue gurus Ace and their BGP label we are bringing out a series of extended versions of classic Acid Jazz albums, as well as a series of exclusive compilations charting the label’s greatest moments.

Already available are “1987” a round up of the James Taylor Quartet’s first year of recording, making available for the first time on 1 CD their “Mission Impossible” and “Moneyspyder” LPs, which includes their indie number one, and inspiration for the club “Blow Up”.

The 2nd release is Mother Earth’s seminal 1994 LP “People Tree”. This has been reissued on a 2CD set featuring on 1 disc the original CD including such classics as ‘Jesse’ and ‘Apple Green’, whilst the second disc rounds up b-sides, out-takes and alternate versions, including the achingly beautiful acoustic version of ‘Jesse’.

The Brand New Heavies self titled debut, was a critical moment in the label’s history and its deluxe reissue features everything that was recorded for that album for the very first time on one LP. Sounding better than ever and full to the brim of brit soul classics such as ‘Never Stop’, ‘Dream Come True’ and ‘Stay This Way’, it highlights how soul label Acid Jazz was. A point reiterated in our final release to date: “Snowboy’s Soul Spectacular’ a compilation of soul sides recorded by the man best known as the UK’s leading Latin percussionist. In the 90s he recorded an amazing selection of soul and funk singles, and they are gathered together here for the first time on one disc.

Also available is the first of a series of compilations that we will be producing charting the history of the label and the scene that spawned it. ‘Totally Wired and Other Illicit Grooves’ has a look at the early day of the Acid Jazz scene and includes club classics by the likes of Galliano, the Brand New Heavies and Galliano as well as the first ever CD issue of King Truman’s ‘Like A Gun’ a Paul Weller side project which was withdrawn within days of its 12 inch release in 1988, and has been unavailable since.

The next year will see further releases by the JTQ, Mother Earth and Emperor’s New Clothes as well as the definitive AJ best of to celebrate two decades of one of the UK’s greatest independent labels.

Brian Auger Whenever You're Ready

Brian Auger playing Whenever You're Ready with daughter Savannah (vocals) and son Karma (drums) Montreal 2004.

From Leaf to Feather - Albeit

From Leaf To Feather are a Los Angeles based quartet whose members, Albert Santiago (bass), Ramiro Saucedo (drums), Steven GOnzalez (electric piano & electronics), and Lauri Kranz (vocals) are all from different parts of L.A. They first gained national attention with the ironically titled "NightSun" when it was chosen as the opening song on the highly acclaimed Milan Records compilation "Artdontsleep presents: From L.A. With Love".

"Albeit" is the new song off their debut CD, titled "Themes on an Imaginary Winter"



Leaf to Feather's MySpace page

Incognito - 100 Degrees and Rising




In 1995 a bit of an earthquake occurred in the world of Incognito fans: the band's fourth album, "100 Degrees and Rising," was released...and Maysa Leak was nowhere to be found! As it turned out, Leak -the distinctive voice behind Incognito hits "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing" and "Deep Waters"- was off making her solo debut. But considering the group's artistic ascent began with Maysa's arrival, where would this leave Incognito? And would Maysa fare as well on her own? Luckily for fans, both projects panned out: Maysa's self-titled album was a gorgeously-crafted work of art that both capitalized on and branched out from the musical styles Incognito fans were accustomed to, and Bluey had enough top-notch songs onhand to make a fantastic Incognito record even in Leak's absence.

The most noticeable change is the arrangment style. While there are still horns aplenty, strings take more precedence on "100 Degrees," creating a lush and warmer sound than the group's previous work while still maintaining their authentic 70's sensibilities. A Stevie Wonder influence can be heard fairly clearly on the record, especially in the hardcore funk of "Roots (Back to a Way of Life)" and on the richly-chorded ballad "Too Far Gone." "Good Love" and "Spellbound and Speechless" offer up classic Cog grooves, while the disco-happy "I Hear Your Name" and the club-ready "Everyday" (the latter of which ended up being the album's significant hit) rank among Incognito's best dance numbers. We're also treated to four exceptionally strong instrumental cuts: the breezy, lite jazz "After the Fall"; the frenzied flamenco number "Jacob's Ladder"; the grooving and futuristic "Millenium," and the stunningly gorgeous Bossa Nova excursion "Barumba."

So how do the replacement vocalists measure up? Frankly, Pam Anderson does a respectable job of trying to fit into Maysa Leak's shoes; her fiery and soulful vibrato, sounding like energy itself, is a sharp contrast to Maysa's smoother stylings, so her presence on "Good Love," "Roots," and "Everyday" marks a bold new sound for Incognito. Unfortunately, a lesser vocalist by the name of Joy Malcolm is given more chances in the spotlight...and while she's a technically adept vocalist, hitting every note she goes for on the lush ballad "Where Did We Go Wrong" and creating pleasant enough moods on "Spellbound and Speechless" and the title track, her voice is lacking in color and individuality. Luckily, Incognito's always-superior production and arrangements manage to create memorable moments where her mediocre vocals couldn't.

In the end, the only shortcoming to be found with the record is the absence of Maysa Leak, something no one can be held responsible for from an artistic standpoint. That said, the warm and infectious "100 Degrees and Rising" showcases one of today's strongest jazz/soul outfits in top form.

1. Where Did We Go Wrong
2. Good Love
3. One Hundred and Rising
4. Roots (Back to a Way of Life)
5. Everyday
6. Too Far Gone
7. After the Fall [Instrumental]
8. Spellbound and Speechless
9. I Hear Your Name
10. Barumba [Tribute to Luiz Eça)
11. Millennium [Instrumental]
12. Time Has Come
13. Jacob's Ladder [Instrumental]

Get Incognito - 100 Degrees & Rising at Amazon

Incognito's Website

Incognito - Eleven



The U.K.-based supergroup Incognito released their 11th career recording and it's a sleek, pop/jazz offering that will have you swinging and swaying to their groovy guitars, big horns, and soulful vocals. This is the first time the group has recorded with its touring band and it's a whole new groove. This sophisticated take on acid jazz features such great songs as "Baby It's Alright," "Show Me Love," and "As Long as It's You" The soulful vocals of Maysa Leak and Imaani bring a great dimension to Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick's company and it's definitely a keeper.

01 Let the Mystery Be
02 We Got Music
03 Come Away with Me
04 Baby It's Alright
05 When Tomorrow Brings You Down
06 Jacaranda
07 Show Me Love
08 Will I Ever Learn?
09 I'll Get By
10 It's Just One of Those Things
11 As Long as It's You

Get Incognito - Eleven at Amazon

Incognito's Website

The Brand New Heavies - Sometimes Feat Q-Tip (Ummah RMX)

The Brand New Heavies Ft Large Prof Main Source BonafiedFunk



Bembe Segue and Mark de Clive-Lowe welcome you to The Politik Remix Album + Artwork Competition. They had a lot of fun making this album in London and Vancouver and now it's your chance to have a go at flipping it. They've uploaded remix parts for the entire album plus the original raw artwork.

This competition is open to anyone and everyone who'd like to have a go at remixing one (or more) songs from The Politik's debut album. The winning remixes will be compiled into the official remix album The Politik Remixed to be released on both physical and digital formats. The second part of the competition is an artwork remix competition for the cover art of the official release. Download the original artwork by Joshua Mays and have a go at reworking it in the spirit of the Remix.

All entries must be received by April 14, 2008.

For more information, download links for all the files and the submission info click:
http://studio.mashibeats.com/ThePolitikRemixComp.html

Hear the original album at http://thepolitik.imeem.com

http://myspace.com/thepolitik
http://thepolitik.imeem.com

http://coopr8.net

Eightfires Musica




Eightfires Musica has just posted James Taylors newest album - Picking Up Where We Left Off. Do yourself a favour and head over there.

Eightfires is an awesome blog with a wide range of groovy flavouring. Definitely worth a visit.

I'm Back... Sort Of

This site continues to get hundreds of visitors a day, despite me having done anything on it for a long long time. So here's the deal; I am totally ignoring the following...

  • Complaints about bitrates
  • Complaints about missing files
  • Complaints about which site is hosting the file
  • Complaints about anything not listed above
I would dearly love to engage in...

  • Discussions about music
  • Discussions about artists
  • Discussions about labels
  • Discussions about new releases
My email is readily available, and I would love to hear from you. I don't know how often I'll be posting, just whenever it strikes my fancy.

4 Hero - ...Mixing




Tracklisting :

01. Bootsy Collins - Fat Cat 6:40
02. INT - Beat 8 01:01
03. Dabrye - Game Over 03:33
04. J-Dilla - Over The Breaks 01:44
05. Raymond Scott - Lightworks 01:47
06. Two Sisters - High Noon 03:05
07. Face - Act Like All Is Right 02:42
08. Scientist - Blood On His Lips 02:49
09. The Skatalites - Roots Dub 05:56
10. Patrice Rushen - Message In The Music 02:52
11. Georgia Ann Muldrow - Blackman 01:14
12. Roy Hargrove - On The One (Sa-Ra Remix) 03:08
13. Aladdin - The Silent Whisper 00:43
14. Little Brother - Nighttime Maneuvers 02:16
15. Waajeed - Make Doe 02:55

Links :
4hero.co.uk
myspace.com/4hero
sonarkollektiv.com
myspace.com/sonarkollektiv

Press Release :
With the outstanding success of the two first "…mixing" compilations from Jazzanova and Âme, it would be a hard task finding the next artist that could bring something special for the third in the series, and keep raising the bar - enter Dennis McFarlane (aka Dego) of 4hero.

With his partner Mark Clair (aka Marc Mac), 4hero have changed the face of music and made a huge contribution to dance culture. They were regarded as pioneers of jungle and drum'n’bass after their first album "In Rough Territory", and haven’t stopped innovating since. In more than 20 years they have released 6 albums and set up 5 different labels: Reinforced, Raw Canvas, 2000 Black, Omniverse and Twisted Funk. Their album "Parallel Universe" was named NME Album of the Year, and "2 Pages" (released on Gilles Peterson’s Talkin’ Loud label) was nominated for a Mercury Prize Award, and won them a MOBO Award in 2001. They recently released "Play With The Changes" on their own Raw Canvas label, which received a critical acclaim in UK.

On "…mixing", 4hero investigate their musical influences; past, present and future. Things start off on a funky note with Bootsy Collins (who played earlier on in his career in James Brown’s band) and the infectious P-funk of "Fat Cat". Detroit hip hop is covered with the incredible "Game Over" and the inimitable J Dilla’s "Over The Breaks", taken from his legendary posthumous album The Shining. Then it’s back in time with the electronic music of composer and inventor Raymond Scott, regarded by many as a major influence for musicians such as Robert Moog, Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada. This childish atmosphere is broken with the disco-funk of "High Noon" by Two Sisters from the Carrere imprint of 1983, made of analogue drum beats and keyboard sounds. This is followed nicely with the soulful voice of Face and the break beats of "Act Like All Is Right".

The second part of the mix begins with the exceptional roots-reggae sounds of Jamaican dub mixer Scientist aka Hopeton Brown. "Blood on his Lips" is a slow instrumental tune with a fat drum beat giving the pace, choppy guitar riffs and some nice guiro sounds in a pure roots-reggae style. For "Roots Dub", The Skatelites make great use of their studio effects, with echoes on trumpet, flute and guitar riffs, creating a special sound that had influenced every reggae, dub and broken beat artist since. Once again, Dego switches styles with the wonderful voices of disco legend Patrice Rushen with "Message In The Music" and Georgia Anne Muldrow with "Blackman".

Sa-Ra’s remix of Roy Hargrove’s "On The One" is modern soul at its finest, before the compilation ends with the calm and dubby hip hop of "Nighttime Maneuvers" by Little Brother, and "Make Doe" by Detroit producer Waajeed, a brand-new anthem from Fat City records.

From new to old Dego teaches us that Black music is constantly innovating but never forgetful of its roots. If you want proof that Black music is always evolving, look no further than 4hero "…mixing".

What is Acid Jazz?

Acid jazz (also known as club jazz) is a musical genre that combines elements of soul music, funk, disco, particularly looping beats and modal harmony. It developed over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance/pop music.

The compositions of groups such as The Brand New Heavies and Incognito often feature chord structures usually associated with Jazz music. The Heavies in particular were known in their early years for beginning their songs as catchy pop and rapidly steering them into jazz territory before "resolving" the composition and thus not losing any pop listeners but successfully "exposing" them to jazz elements in "baby steps".

The acid jazz "movement" is also seen as a "revival" of jazz-funk or jazz fusion or soul jazz by leading DJs such as Norman Jay or Gilles Peterson or Patrick Forge, also known as "rare groove crate diggers".