VA Viennatone (1997 Studio !K7)

In the mid-90's the german Studio !K7 label, known mainly for releasing trippy 3D party videos, changed its direction and launched The Freestyle Files compilations and the ongoing legendary DJ-Kicks series. As the sessions mixed by DJs like Kruder & Dorfmeister, Nicolette or Andrea Parker became more and more popular, the shape of new electronic Europe began to emerge. Viennatone is a wide-angle snapshot of the austrian scene that changed the Europe's dullest city into electronic breaks hot spot. It contains a variety of sounds from funky downtempo to furious breakbeats, so there's enough fat for everyone.

01 Count Basic-Speechless (Drum & Bass)
02 Bask-Nova Schuhu
03 Tosca-Chocolate Elvis
04 Mama Oliver-East West (Et Moi)
05 Potuznik vs. Sokol-Each And Everyday
06 Blackwing-Resistance (Soul Explorer Treat)
07 Planet E-Hawk
08 Farmers Manual-A1
09 Alois Huber-Sit Dub
10 Showroom Recording Series-Connection
11 Puck Dannin-Family Affair

mp3 I 320kbps I 73 minutes I 169mb I link in comments

VA Talkin' Inside The Beat (1999 Talkin' Loud)

This showcase of Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud captures the years when this great label resigned on being Acid Jazz Emporium No.2 and moved toward the era of Broken Beat. Contains some rare vinyl-only tracks and remixes.

01 Krust-Re-Arrange (The Cinematic Orchestra Remix)
02 Roni Size Reprazent-Heroes (Kruder Powercut Version)
03 4Hero-Planetaria (Hefner Remix)
04 MJ Cole-Strung Out
05 4Hero-We Who Are Not As Others (Jazzanova Remix)
06 Roni Size Reprazent-Watching Windows (Roni Size Meetse Nu Yorican Soul)
07 Urban Species-Listen (Just Listen) (Louie's Bonus Beats)
08 Eternal Sun-6-8 Drumz (Yoru-Pean Drumz Remix By Pathless)
09 United Future Organization-The Planet Plan
10 Krust-Witchcraft
11 DJ Venom-Brazilika
mp3 I 320kbps I 74 minutes I 171mb I link in comments

VA The Future Sound Of Jazz Vol. 5 (1998 Compost)

My man Flageolette just came up with another of his lovely under-my-radar compilations so why not make it a Great Compilations Weekend, because I've got some goodies for you as well. This, for instance, is another fine volume in The Future Sound Of Jazz saga, filled with some of the coolest trip hop and nu jazz grooves. Posted by public demand. More volumes on the way.

01 Chaser-Life In Loisaida
02 Bjørn Torske-Ode To A Duck
03 Nek-Lok-Escobar Blues
04 Earth Bound-Reggie's Escape
05 Lulu Mushi-Blue Sonoko
06 Ill Dependents-The Shake Up
07 Chroma Oscura-Glow Worm
08 Cine City feat. Waiwan-Plants, Animals, H2O
09 Max Brennan-1300 Milliseconds Of Brass

01 Fauna Flash-Taurus
02 Mayhem-Nasty Funk
03 Azymuth-Tempos Atraz (APE Remix)
04 King Kooba-Freakmeister
05 Force & Paul-Casablanca
06 Extended Spirit-Solid Water
07 Marschmellows-Reloaded
08 Boom Bip & DJ Osiris-Voodoo Science
09 Nonplace Urban Field-Seismic Simmer
10 Calm-Running On The Sand

mp3 I 320kbps I 111 minutes I 269mb I link in comments

Baby Fox - A Normal Family (1996 Roadrunner)

Although released on heavy metal label, Baby Fox debut album is a charming dancefloor dub with sweet girlie vocals. While A Normal Family is a reminder that Baby Fox started on notorious (and very hard-to-find) Skunk Records, their second album Dum Dum Baby had sent them into oblivion. Never mind, I still love those cool bong sounds in Curly Locks.

mp3 I 320kbps I 40 minutes I 93mb I link in comments

Jah Wobble - Heaven And Earth (1995)

As the time softened Jah Wobble's London dub/punk edge, his albums became more and more modern-day dub-based pseudo-ethno easy-listening ammalgam. Heaven And Earth, probably his most accessible piece of work, was co-produced by Bill Laswell and features Natasha Atlas, Pharoah Sanders and Bernie Worrell.

mp3 I 320kbps I 58 minutes I 134mb I link in comments

Primal Scream meets On-U Sound - Echo Dek (1997 Creation)

Primal Scream meets Adrian Sherwood in the echo chamber. This heavy dub session is based on the material from Primal Scream 1997 album Vanishing Point.

mp3 I 320kbps I 44 minutes I 101mb I link in comments

Manna - Manna (1995 Apollo)

I remember listening to this tDR™-packaged Apollo ambient gem and FSOL's ISDN (remember that fancy furry digipak?) at the same time back in the daze and I must say that Manna's debut album totally won it. Later I found out that this great soundscape was created by ex-members of The Comsat Angels, a band which tried to put some space even into the new wave rock back in the mid-80's, which kinda explains the rough edge sometimes audible through this session. A recommended listening!

mp3 I 320kbps I 60 minutes I 139mb I link in comments

Electronic Dub - Electronic Dub (1994 Rising High)

Electronic Dub was a one-off project led by Rising High head honcho Caspar Pound (AKA Hypnotist or New London School Of Electronics). It also featured Air Liquide members under the Jammin' Unit moniker so you can easily imagine what's on the menu. A classic Rising High release.

mp3 I 320kbps I 62 minutes I 142mb I link in comments

Air - Premiers Symptômes EP (1997 Source)

This EP collects pre-Moon Safari releases by Nicolas Godin & Jean-Benoît Dunckel AKA Air. Also includes data track with some multimedia application and video.

mp3 I 320kbps I 33 minutes I 139mb I link in comments

Outside - The Plan CDS (1995 Dorado)

Soul flavoured acid jazz symphony in four parts on this single from Outside's second album The Rough And The Smooth. I'm going to post more stuff from this great production duo (and of this great label as well) soon so take this as a taster of things to come.

mp3 I 320kbps I 17 minutes I 40mb I link in comments

Hefner - Level Green CDS (2000 Inertia)

Lee Jones AKA Hefner has been releasing cinematic downtempo breaks on London based Inertia label since 1997. This single comes from his only album Residue which I'm going to post as soon as I find it. I contains two alt takes of this sweet song plus remixes by Blue States (of ESL fame) and Only Child (see below).

If anybody has the two volumes of Sounds Like Inertia label compilation or Victor Malloy's debut album The Musings Of Monsieur Malloy (320 or lossless) please share with us.

mp3 I 320kbps I 17 minutes I 39mb I link in comments

Only Child - Satellites & Constellations (2000 Grand Central)

Another great release from the Grand Central stable is this debut album by Justin Crawford AKA Only Child. It was co-produced by his label mates Steve Christian and Riton and includes the 1999 chill out anthem When 6 Love 9.

mp3 I 320kbps I 58 minutes I 133mb I link in comments

Alpha - Pepper (1997 Melankolic)

Finally I got to find this nice collection of remixes from their Come From Heaven album so you can enjoy remakes by their Bristol neighbors More Rockers and Receiver (both of the Cup Of Tea fame); two mixes by Underdog and Tim Simenon AKA Bomb The Bass plus three non-album extras.

mp3 I 320kbps I 44 minutes I 101mb I link in comments

DJ Cam - Substances (1996 Inflammable)

Released only one year after his Underground Vibes (known as Mad Blunted Jazz in the US) became worldwide success, DJ Cam's second album was doomed to stay in the shade of his debut. The sound is more experimental and introverted but there's still a couple of great tracks of abstract instrumental hip hop. Innervisions, Meera and Lost Kingdom are still my favs after all those years.

mp3 I 320kbps I 50 minutes I 116mb I link in comments