Artist: NITIN SAWHNEY
Title: PROPHESY
Label: V2
Link: http://www.nitinsawhney.com/ and http://www.v2music.com/
Root: UK-Global/Asian Fusion-World Music
Described in the english press as "the work of a genius", "Prophesy", Nitin Sawhney's fifth album and follow up to 1999's "Beyond Skin", is a massive undertaking: recorded over 5 continents with the participation of over 200 musicians, featuring Natasha Atlas, Cheb Mami, Terry Callier, Trilok Gurtu, etc...the recordings escape the boundaries of the London asian fusion sound of Talvin Singh to go in search of the soul of world music. R&B collides with Drum and Bass, Hip-Hop flirts with Devotional Chants, Arabic Vibes juxtaposes with Salsa, in what amounts to the most cohesive and hybrid mix of worldwide cultural influences.

Artist: FLANGER
Title: INNER SPACE-OUTER SPACE
Label: True Thoughts/ Ninja Tunes
Link: http://www.atom-heart.com and http://www.ninjatune.com/
Root: Germany-Chile/Latin Jazz-Electronica
To categorize this heady, experimental album as a latin jazz-fusion record that flirts with electronica, or exactly the opposite remains a riddle. Masterminded by two jazzheads, somewhere between Santiago de Chile and Cologne, Germany,"Inner Space-Outer Space" is a noteworthy musical combination where animaginary Kraftwerk cover band would perform Sancho Panchez' repertoire. The display of musicianship is phenomenal, owing as much to live instrumentation as programming, and offers a complete departure from the nu-jazz and broken beat sounds of other outfits like Jazzanova, Beanfield and Les Gammas. With all its bold complexities and explorations of new musical territories , the album remains fully accessible and highly enjoyable, with or without a space suit

Artist: KOOP
Title: WALTZ FOR KOOP
Label: Jazzanova Compost Records
Link: http://www.k-o-o-p.com/ and http://www.compost-records.com/
Root: Sweden/Lounge-Jazz Electronica
"Waltz" mindset emanates from a time when swinging and lounging came as an addiction to Stan Guetz, Miles Davis, Coltrane and Burt Bacharach. Koop's achievement in resuscitating the cool of the early 60's comes mostly from vocalist Monica Zetterlund, who incarnates the spirit of Dusty Springfield and Astrud Gilberto to perfection. The music here does not speak of beats or grooves, but mood, gentle and dreamy, with a very palpable organic feel. Against the backdrop of our hardcore reality, the sounds of Koop strangely mirrors the samba of the movie "Brazil", which symbolized the hero's imaginary escape to a better life.

Artist: VIKTER DUPLAIX
Title: DJ KICKS
Label: !K7 Records
Link: http://www.k7.com/
Root: USA/Neo-Soul,Dance
"Welcome to the universal sounds of Vikter Duplaix" claims a cybernetic voice, your guide through this DJ Kicks journey of 21st. Century soul. Winner of the Philadelphia city paper "most stylish" award, this dj, producer, singer, songwriter credits expand in the liner notes of artists like Erika Baduh, Jamiroquai, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Eric Benet, Esthero, and King Britt's Sylk 130 to name just a few. A high ranking member of the Gilles Peterson's "Worldwide" family, Duplaix is dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the roots of black american music, once threatened of extinction by the selling out of Hip-Hop and R&B. This mix, featuring Vikter Duplaix's brand new track "Sensuality", 4Hero, Herbert, De La Soul, Erika Baduh, as well as an arsenal of rock solid lesser known talents, runs the gamut for all its diversity, a testament that soul music is still alive and strong.

Artist: LAMB
Title: WHAT SOUNDS
Label: Mercury
Link: http://www.lambstar.net
Root: UK/Pop-Electronica
Arriving on the Trip-Hop scene amidst the electronica bonanza of 1996, the sonic innovations of Lamb may have gotten lost within the shuffle of all the Morsheeba, Sneaker Pimps, and the many other acts feeding off Portishead's already consumed carcass. But true talent shows resilience, and Lamb has managed to sustain its presence mostly in their inclusion on many compilations, from Cafe del Mar to the Kruder and Dorfmeister sessions. "What sound" is their third and most achieved album to date. With little concern to what may be in style this season, Andy Barlow krafts his usual beat maestria around Louise Rhodes' gripping emotional voice, into songs about love and desire, and the loss of innocence, with the candor of a child, and the wisdom of womanhood. The brooding mood somehow always manages to finish on the uplift, choosing honesty over drama, humility over righteousness. The intensity of the production is supported by amazing sting arrangements, as well as the musical talents of Guy Sigsworth (Bjork, Gus Gus), Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Michael Franti, and Arto Lindsay.

Artist: GROOVE CORPORATION
Title: (presents) REMIXES FROM THE ELEPHANT HOUSE
Label: Guidance
Link: http://www.33rpm.com
Root:UK/Dub, Down and Mid tempo Electronica
In the increasingly popular format of the remix album, "Elephant House" deserves a space on the CD shelve next to its' other proven peers Thievery Corporation, Kruder and Dorfmeister, and Jazzanova. As one of the currently most sought after remixing team, Groove Corporation, a trio out of Birmingham, flex their shred-cut-reconstruct muscle over classic tracks by Bob Marley, Dillinger, UB40, Luciano, Rae and Christian, Bobby Womack and Ennio Morricone to name only half the roster of talent on this cd. Shamelessly mixing soul, funk, roots into unavoidable bass powered dance grooves where the beats dig deep but never overwhelm, the versatility of the original tracks creates great variety, and the remixes never feel like a "one size fits all" recipe. To the contrary, each piece finds itself re-vamped into a seemingly new timeless classic.

Artist: GOTAN PROJECT
Title: LA REVENCHA DEL TANGO
Label: Beggars Group, USA-XL Recordings-Iya Basta!
Link: www.gotanproject.com and www.beggars.com/us/gotanproject/
Root: France-Argentina/Tango-Downtempo Electronica
An Ambitious production fusing argentine tango and downtempo electronica, Gotan Project's early vinyl releases became instant favorite with globally conscious DJ's like Gilles Peterson, who was quick to include their first track "El Capitalismo Foraneo" in his Worldwide 10th. anniversary double CD compilation. Others followed suit, creating a warm reception for this successful cross-cultural experiment, which preserves the essence and passion of Tango, but infuses it with ambient textures, intoxicating grooves and swaying rhythms." Revencha", the brainchild of french electronica producers Philllipe Cohen Solal and Christophe H Muller (previously known as the boys from Brazil), features many live musicians performing acoustic guitar, bandoneon, piano, violin, double bass, and the occasional vocal intrusion of latin singers and mc's. The feel is authentic and the electric influence of Astor Piazzola ever present in this unique recording which truly goes beyond any classification.

Artist: OM LOUNGE
Title: VOL. 6
Label: OM Records
Link: http://www.omrecords.com
Root: Global/Downtempo Electronica
Seeking ever deeper into the rare and unusual gems of downtempo electronica, OM Lounge's 6th. installment lives up to its reputation as a no-cheese, first grade chill-out compilation. By now, the cocktail crowds have given into the overwhelming choice of soundtracks available for their cinematic lifestyles. Om Lounge shares the top of the list mostly for it's funkiness and choice of artists, featuring 12 unreleased tracks or remixes by Dzihan and Kamien, Mo'Horizons, Soulstice, Andy Caldwell, Black 16,etc..., soon to become favorites at your local trendy watering hole. Sophisticated and sexy, OM Lounge keeps on with its tradition of putting its listeners through a delightful and fluffy audio experience.

Artist: 4HERO
Title: CREATING PATTERNS
Label: Talkin'loud records
Link: http://www.talkinloud.com/ and http://www.4hero.co.uk/
Root: UK/Nu Jazz-Neo Soul
There is a profound spiritual notion that impregnates every 4Hero track past and present. The idea that a phenomenal creative process (as masterminded by Marc Mac and Dego) is coming to life at the precise ephemerous moment that one hears the music. How to make sense of the complexity by which soul, driven by broken beats and drum and bass rhythms, grooves and melodies with underlying african and latin influences, end up in a symphonic crescendo of Wagnerian magnitude, to drop to the bare vocal line of the many vocal performers (Jill Scott, Ursula Rucker, Terry Callier, etc...), is far beyond the first hearing of "Creating Patterns". This is "Bitches 'Brew" grinned together with "Songs in the Key of Life" to ascend to its own status of near masterpiece. A cover of the anthem Minnie Ripperton classic "Les Fleurs" almost outdoes the original, while the solid funk of "Hold It Down" makes dancing a quasi necessity. 4Hero is never what it seems, and unveils new layers of subtleties with each new listening experience.

Artist: TIM FIELDING
Title: JOURNEY BY DJ-LEY LINES
Label: Journeys By DJ
Link: http://www.journeysbydj.com/ and http://www.greengalactic.com/
Root: UK/Dance
Launched in 1992 by Tim Fielding himself, Journey by DJ is the world's first DJ-mix series on CD, preceding any other with then not quite yet "superstar" DJs Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Justin Robertson and Judge Jules to name just a few. After 16 years of spinning on dance floors the world over, and promoting the careers of his peers, Tim Fielding finally puts his name down on a CD of his own. The House-based mix is flawlessly executed by the hand of a master, ever consistent, yet creating a sonic landscape of highs and lows, a speed train of 18 tracks seamlessly woven together, meticulously chosen to gradually take you there, elsewhere, on a journey where people gather, dance and share the vibes, in the words of the man himself: "...a mental trip to a musical Avalon, where boundaries blur, perceptions change and a sublime message weaves in and out of the thread". These are Tim Fielding's Ley Lines.

Artist: TROUBLEMAKERS
Title: DOUBTS AND CONVICTIONS
Label: Guidance
Link: http://www.33rpm.com and http://www.troublemakers.fr
Root: France/Downtempo
Marseilles, an industrial city where a multi-racial and cultural mix often results in violent clashes, a breeding ground for the second largest Hip-hop community in the world, provides the background from which the Troublemakers emanate. Yet this trio managed to come together brilliantly, securing a spot for themselves on the international downtempo scene, away from the "French Touch" of Air and those who followed in the wake of their success. The cinematic influences of DJ Shadow's abstract Hip-Hop construction is the primary influence of "Doubts and Convictions", but it is a more musical album, with a touch of Blue Note Lounge Jazz, a few ambient textures, and the exotic sensuality of African and Brazilian vibes. The music is laid-back, groovy, and easy to get into, but much like the place it comes from, there are flaring tensions and deeply rooted emotions, making it one of the edgiest releases in the world of Downtempo.