You can purchase these releases directly from here through our exclusive arrangement with Amazon. CLICK ON THE COVER to listen to sample tracks, and purchase online.

Artist: DEADLY AVENGER
Title: DEEP RED
Label: Illicit Recordings-Shadow Records
Link: www.illicitrecordings.com and www.shadowrecords.com
Root: UK/ Electronica
Deadly Avenger isn’t the title of this summer’s latest Marvel superhero adaptation, although Deep Red, producer Damon Baxter’s heady debut, brings to audio what Imax does to film. If a 47 piece Hungarian Orchestra isn’t enough to give the record scope, this mad conductor presents Electronica as high art, blending, meshing, mixing, bending every musical influence under the sun into a kaleidoscopic audio collage, from Big Beat anthems, to Jazzy Downtempo grooves, with everything from world, house and hip hop thrown in the mix. Nods to the Future Sound Of London, DJ Shadow and Massive Attack pay tribute to those before him, whose innovations opened the path of evolution. Emerging from obscurity with awe inspiring production superpowers, Deadly Avenger came here to blow minds, raise the bar, and save the electronic scene from its disposable redundancy.

Artist: RALPH MYERZ AND THE JACK HERREN BAND
Title: A SPECIAL ALBUM
Label: Emperor Norton Records
Link: www.emperornorton.com
Root: Norway/ Downtempo-Lounge Jazz
Like a lounge act on crack, A Special Album could have been the soundtrack to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Conjuring squeaky clean stylized images from a 70's TV commercial, Ralph Myerz and the JHB dilute the cheesiness by chopping at the beats with funky keyboard grooves, bleeps that echo to infinity, and every possible abuse of the distortion pedal. Packing more glitz than a Van Cleef and Harpel collection piece, it unfolds like a Riviera vacation on acid. Beyond all this camp hides Norway’s latest export, making their contribution to the Pop-Electronica renaissance started by Royksopp and Kings of Convenience. Amidst the mayhem, catchy hooks make each track as instantly memorable as a psychotic breakdown, while the complexity of the futuristic retro-chic production reveals new subtleties at every turn.

Artist: JUNKIE XL
Title: A RADIO JXL A BROADCAST FROM THE COMPUTER HELL CABIN
Label: Roadrunner Records
Link: www.radiojxl.com
Root: Netherlands/ Pop-Electronica
With Elvis still gyrating his pelvis 6 feet under after last summer’s chart topping remix of “Little Less Conversation”, Junkie XL adds meat to the bones by bringing out of quasi retirement some of the biggest pop icons of the 80’s. The first act of this 3 parts fictitious radio broadcast, 3PM, dusts off the past glory of Robert Smith (the Cure), Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), Terry Hall (The Specials), Gary Numan, Blues legend Salomon Burke, and Public Enemy’s Chuck D, while Republica singer Saffron single handedly incarnates the drama of every post punk diva, from Siouxie Sioux to Bow Wow Wow’s Anabella. Buzz worthy Australian newcomers Infusion make a stellar appearance, and slain rasta Peter Tosh plays dead man walking with yet another act of resurrection. Resting on a Big Beat foundation, JXL’s production rocks out with live instrumentation, every song unraveling as potential hit. Act two, the 3AM broadcast, dives deep into club land, from chilled ambient dubs to Ibiza progressive house anthems, featuring a payback contribution from DJ-producer Sasha, expanding the dance floor into psychotropic realms beyond the limits of the physical world. The final act of this massive undertaking, the Radio JXL website, takes the experience beyond the limits of the CD as a product, making an interactive connection live and direct with more mixes and Broadcasts From The Computer Hell Cabin.

Artist: DWELE
Title: SUBJECT
Label: Virgin
Link: www.dwele.net
Root: US/ R&B -Soul
R&B singer, multi instrumentalist Dwele joins the top crop of new black voices, smoothing out every corner of human sensuality. Unlike D’Angelo, Maxwell and Bilal, the Detroit prodigy creates a booty free zone filled with talk of procreation, not fornication. When the love songs don’t pay tribute to the influential women in his life, Dwele strives to find a soulful meaning to manhood, and asserts himself as an individual, a musician. Subject took a long journey to its release. Having circulated in one demo form or another for several years, the album secured an ever growing following, catching the ears of hip hop figures like Bahamadia and Slum Village, who gave him broader exposure by guest spotting him on their album. Overseas attention grew as well, as Dwele became a regular on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide playlist. From lounge jazz to funk and soul, the melody flows escaping the obvious, the groove calls for primal desires, and the voice soothes the restless. Walking in the footsteps of Stevie and Marvin, this music was made for love.

Artist: DJ CHEB I SABBAH
Title: AS FAR AS-DJ MIX
Label: Six Degrees Records
Link: www.sixdegreesrecords.com
Root: Algeria-Various/ World
Having build his reputation as a producer state side for his mix of devotional music and club culture, Algerian born SF resident DJ Cheb I Sabbah gains equal respect for the spinning gigs he takes on the road. More of a “selector” than a DJ, he builds moods methodically with songs that become landscapes for the mind’s eye, while hypnotic rhythms, from ambient to drum and bass, set the pace for a journey exploring the roots of 3 continents. Without falling into the trappings of new age spiritualism, DJ Cheb I Sabbah fills a void where similar musical ventures fail to connect body and spirit. The wisdom is borderless, the depth of soul universal, and even if the words are lost on western ears, the message is pure and subconsciously understood. His DJ mix As Far As covers more geographical ground then his studio album, introducing many like-minded artists notorious of the World scene, like Natacha Atlas, Trilok Gurtu (with Salif Keta), the underground savvy Asian Dub Foundation, and sacred music inspired Gnawa Impulse, becoming the manifesto of an unlikely ambassador for peace, brotherhood and unity.

Artist: STATELESS
Title: THE ART OF NO STATE
Label: Ubiquity Records
Link: www.ubiquityrecords.com
Root: Sweden/ Nu Jazz
In the past three years, Scandinavian countries have been the breeding ground for countless new acts which have fused DJ culture with jazz. In a country like Sweden, where music academies can be stiffer than military school, this rebirth of cool is causing quite a stir in the intellectual ruling elite, comparing the maverick producers to unruly hooligans threatening tradition. Stateless (aka Andreas Saag) the latest revolutionary figure in this movement, unveils a flawless record, enlisting Koop singer Yukimi Nagano, Elsa Hedberg and Johnathan Backelie, tapping into influences as varied as the Brazilian swank of Astrud Gilberto, the post modern cool of Donald Fagen or the sun soaked frolics of Michael Franks. Creating balance between organic and electronic, The Art Of No State is a “piece de resistance” driven by songwriting, sustained by elaborate, yet subtle syncopations, deep bassy grooves, and every mean of production tweaking available. Jazz history was written in bold moves, and Stateless is bringing it back to its birth place, the street, the cave, the underground.

Artist: NICKODEMUS AND MARIANO
Title: TURNTABLES ON THE HUDSON 4
Label: Giant Steps Records
Link: www.giantstep.net
Root: US/ Hip Hop-World-Latin Grooves
A tribute to the cultural patchwork of the big apple, Turntables On The Hudson takes an imaginary ride on the A train and samples the musical and ethnic flavor of each neighborhood. The brainchild of NYC natives Nickodemus and Mariano, the eclectic mix compiles Latin rhythms, Afro beat, hip hop and takes unexpected middle eastern detours, as the needle drops on records compiled from artists in the scene that has gathered around the TOTH events. This formidable ass shaking experience represents a true taste of the East Coast, gritty and spicy, closer to its roots, immersed in its cultural significance, kicking this summer’s party like a loose fire hydrant, from the backstreets to the rooftops.

Artist: VARIOUS
Title: AFRICAN GROOVE
Label: Putumayo Records
Link: www.putumayo.com
Root: Various/ Afro Pop
Following the Arabic, Latin and Asian “Groove” series, the fourth release from Putumayo tracks the evolution of African music, as western influences like hip hop, dance hall reggae and computer generated dance music permeated tradition. Artists from Mali, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa, Benin and Zimbabwe paint a new musical landscape of the continent, as they struggle to find its place in a global market. DC production duo Thievery Corporation contributes a track illustrating how the dialogue flows both ways, as influences from the motherland in turn are affecting Western producers. Not just another world compilation for listeners in search of exotic escapism, African Groove moves beyond the preconceived notion that nothing happened there since Afro Beat exploded in the 70s, exposing critically acclaimed new performers like Issa Bagayogo to a hip international audience.

Artist: TRUBY TRIO
Title: ELEVATOR MUSIC
Label: JCR
Link: www.compost-records.com
Root: Germany/ Broken Beat-Latin Jazz
Call it German dandyism, but Truby Trio, comprised of Rainer Truby (then member of A Forrest Mighty Black), Christian Prommer and Rolland Appel (founders of Fauna Flash) was created as a wine tasting club in 1997. Notorious for having championed broken beat alongside label mates Jazzanova, being on Gilles Peterson’s A List, remixing countless artists like Nitin Sawhney and Bebel Gilberto, Truby Trio until now, listed only one EP and one DJ Kicks mixed compilation. It took six years to make their long anticipated debut with Elevator Music, a trademark blend of acid jazz mixed with Afro Latin rhythms designed to arouse the senses, avoiding a production overkill too aware of its own jazziness. The Flamenco of “Jaleo” is spicy fiesta material, “A Go Go” is an inescapable drum and bass bugaloo, “Allegre 2003” is reworked into a scorching samba, while “Universal Love” hustles like a disco joint a la Jamiroquai. Both penthouse and pavement, the craft of Elevator Music lies in making each track an ass shaking ride, without sacrificing any standard of excellence. Stepping up to critic and audience expectations, the Trio has concocted an album as flavored and bodied as the finest wine.

Artist: VARIOUS
Title: ELECTRO KILLS-THIS IS JUST A FAD
Label: Nettwerk
Link: www.nettweb.com
Root: Various/ Electroclash
Electroclash, tech pop, nu-new wave, or whatever denomination might be used, the synth pop second coming is here. In spite of its detractors, claiming it as the title does, this “Fad” has crept into the soundtrack of our lives, by way of commercials, fashion and everyday soundbytes. The 70s did make a “comeback”, but contempt with playing old classics, never reinvented itself like the explosion of talent witnessed in the past year. Tightly linked with all forms of performance art, electro is the next evolutionary step away from the random faceless DJ, and marks the return of the disposable pop icon. The tongue and cheek movement might be a illegitimate, but some acts like Fisherspooner have already cashed in their coins. With Felix Da Housecat, Ladytron and FC Kahuna leading the pack on this 14 tracks compilation, it’s unknown artists like Mount Sims, Lolita Straps and DJ Colette that make Electro Kills worthy beyond hype. Plug in, get the fluo socks and the hair gel out, and dance like it’s 1981.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT:
Artist: VARIOUS
Title: THE ANIMATRIX SDTK and DVD
Label: Warner Brothers
Link: www.intothematrix.com
Root: Various/ Electronica
Want to take the red pill to see how deep the rabbit hole really goes ? Enter the Animatrix, a daunting animation project penned for the most part by the Wachowski Bros. themselves, serving as both a prequel and spin off from the theme of the Matrix movies. Where the film soundtrack had to conform to a Matrix of its own, obeying to label and studio marketing directives, the music of the Animatrix benefits from a looser format. KROQ and KCRW DJ Jason Bentley applies taste and excellence to his day job as music supervisor, digging out an extraordinary selection of musical cues so perfectly fitted to the image, that they seem born from the machine order itself. In THIS world however, the circuit boards still obey to their operators, like Peace Orchestra, Layo and Bushwacka!, Death In Vegas, Junkie XL, Meat Beat Manifesto, Juno Reactor, and local favorites Supreme Beings Of Leisure. It takes another brain to control the emotional output of the music in relation to the images, whether expanding through ambient dreamscapes, or frantic mechanized beats. Bentley, having served as a the genre catalyst through his radio shows for the past decade, was destined for this gig. As a stand alone, the soundtrack is one of the most interesting compilation of electronic music ever to surface. Combined with the animation, the music becomes sounds for the eyes, and the DVD reaches near artistic masterpiece status.