Artist: VARIOUS ARTISTS
Title: BLADE 2 SOUNDTRACK
Label: Immortal Records/ Virgin America
Link:http://www.immortalrecords.com/ and http://www.virginrecords.com/
Root: US/ Hip Hop-Electronica
While Wesley Snipes returns to hunt down a race of uber-vampires in Blade 2, directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Mimic, The Devil's Backbone), the soundtrack may leave you more stunned than the dizzying array of special effects. Expanding on the platinum success of pairing Hip Hop and Rock in Judgment, Electronica and Metal in Spawn(1998), founder and CEO of Immortal Records Happy Walters crafts here his fiercest hybrid yet, by uniting Hip Hop and Electronica. Hardly a novelty in itself, it is the heavy caliber of the talent and how they've pushed their own musical envelope that makes the project remarkable. All the Electronica noise wizards and groove masters are here: Paul Oakenfold, BT, Groove Armada, Moby, Massive Attack, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, opposite the best rhyme and flow Hip Hop has to offer, featuring Mos Def, The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Eve, etc... Lend an ear to how Massive Attack jump starts an electro beat, raise the melody to anthemic proportions with keyboard lines straight out of an early 80's Simple Minds record and lets Mos Def do his most epic rant to date. Multiply this experience to every track you'll hear and wonder how far music has leaped yet again into the unknown.

Artist: GORILLAZ
Title: G SIDES
Label: Virgin America
Link: http://www.gorillaz.com/ and http://www.virginrecords.com/
Root:Various/ Rock-Hip Hop-Dance
It has happened. Humans, having sold out their rights to creative freedom for the economic rewards of conformity and mass consumption, have been outdone and made obsolete on the richter scale of hipness and relevance. Introducing Murdoc, 2D, Russel and Noodle, the coolest hype-savy cartoon characters known to everyone in the world and their mothers as Gorillaz, the animated band whose colossal surprise hit "Clint Eastwood" is now the rage at kareoke bars worldwide...not. Following the multi-platinum success of their self-titled debut album, "G-Sides" expands the Gorillaz new dominion with unreleased tracks and remixes. Blatantly mocking and exploiting every popular music genre, the doodle gang covers all the bases, from dubbed up techno to cuban ballads, with all the riffs, hooks, rhymes and cringing humor that creates their inescapable pop appeal. Detractors are spreading derogatory rumors that cartoon characters can't sing or play instruments, and that the band is actually composed of Damon Alban (Blur), Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Tina Frantz (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club), Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto), Ibrahim Ferrer (Buena Vista Social Club), produced by Dan The Automator (Dr Octagon, Handsome Boy Modeling School), and drawn by Jamie Hewlett. But for those in the know, it's all monkey business. The future is coming on...

Artist: THE BETA BAND
Title: HOT SHOTS 2
Label: Astralwerks
Link: http://www.astralwerks.com/
Root: UK/ Trip Hop-Rock
Trading 60's pop psychedelia for the darker hypnotic realms of trip hop, The Beta Band dwells in the legacy of Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band 35 years later without an ounce of nostalgia. Hot Shots 2 is an odd blend of genre defying musical elements, and can only be described as mood oriented, usually introspective and melancholic, yet spiked with a campy and typically british sense of humor, although the scottish outfit claims no attachment to surrealism and irony. While every bit a rock band, the piano, guitar, bass and drums mingle with tape loops, samples and decks, and resonate down the halls of an abandoned psychiatric asylum with pulsating bass lines and epileptic beats. However the tension and paranoia dissipates in the cleverness and playfulness of each composition, at times Trip Hop based, elsewhere progressive and abstract, following the recent musical excursions of Brian Eno (Trainspotting) or Radiohead (Kid A). The songs also bear an uncanny XTC signature, another Beatles illegitimate offspring, both in their lyrics and in Steve Mason's distinctive voice. Nevertheless, The Beta Band sound is so uncompromised and detached from it's influences, that it comes across as a true and pure work of art..

Artist: PFM
Title: PRODUCER 02
Artist: BLU MAR TEN
Title: PRODUCER 03
Label: Good Looking Records
Link: http://www.thegoodlookingorganisation.co.uk/
Root: UK/Drum & Bass
Since 1991, LTJ Bukem's imprint Good Looking Records has gathered an arsenal of Drum and Bass and Downtempo artists on compilations ranging from "Logical Progression", "Logical Session", "Earth" to "Point In Time". To those who do not already own these releases, the "Producer" series brings the focus on the artists themselves, offering a retrospective of their body of work extracted from the mix of passed contributions as well as new remixes and original tracks. One of the first producer signed to GLR, PFM (aka Mike Bolton) draws his sound both from electro and 70's motown soul, creating beautiful uplifting atmospheric soundscapes, sampling inspirational vocal hooks, sustained by one of the tightest beat construction method in the Drum and Bass genre. Classic tracks like "The Western" and "One and Only" have found their way on countless compilations and are here reworked and revamped, adding momentum to their timeless originality. A more recent recruit, Blu Mar Ten, came to the attention of LTJ Bukem through their remixes for Erykah Badu. With a more downtempo approach to drum and bass, adding more jazz and funk instrumentation to its next evolutionary step, guitar licks, rhodes keys and percussion bring the vibe down to a mellower, afterhours groove that will keep you dancing, not lounging. Diverse, often unpredictable, Blu Mar Ten non linearity keeps them on the level of experimentation. The result is quite tasty, a preview to the upcoming chapters in the Good Looking saga which includes the releases of the "Ingredients" and "Cookin" series, a departure from the Drum and Bass of the 90's towards a more futuristic vision of Soul music, Jazz and Breakbeats.

Artist: BLUE 6
Title: BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW
Artist: MIGUEL MIGS
Title: NUDE TEMPO ONE
Label: Naked Music Recordings
Link: http://www.naked-music.com/
Root: US/ Deep House
The british press once tried to discard the lush and sexy signature sound of Naked Music as "Dad House", a mere Jacuzzi soundtrack for yuppie lifestyle. Four years later, the deep grooves of San Francisco's premier Deep House label have conquered the world from every dance floor to every car stereo. Blue 6 (aka Jay Denes) founded the label in 1998 with partner Bruno Ybarra after a departure from OM Records where he released the critically acclaimed hybrid of R&B and House "what's on your mind ?" under the moniker Naked Music NYC. In that record laid the foundation of things to come. "Beautiful Tomorrow" is the first full length artist album for the imprint, and features the talents of no less than 6 female vocalists amongst which shines Naked's prime divas Lisa Shaw and Monique Bingham. All the smash hits like "Pure", "Music and Wine" and "Sweeter Love" are here both in their original arrangements and remixed, but the most interesting aspect of Blue Six is when it breaks away from club land and forays into moody downtempo stunners like "Very Good Friends" and "Yeah". Meanwhile, Naked Music champion DJ Miguel Migs takes to the decks and the mixing boards in opening the first album in the "Nude Tempo" series. A sun drenched mix from one of the premier house DJ's on the west coast including rare mixes from the A list of the genre, featuring regulars Blue 6 and Lisa Shaw, rising talent Andy Caldwell, and veteran producer Kerri Chandler. A nice antidote for civilization, where colors and flavors intertwine into a sensual and soulful experience.

Artist: KOSHEEN
Title: RESIST
Label: Kinetic Records
Link: http://www.kineticrecords.com/
Root:UK/ Drum & Bass-Pop
If you haven't heard of Kosheen yet, soon you will . "Hide U", the drum and bass anthem of this past english summer conjures up the perfect mix between a well crafted rock-pop song, and every production trick learned over a decade of dance culture. The work of Darren Decoder, Markee Substance and Sian Evans, "Resist" takes off where previous efforts to bring drum and bass into the pop world where left in the dust (Baxter, Breakbeat Era). The reason probably lies in that the tracks were build from an acoustic skeletal frame, and from their essential core where
transformed into gigantic beat monsters. Kosheen isn't confused about its identity: it's rock hard. There's enough punch, anger and energy for a headbanger, fierce rhythm maestria to raise the roof over the dance floor, and an abundance of skilled complexities in the mix to lose yourself in it. This formula eventually landed them onto mainstream radio waves in Europe and has them now poised to make an imminent impact state side.

Artist: BEN WATT and JAY HANNAN
Title: LAZY DOG 2
Label: Astralwerks
Link: http://www.astralwerks.com/
Root: UK/ Deep House
Ben Watt found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when a Todd Terry remix of "Miss You" propelled his then stagnant folk ballad band Everything But The Girl through the stratosphere of the pop and dance world, and made Tracy Thorn one of the most influential female vocalist of her time. Fast forward 5 years later to Lazy Dog, the bi-weekly underground club night in London, where resident DJ Ben Watt (now one of the most sought after DJ and remixer) and Jay Hannan execute a sly mix of Deep House made famous the world over through their touring and first double CD compilation "Lazy Dog 1". The second volume in the series continues with the same formula of upbeat sexy chic contemporary House, and features on its two CDs dance gems like Watt's own remix of Sade " by your side", the #1 hit single "It's Yours" by John Cutler, a rare housed up version of Lucy Pearl's"Without You", an exclusive mix of Sunshine Anderson's "Heard It All before". In all some 20 mixed tracks of positive vibes and uplifting grooves that let's you take the bombastic Lazy Dog club experience home.

Artist: JOSEPH MALIK
Title: DIVERSE
Label: Compost Records
Link: http://www.compost-records.com/
Root: UK/ Soul-Jazz-Folk-Blues
"Diverse" is an album very likely to fall under the radar screens of the new trend spotters, simply because it escapes hype and labeling. Emerging from 10 years as a DJ and promoter in the Scottish club scene of Edinburgh, Joseph Malik embodies a new generation of talented post-dance floor singers-songwriters who thrive for more substance and soul in the music they produce. Malik first came in contact with the Compost record label through his singing on the Reiner Truby Trio single "High Jazz", a collaboration that lead to a full length record deal. Throughout the record, his influences are easily traced back to Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Ritchie Havens, Shuggy Otis with a hint of John Lennon, Miles and Coltrane, which are here fused with Nu-Jazz syncopations typical of the Compost sound, but with a more bluesy, folky undertone than other label mates like Jazzanova. "Diverse" is just what its name entails, and while at first it may sound somewhat like an acquired taste, like-minded artists like Beatless and Terry Callier have already opened the hearts of the hipsters to the simplicity, soul and beauty of it's music.

Artist: BOARDS OF CANADA
Title: GEOGADDI
Label: Warp Records
Link: http://www.boardsofcanada.com and http://www.warprecords.com/
Root: UK/ IDM
Rumor has it that scottish ambient duo Boards Of Canada withdrew from society since the release of their classic album "Music Has The Right To Children", which caused an impact so big in the music world, that its influences have reached across the musical spectrum from Air to Radiohead, a success they didn't want to be a part of. The rightful heirs to Brian Eno's sound alchemy legacy craft soundscapes that have far more to do with a documentary cinematic journey into the realm of dreams, both beautiful and haunted, than with a traditional listening experience. Born in seclusion, their new release "Geogaddi" expands this psycho navigation with amplified science and brings the intensity of the experience to the level of pure sensation, pure thought. The music of Boards Of Canada is the drug, not the psychedelic trip which depends on how much of his own subconscious the listener is willing to project into it. All the fabrics and the textures employed feel familiar, elemental. From random ambiant noise to subdued rhythms, environmental sound and voice samples, anthemic layers of keyboards all seem to find their own order in a natural chaos, and preserve the illusion that no mind or hand are behind the controls. What genius or madness lays behind such otherworldly craftsmanship is a testament to the expandability of the creative mind.

Artist: GOLDEN BOY with MISS KITTIN
Title: OR
Artist: MISS KITTIN AND THE HACKER
Title: FIRST ALBUM
Label: Emperor Norton Records
Link http://www.emperornorton.com/
Root: Switzerland-France/ Electro
"Welcome to the swiss way of life" exclaims Miss Kittin. Make no mistake on her jovial tone, this isn't an invitation, it's the call for arms of an invasion. The french born femme fatale, dj, sex symbol, singer, and post modern diva has chosen her weapon of choice for her world dominion: Electro, currently the biggest buzz in the biz. Those old enough to remember will recognize the synth pop sounds of early Depeche Mode, Human League, Gary Newman, OMD, Visage and countless other fly by night acts, while those too young to have been exposed back then will soon be contaminated by this retro new wave glam on steroids, now processed through state of the art studio wizardry. Enters Stephan Altenburger, aka Golden Boy, an acclaimed visual artist and photographer from Zurich and now partner in mischief, who lays the musical foundations before Miss Kittin contributes her improv style rant to the tracks. With witt and sarcasm, her words and thoughts are both contemplative and detached. But her propaganda has now insidiously crept into your cerebral cortex. Resistance is futile. While the 808 and 303 on "Or" keep you dancing, Miss Kittin is already planning her next move. Crossing the border over to Grenoble (France), Miss Kittin reunites with old friend and co-conspirator Michael Amato, also known as The Hacker. Furthering her territorial expansion, together they plot a darker blend of industrial electro-disco, borrowing influences from Detroit techno, Georgio Moroder, Soft Cell and early New Order. Through the "take no prisoner" x-rated chorus of "Frank Sinatra", the pair was suddenly perceived as a credible threat beyond european borders, as the single soared through dance charts and landed a spot on uber-DJ Danny Tennaglia's "Athens" mix for Global Underground. It is clear that Europe has fallen into electro submission under the kitch-chic of Miss Kittin, whose eyes now stare with deep lust over the Atlantic...(to be continued)

Artist: FELIX DA HOUSECAT
Title: KITTENZ AND THEE GLITZ
Label: Emperor Norton Records
Link: http://www.emperornorton.com/
Root: US-Switzerland/ Electro
Felix Stallings Jr 16 years carrier as a House DJ and remixer, starting in Chicago all the way to London, could not have prepared him for the consequences of a twist of fate by which a gig in Geneva found him on the same bill as the notorious and alluring Miss Kittin. As the club still echoed with the now infamous "Frank Sinatra" track, moments later the two were already in a studio slamming two tracks together "Madame Hollywood" and "Silver Screen (Shower Scene)". Miss Kittin's shameless seductive underground glam left Felix Da Housecat mesmerized, laying the foundation for her US trojan horse. With more thumping beats than its european counterparts, "Kittenz and thee Glitz" is as Daft Punk as it is Georgio Moroder, and tracks like "Happy Hour" do a lot of good by recycling the old. Other co-conspirators on the album include veteran NY DJ Junior Vasquez, vocalists Melistar and Harrison Crump, and engineer Dave The Hustler. What started as a tongue and cheek tribute to 80's glam snatched the 2001 Musik magazine album of the year award, defeating Air, the Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk and Outkast. What reception all this "glitz" will receive state side is unknown yet, but Miss Kittin was recently spotted eyeing on Japan...