V/A SR:ample (souRce research) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Label sampler from souRce research records limited to 1000 copies and packaged in a cool blue vinyl sleeve featuring tracks (some exclusive) from: CoH, Cylobe, Leif Elggren, Matmos, Andrew Poppy, Cattivo and more.

V/A SSSSSOSS2 (Folding) cassette 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Cool local cassette compilation compiled by Mike Donovan (Sic Alps, Big Techno Werewolves, Nam, Sounds Of The Barbary Coast, The Ropers, Dial Records) and artist Chris Johanson. Features tracks by Coachwhips, Big Techno Werewolves, No Doctors, Condor, California Lightening, Enablers, Ponies, Tits and a bunch more! As with most releases by these two fellows, there is only going to be a very small homespun run of these made, so needless to say, don't snoooooze! Pssst... we also have a very small number of some other Folding cassette releases, all with hand made covers -- a couple of short ones from Death Sentence: Panda and Donovan's own band Sic Alps plus ones by Dark Yellow Swans (aka Yellow Swans) and NVH with Six Organs Of Admittance's Ben Chasny. Dust off yer cassette deck!

V/A SSSSSOSS3 (Folding) cassette 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volume 3 of the Folding Cassettes compilation series featuring tons of badass weirdo rock outfits, lots we already love, and a few we've never heard before... Sic Alps, Metallic Falcons, Fuckwolf, Octis, Numbers, Car Clutch, Si-Cops, Andrew Duke, Patrick Michael Mullins, Arsenio, Gass & The Bleed Sea, Tre Ferocious, Mammals, Bananas, and Magic Bag.
Cover art by Jo Jackson and Chris Johanson!!

V/A Staedtizism (Scape) cd 14.98
Documenting the latest in click / pop dub trickery, "Staedtizism" is a compilation assembled and released by Stefan Betke (aka Pole). Whereas the ping-pong production of Lee Scratch Perry's schizoid '70s dub was terminally stoned, the Pole school of digidubbery (currently enrolling new students) doesn't make smoking pot a prerequisite to knob twiddling. Rather the clean and sober approach after many moons of tweaker behavior may be a more appropriate context for this increasingly canonized style of electronica. As a whole, "Staedtizism" encapsulates this digidub sound with each artist embracing a tonal palette that remains fairly similar on all of these cuts (bright electron flashes digitally decomposed through delay into frigid ambience). With Pole's recently released third album being a tepid rehashing of his previous ideas, the variety of patterned abstractions and rhythmic inventions from this lineup makes for a much better listen. Contributers include Vladislav Delay, Pole (of course), Kit Clayton, Thomas Fehlmann (ex-Orb), Burnt Freidman, Gramm, Trash Aesthetic, The Modernist, and To Rococo Rot & I-Sound.

V/A Staedtizism 2 (Scape) cd 16.98
Stefan Betke (aka Pole) looks at his urban surroundings in Berlin with the same saddened gaze with which Carl Craig beholds his Detroit. Both of these electronica musicians bear witness to the dystopian elements of their hometowns, by creating different, but equally expressive musics which act as depressingly sympathetic soundtracks to the urban plight of their respective cities while also providing an escapist musical narcotic of pure jouissance. Before you dismiss this claim as some silly contrivance better suited for The Wire, ask yourself this one question -- when you're stuck in your car during a traffic jam, is it possible to detach yourself from the moment through music? Both Betke and Craig answer that question with a resounding yes.
While Carl Craig's techno fits perfectly in with the mythologies of the Motor City, Betke's work is better suited to the headphones of a walkman and the slower speed of the pedestrian. Betke himself describes his Scape label as presenting various neo-dub soundtracks for an urban state of mind. "Staedtizism 2" is certainly a perfect mix tape for Betke to enjoy on his way throughout Berlin. Yet only about half of this compilation falls close to Pole's personal brand of digital dub with contributions from System, Jan Jelenik, Nolte, and Bus. The non-digital dub contingent of this compilation revolves mostly around the way-out California electronica sounds of the Phthalo and Plug Research labels, with tracks from Low Res, Headset, John Tejada (whose contribution is a really nice downtempo house number woven together with post-rock guitar lines, sounding a lot like AQ-faves Fridge!), and Kit Clayton (offering a distinctly difficult track of Reichian piano arppegiations).
In contrast to the majority of electronica collections, "Staeditizm 2" has a nice personal touch that keeps this from seeming like it's merely a compilation of the flavors of the month.
RealAudio clip: SYSTEM "Red Click"
RealAudio clip: JOHN TEJADA "A World So Wide"
RealAudio clip: KIT CLAYTON "Painting Between The Numbers"

V/A Staedtizism 2 (Scape) 2lp 16.98
Stefan Betke (aka Pole) looks at his urban surroundings in Berlin with the same saddened gaze with which Carl Craig beholds his Detroit. Both of these electronica musicians bear witness to the dystopian elements of their hometowns, by creating different, but equally expressive musics which act as depressingly sympathetic soundtracks to the urban plight of their respective cities while also providing an escapist musical narcotic of pure jouissance. Before you dismiss this claim as some silly contrivance better suited for The Wire, ask yourself this one question -- when you're stuck in your car during a traffic jam, is it possible to detach yourself from the moment through music? Both Betke and Craig answer that question with a resounding yes.
While Carl Craig's techno fits perfectly in with the mythologies of the Motor City, Betke's work is better suited to the headphones of a walkman and the slower speed of the pedestrian. Betke himself describes his Scape label as presenting various neo-dub soundtracks for an urban state of mind. "Staedtizism 2" is certainly a perfect mix tape for Betke to enjoy on his way throughout Berlin. Yet only about half of this compilation falls close to Pole's personal brand of digital dub with contributions from System, Jan Jelenik, Nolte, and Bus. The non-digital dub contingent of this compilation revolves mostly around the way-out California electronica sounds of the Phthalo and Plug Research labels, with tracks from Low Res, Headset, John Tejada (whose contribution is a really nice downtempo house number woven together with post-rock guitar lines, sounding a lot like AQ-faves Fridge!), and Kit Clayton (offering a distinctly difficult track of Reichian piano arppegiations).
In contrast to the majority of electronica collections, "Staeditizm 2" has a nice personal touch that keeps this from seeming like it's merely a compilation of the flavors of the month.

V/A Staedtizism 3: Instrumentals (~scape) cd 16.98
Stefan Betke (aka Pole) has centered the third in the "Staedtizism" series for his ~scape label on the dialogue between hip-hop and its constant appropriation of other artforms. Like the Mille Plateaux compilation "Electric Ladyland: Click-Hop Version 1.0," "Staedtizism 3" seeks to reverse that dialogue by applying the tropes of hip-hop to ~scape's highly specialized form of techno-dub-minimalism. Quite frankly, it doesn't work. The obvious reason for "Staedtizism 3"s failings is that hip-hop succeeds through its adaptability, something which the minimalism of Chain Reaction, Pole, and Monolake completely lacks due to its dedication to tight mathematical programming and structural integrity. Thus, the skeletal hip-hop productions of "Staedtizism 3" have all of the trappings of ProTools polish as each of these tracks are composed from very clean blocks with hammond organ samples, jazz-y basslines, and spartan breakbeats all scrubbed of their sensuality, physicality, and general funkiness. What little vocal acrobatics found on this record are merely in the form of digitally clipped samples. Groan. The case could be made that this is another post-ironic piece of electronica; but either way, this is hip-hop that you're supposed to think about. Who the hell needs that?
Andrew Pekler, Bus, Jan Jelinek, Cappablack, Kit Clayton, John Tejada, Thomas Fehlmann, Deadbeat, Process, Gazoo, Antonelli Electr., and System are the suspects for this one.
RealAudio clip: ANDREW PEKLER "Steady Bounce"
RealAudio clip: THOMAS FEHLMANN "Lindt"

V/A Stand Up And Be Counted Vol. 2 (Harmless) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You know how everyone thinks they can be a DJ now, right? Maybe one of the unlooked-for benefits of this trend is that there are that many more people sifting through dusty ole record bins in dusty ole record stores worldwide, searching for the good breaks to sample and scratch. And perhaps that explains the sudden number of recent, very tasteful, well-done compilations that have graced the shelves here at Aquarius, comps filled with original source material utilized during or created for the breakbeat era's heyday (mid to late '70s). And hey, now that these amazing tracks are collected in one place on cd or vinyl, we can listen to them in the safety of our own living rooms -- instead of having to brave yuppies and cigarette smoke and $6 drinks to hear perfectly good tunes mangled by DJs of mediocre skills.
"Soul, funk, and jazz from a revolutionary era." '60s Black Power / freedom oriented tracks from the likes of The Watts Prophets, Nikki Giovanni, The Voices of East Harlem, James Brown and others.

V/A Star Switch On (Touch) cd 15.98
"Star Switch On" is a collection of commisioned pieces which use Chris Watson's field recordings of wildlife from "Outside The Circle Of Fire" as their source materials. Watson's original has been one of the most celebrated field recording albums as an incredible anthology of cheetahs purring, tinkerbird songs, spider monkeys, deathwatch beetles, elephants, and many more. It's probably not wise to think of the recordings on "Star Switch On" as attempt to improve upon Watson's recordings, but perhaps as alternative viewpoints of the same material. Or maybe not. Regardless, this album does make for a nice introduction into the experimentalists and electron engineers who make their home at Touch Records. Mika Vainio (of Pan Sonic and many of the Sahko titles) opens the album with a transformation of a recording which initially appears as swarming bees into a very calm atomization of sound, with frigid gaspings and resonant sonar bleeps quietly moving across barren spaces. Hazard (a project that has used Chris Watson's recordings of weather phenomena on a number of occasions) offers a fractured drone of whirring vibrations. Fennesz keeps the digital fuckery to a minimal with a sampled repetition of what could be the aforementiond tinkerbird song, quite subtle parametric filtering, and additional samples. AER (aka Jon Wozencroft), Biosphere, and Philip Jeck also offer their reinterpretations.
RealAudio clip: MIKA VAINIO "Outside The Circle Of Fire"
RealAudio clip: HAZARD "Debugged"
RealAudio clip: BIOSPHERE "Night and Dawn"

V/A Staring Into the Sun: Ethiopian Tribal Music (Sublime Frequencies) 2lp 29.00
Originally released as part of a cd / dvd / book combo, this incredible musical document, compiled by photographer/filmmaker Olivia Wyatt on a recent trip to Ethiopia, is now available sans dvd and book, as a super deluxe (and yeah, of course very limited) double lp!
Staring Into The Sun was planned to coincide with a music festival - which the government abruptly cancelled for fear of the musicians being exploited. So instead, Wyatt travelled into the bush, to compile a sonic/visual travelogue of the music and musicians, the people and places of the various tribes of Ethiopia, and it's of course breathtaking. The music, which is obviously the focus here, is heady and hypnotic, joyous and emotional, the sounds varying dramatically from tribe to tribe, but music being ubiquitous, weddings, ceremonies, rituals, drawing water from the well, on television, in living rooms, very rhythmic, mostly vocal driven, but with lots of hand clapping, wildly bowed stringed instruments, vocals chanted, shouted, call and response, super mesmerizing, many of the tribes utilize whistles and panpipes, and the music they make is incredible, otherworldly and impossibly lush, sounding like some modern 20th century classical composition in many cases, while actual bands do rock out occasionally, and get surprisingly soulful and funky. A compilation like this must have been so impossible to put together, how on earth to whittle down what must have been days of recordings to just an hour? But the tracks chosen are amazing, and make us want to hear so much more.
Even minus the visuals, so incredible, and easily some of our favorite Sublime Frequencies sounds so far for sure.
Housed in a super deluxe, ultra heavy full color gatefold sleeve, featuring reproductions of some of Wyatt's striking Polaroid photos...
MPEG Stream: KONSO TRIBE "Konso Lyre Song"
MPEG Stream: HABESHA 2000 BAND "Habesha Traditional Song"
MPEG Stream: AZMARI (MASINKO PLAYER) "Masinko Song"
MPEG Stream: DIRASHE TRIBE "Dirashe Syncopated Panpipes"
MPEG Stream: GEDEO TRIBE "Gedeo Vocals"

V/A State of the Union 2.001 (Electronic Music Foundation) 3cd 35.00
This is the third installment in an ongoing series of compilations of experimental and avant garde artists, with its profits directed toward the National Coalition Against Censorship. Compiled by Elliot Sharp, the general concept here is to compose a track under one minute in duration. 171 artists are involved this time around, most of which are somehow involved with the Downtown NYC scene. Some of the more interesting artists this time around: Jonathan Bepler, Kato Hideki and Kazuhisa Uchihashi (both of Ground Zero and Altered States), Koji Asano, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Marianne Nowottny, Merzbow, Zbigniew Karkowski, Tape Beatles, Voice Crack, Zoot Horn Rollo (of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band!), Alfred Harth, Alvin Curran, Carl Stone, Foetus, John Duncan, Lloop, WE, White Out, Phill Niblock, Thomas Dimuzio, and so many more... A nice idea and a fine collection of new music. However, keep in mind that these tracks are sixty seconds or less in duration, and may not be indicative of the artists' usual output.

V/A States Of Abuse (Entartete Kunst) cd 14.98
From the formidable Bay Area music collective known as Entartete Kunst comes this potent compilation which in their words is "a radical assault on the mediocrity of our everyday lives, state government and corporate fascism". It features nineteen tracks by over a dozen outspoken underground artists from around the globe. Styles run the gamut including hip hop, grime and dub. Standouts include Monkeytribe and E.K. Collective.
Note: If you've got the vinyl version, you should be alerted to the fact that this cd contains new mixes and other exclusive material not on the LP.
MPEG Stream: MONKEYTRIBE "Domino"
MPEG Stream: E. K. COLLECTIVE "States Of Abuse"

V/A States Of Abuse (Entartete Kunst) 2lp 14.98

V/A Static (CCI Recordings) cd 17.98
Electronic drone soundscape experimentation by Jim O'Rourke, Ryoji Ikeda, Alan Lamb, David Toop, Christophe Charles, Paul Schutze, Akira Yamamichi and others, collected by the Japanese label CCI.

V/A Static Disaster: The U.K. In The Red Records Sampler (In The Red) cd 9.98
Since 1991 In The Red Records has taken it upon themselves to kindly provide the world with the best "low-brow rock'n'roll" (their words) in all their sweaty, dirty, malodorous raunch-glory (our words), and we love 'em for it! This is a perfect trash rock compilation for those who aren't afraid to mess their 'do, break a fingernail, raise a stink or spill a drink... er, as long as it's someone else's! Check out their roster of rad rabblerousers: Andre Williams, Reigning Sound, Lost Sounds, Clone Defects, Dolt, Cheater Slicks, Blacktop, Speedball Baby, Country Teasers, Dan Melchior's Broke Revue, Knoxville Girls, The Dirtbombs, The Ponys, The Deadly Snakes, The Piranhas, The Horrors, The Intelligence, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Screws, The Lamps, The Hospitals, The Mystery Girls, The Hunches, The Necessary Evils, The Bassholes, The FUSE! and Japan's King Brothers (who rule!). If you find yourself shoutin' "Fuck yeah!!!", well then, what the hell are you waitin' for?!
MPEG Stream: THE DIRTBOMBS "I Can't Stop Thinking About It"
MPEG Stream: KING BROTHERS "Lulu"

V/A Stay Tuned For The Holidays (Crank!) cd 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Curiously tiltled collection of awesome emo from the Crank record label. Anyone who dug the old Rainer Maria records or the Get Up Kids will dig this collection. Minus a couple of weak whiney moments this is a fucking great collection. With: Vitreous Humor, Sunday's Best, Mineral, the Regrets, Boy's Life, Christie Front Drive, The Gloria Record, Far Apart (a band we hadn't heard of but probably the best cut on the record) and a bunch more.

V/A Steam Kodok (Grey Past Records) cd 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available on CD and expanded with 9 more tracks than the vinyl! Subtitled "26 A-Go-Go Ultrarities From the 60's Singapore and South-East Asia Underground", this comp seriously smokes in a psychedelic pop haze. Covering standards like "Buttons and Bows", but mostly playing by-the-numbers originals, bands like October Cherries, Rosnah and the Siglap Five, Ronnie Ong, and Naomi & the Boys (playing a great Peter Thomas number) played a mixture of surf, soul, r&b, and plain ole psych pop. A couple of the groups here even went to #1 in their home countries. Fuzz guitar! The tracks featuring girl singers sound just like the Ultra Chicks French girl group comps, thus testifying to the universal appeal the rock music of the day held for young people the world over. File with your Cambodian Rocks and Turkish Delights cds...
MPEG Stream: SWALLOWS, THE "Bunga Berachin"
MPEG Stream: NAOMI & THE BOYS "Bad Loser"
MPEG Stream: J. ISMAIL & "D" IRAMA "Lupakan Aku"

V/A Steam Kodok (Grey Past) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Subtitled "17 A-Go-Go Ultrarities From the 60's Singapore and South-East Asia Underground", this comp fairly smokes in a psychedelic pop haze. Covering standards like "Buttons and Bows", but mostly playing by-the-numbers originals, bands like October Cherries, Rosnah and the Siglap Five, Ronnie Ong, and Naomi & the Boys (playing a great Peter Thomas number) played a mixture of surf, soul, r&b, and plain ole psych pop. A couple of the groups here even went to #1 in their home countries. Fuzz guitar! The tracks featuring girl singers sound just like the Ultra Chicks French girl group comps, thus testifying to the universal appeal the rock music of the day held for young people the world over.
On transparent blue vinyl. Dutch import.

V/A Steel Trap (Chondritic Sound) 3xcassette 26.00

V/A Steppas' Delight (Soul Jazz) 2cd 25.00
Pretty soon we're gonna have to stop complaining about not getting enough dubstep. Elsewhere on this list you'll find the double cd collection from PDX label Lo Dubs, and now we've got this, another killer collection from Soul Jazz, a follow up to their Box Of Dub collection. But where Box Of Dub seemed to cover a wide sonic spectrum of dubstep and modern dub, Steppa's Delight is all the current hyped shit, dubplates, white labels, singles, lots of names we already know and love, Kode9, Benga, The Bug, Shackleton, but loads more we've never heard before.
Right out of the gate, it's already a winner, with Kode9's "9 Samurai", a dubstep classic if there ever was, sounding like the RZA gone dubstep, ominous cinematic samples, a strange skittery beat, brief squalls of intense synth buzz, some creepy spoken word, this is like the dubstep version of that ubiquitous Massive Attack song, groove but so full of dread. Would be surprised if this didn't start showing up in soundtracks pretty soon (Guy Ritchie? You listening?). Next up is Benga, who while not as grim sounding, still offers up some intense minor key grooves, complex skitter, and some jagged buzzing synth melodies. Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands" we already loved from that Skull Disco comp a while back, and it still sounds amazing, murky and menacing, the drums muted and murky, except for the occasional gunshot-like snare blast, mumbled vocals, haunting swells and deep atmospherics. The Bug Teams up with Warrior Queen, for a dense slab of buzz, some super heavy low end, a slithery bass line, simple stripped down beats, and some crazy catchy sing songy toasting. There's even some grime here and there, with Skepta contributing a killer convoluted flow to Plastician's "Intensive Snare". Uncle Sam's dubstep is almost straight old school reggae, except for that little dubby shuffle. Goth-Trad offers up some seriously darkened dub, the neverending bassline buzz, the clattery percussion, the haunting sampled vocals, a horror movie melody straight out of Halloween. Shit, we could go on and on, track by track, but by now you probably realize this is a must have. Like we mentioned in the Lo Dubs review, the dubstep and grime obsessed absolutely need this, and if you dug Milanese, Kode9 and the Box Of Dub comps then this too is another must have.
MPEG Stream: KODE9 "9 Samurai"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "Evolution"
MPEG Stream: GOTH-TRAD "Genesis"

V/A Steppas' Delight 2 (Soul Jazz) 2cd 23.00
The first Steppa's Delight dubstep comp on Soul Jazz totally knocked our socks off. We're so desperate for new dubstep and grime all the time, and we have such limited access to limited 12"s and white label dubplates, that we anxiously await the release of comps, hoping they'll compile some of the best jams, and usually offer up a bunch of new tracks as well.
Since the last Steppa's Delight comp though, a funny thing happened, dubstep continued to mutate and transform and is now something totally different than it was 18 months ago. The core sounds and structure remains the same, THAT beat, and THAT groove, the deep wobbly bass, but the sounds aren't so dark, or sinister, instead, the sound of dubstep has gotten a bit dancier, looking back to jungle and even house, incorporating more melody, more vocals, the sound almost more electro, with buzzy synths wrapped around that rumbling wobble. That said, there's still some darkness lurking in the grooves, and as much as we dig almost everything here, we can't help but lean toward those darker jams, Kutz's "Hardbody" is buzzy and bleak and ominous, "Purple City" by Joker & Ginz starts out all skittery and dancey, but then explodes with some of the fiercest most distorted bass on the comp.
A bunch of the tracks are super stripped down and skeletal, reminding us of some of the Skull Disco 12"s, all barebones and minimal, and some of the tracks are super atmospheric and ethereal. Killer stuff for sure, but be warned, if you're looking for stuff like Kode9 or Burial, you won't find much of that here, but if you're looking for big stuttery beats, thick throbbing bass synth wobble and can't get enough of that dubstep 'step, then this should definitely hold you over until the next comp...
MPEG Stream: JOKER & GINZ "Purple City"
MPEG Stream: SULLY SHANKS "Give Me Up (LD Remix)"
MPEG Stream: KUTZ "Hard Body"

V/A Steppas' Delight 2 Volume 1 (Soul Jazz) 3lp 27.00
Finally got this on vinyl! This is part one...
The first Steppa's Delight dubstep comp on Soul Jazz totally knocked our socks off. We're so desperate for new dubstep and grime all the time, and we have such limited access to limited 12"s and white label dubplates, that we anxiously await the release of comps, hoping they'll compile some of the best jams, and usually offer up a bunch of new tracks as well.
Since the last Steppa's Delight comp though, a funny thing happened, dubstep continued to mutate and transform and is now something totally different than it was 18 months ago. The core sounds and structure remains the same, THAT beat, and THAT groove, the deep wobbly bass, but the sounds aren't so dark, or sinister, instead, the sound of dubstep has gotten a bit dancier, looking back to jungle and even house, incorporating more melody, more vocals, the sound almost more electro, with buzzy synths wrapped around that rumbling wobble. That said, there's still some darkness lurking in the grooves, and as much as we dig almost everything here, we can't help but lean toward those darker jams, Kutz's "Hardbody" is buzzy and bleak and ominous, "Purple City" by Joker & Ginz starts out all skittery and dancey, but then explodes with some of the fiercest most distorted bass on the comp.
A bunch of the tracks are super stripped down and skeletal, reminding us of some of the Skull Disco 12"s, all barebones and minimal, and some of the tracks are super atmospheric and ethereal. Killer stuff for sure, but be warned, if you're looking for stuff like Kode9 or Burial, you won't find much of that here, but if you're looking for big stuttery beats, thick throbbing bass synth wobble and can't get enough of that dubstep 'step, then this should definitely hold you over until the next comp...
MPEG Stream: JOKER & GINZ "Purple City"
MPEG Stream: SULLY SHANKS "Give Me Up (LD Remix)"
MPEG Stream: KUTZ "Hard Body"

V/A Steppas' Delight 2 Volume 2 (Soul Jazz) 3lp 27.00
Finally got this on vinyl! This is part two...
The first Steppa's Delight dubstep comp on Soul Jazz totally knocked our socks off. We're so desperate for new dubstep and grime all the time, and we have such limited access to limited 12"s and white label dubplates, that we anxiously await the release of comps, hoping they'll compile some of the best jams, and usually offer up a bunch of new tracks as well.
Since the last Steppa's Delight comp though, a funny thing happened, dubstep continued to mutate and transform and is now something totally different than it was 18 months ago. The core sounds and structure remains the same, THAT beat, and THAT groove, the deep wobbly bass, but the sounds aren't so dark, or sinister, instead, the sound of dubstep has gotten a bit dancier, looking back to jungle and even house, incorporating more melody, more vocals, the sound almost more electro, with buzzy synths wrapped around that rumbling wobble. That said, there's still some darkness lurking in the grooves, and as much as we dig almost everything here, we can't help but lean toward those darker jams, Kutz's "Hardbody" is buzzy and bleak and ominous, "Purple City" by Joker & Ginz starts out all skittery and dancey, but then explodes with some of the fiercest most distorted bass on the comp.
A bunch of the tracks are super stripped down and skeletal, reminding us of some of the Skull Disco 12"s, all barebones and minimal, and some of the tracks are super atmospheric and ethereal. Killer stuff for sure, but be warned, if you're looking for stuff like Kode9 or Burial, you won't find much of that here, but if you're looking for big stuttery beats, thick throbbing bass synth wobble and can't get enough of that dubstep 'step, then this should definitely hold you over until the next comp...
MPEG Stream: JOKER & GINZ "Purple City"
MPEG Stream: SULLY SHANKS "Give Me Up (LD Remix)"
MPEG Stream: KUTZ "Hard Body"

V/A Steppas' Delight Vol. 1 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Pretty soon we're gonna have to stop complaining about not getting enough dubstep. Elsewhere on this list you'll find the double cd collection from PDX label Lo Dubs, and now we've got this, another killer collection from Soul Jazz, a follow up to their Box Of Dub collection. But where Box Of Dub seemed to cover a wide sonic spectrum of dubstep and modern dub, Steppa's Delight is all the current hyped shit, dubplates, white labels, singles, lots of names we already know and love, Kode9, Benga, The Bug, Shackleton, but loads more we've never heard before.
Right out of the gate, it's already a winner, with Kode9's "9 Samurai", a dubstep classic if there ever was, sounding like the RZA gone dubstep, ominous cinematic samples, a strange skittery beat, brief squalls of intense synth buzz, some creepy spoken word, this is like the dubstep version of that ubiquitous Massive Attack song, groove but so full of dread. Would be surprised if this didn't start showing up in soundtracks pretty soon (Guy Ritchie? You listening?). Next up is Benga, who while not as grim sounding, still offers up some intense minor key grooves, complex skitter, and some jagged buzzing synth melodies. Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands" we already loved from that Skull Disco comp a while back, and it still sounds amazing, murky and menacing, the drums muted and murky, except for the occasional gunshot-like snare blast, mumbled vocals, haunting swells and deep atmospherics. The Bug Teams up with Warrior Queen, for a dense slab of buzz, some super heavy low end, a slithery bass line, simple stripped down beats, and some crazy catchy sing songy toasting. There's even some grime here and there, with Skepta contributing a killer convoluted flow to Plastician's "Intensive Snare". Uncle Sam's dubstep is almost straight old school reggae, except for that little dubby shuffle. Goth-Trad offers up some seriously darkened dub, the neverending bassline buzz, the clattery percussion, the haunting sampled vocals, a horror movie melody straight out of Halloween. Shit, we could go on and on, track by track, but by now you probably realize this is a must have. Like we mentioned in the Lo Dubs review, the dubstep and grime obsessed absolutely need this, and if you dug Milanese, Kode9 and the Box Of Dub comps then this too is another must have.
MPEG Stream: KODE9 "9 Samurai"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "Evolution"
MPEG Stream: GOTH-TRAD "Genesis"

V/A Steppas' Delight Vol. 2 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Pretty soon we're gonna have to stop complaining about not getting enough dubstep. Elsewhere on this list you'll find the double cd collection from PDX label Lo Dubs, and now we've got this, another killer collection from Soul Jazz, a follow up to their Box Of Dub collection. But where Box Of Dub seemed to cover a wide sonic spectrum of dubstep and modern dub, Steppa's Delight is all the current hyped shit, dubplates, white labels, singles, lots of names we already know and love, Kode9, Benga, The Bug, Shackleton, but loads more we've never heard before.
Right out of the gate, it's already a winner, with Kode9's "9 Samurai", a dubstep classic if there ever was, sounding like the RZA gone dubstep, ominous cinematic samples, a strange skittery beat, brief squalls of intense synth buzz, some creepy spoken word, this is like the dubstep version of that ubiquitous Massive Attack song, groove but so full of dread. Would be surprised if this didn't start showing up in soundtracks pretty soon (Guy Ritchie? You listening?). Next up is Benga, who while not as grim sounding, still offers up some intense minor key grooves, complex skitter, and some jagged buzzing synth melodies. Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands" we already loved from that Skull Disco comp a while back, and it still sounds amazing, murky and menacing, the drums muted and murky, except for the occasional gunshot-like snare blast, mumbled vocals, haunting swells and deep atmospherics. The Bug Teams up with Warrior Queen, for a dense slab of buzz, some super heavy low end, a slithery bass line, simple stripped down beats, and some crazy catchy sing songy toasting. There's even some grime here and there, with Skepta contributing a killer convoluted flow to Plastician's "Intensive Snare". Uncle Sam's dubstep is almost straight old school reggae, except for that little dubby shuffle. Goth-Trad offers up some seriously darkened dub, the neverending bassline buzz, the clattery percussion, the haunting sampled vocals, a horror movie melody straight out of Halloween. Shit, we could go on and on, track by track, but by now you probably realize this is a must have. Like we mentioned in the Lo Dubs review, the dubstep and grime obsessed absolutely need this, and if you dug Milanese, Kode9 and the Box Of Dub comps then this too is another must have.
MPEG Stream: KODE9 "9 Samurai"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "Evolution"
MPEG Stream: GOTH-TRAD "Genesis"

V/A Sticks Over My Shoulder (Mississippi / Change Records) lp 14.98
**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT**
Nobody does comps like Mississippi, whether it's blues, gospel, Rembeteka, whatever, every Mississippi comp is like some amazing mixtape made for you by that one guy with the most amazing record collection ever. An older brother, an uncle, somebody's cool mom or dad. Every single one offers up a whole new world of music to explore, and this one is no different. A collection of Georgia bluesman, recordings gathered up in the late seventies by George Mitchell, who was doing field research for the Georgia Grassroots Music Festival, in an attempt to track down actively performing bluesmen, which apparently was no easy feat, but the six artists here all pretty amazing finds.
There's John Lee Ziegler who strings his guitar with bass strings, has a gorgeous high clear voice, and who on one track is accompanied by a guy playing the spoons! There's also William Robertson, who has a cool, weird whiny nasal voice, but one that's perfectly suited to his slithery guitar style. Jim Bunkley has a super percussive strumming guitar style which is perfectly matched to his gruff belted vocals. There's also Jimmy Lee Williams who has a rich warm guitar sound, and another distinctive vocal style. And finally, there's James Davis, who plays fierce instrumental electric blues, always accompanied by a drummer, playing just a bass drum and a kettle drum, and folks around those parts still call Davis's music 'drum music'!
So cool. Housed in nice thick old school style tip on jackets, the extensive liner notes printed on the back.

V/A Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before... (Rough Trade) cd 10.98
To commemorate twenty five years of existence, Rough Trade have released an action-packed compilation of sixteen 'old school' R.T. artists' songs performed by 'new school' R.T. artists. So, who is partaking in the festivities? Noneother than Belle & Sebastian, Alasdair Roberts, Elizabeth Fraser (well, they're not such new schoolers!), Oneida, The Detroit Cobras, The Fiery Furnaces, Delays, Royal City, Adam Green, The Tyde, Mystic Chords Of Memory, The Veils, Eastern Lane, The Hidden Cameras, Jeffrey Lewis, and British Sea Power. And who is being covered? Lots of old faves... a couple by Young Marble Giants, The Clean, a couple by Galaxie 500, The Feelies, Aztec Camera, a couple by The Strokes (oops, *they're* not such old schoolers, are they?!), Ivor Cutler, Mazzy Star, James Blood Ulmer, Television Personalities, Scritti Politti, Robert Wyatt, and The Fall.
MPEG Stream: BELLE & SEBASTIAN "Final Day"
MPEG Stream: ELIZABETH FRASER "At Last I Am Free"

V/A Storm In the Garage (Akarma) 3cd box 47.00

V/A Strangely Strange (Island) 3cd 40.00
Like the Vertigo box, but for Island Records.

V/A Street = x 2 (Pseudo Arcana) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of my favorite drone records in recent memory (Streets=X, see above) gets the remix treatment from a who's who of NZ artrock / dronerock / freerock artists. Birchville Cat Motel, Seht, 3rd Octave Band, AM and a bunch more, take the sound of the Street=X record, all droning shimmering high end skree, and try to make it their own. Birchville Cat Motel, smooths the edges and adds some humming dreaminess. Seht chops and pastes and adds the sounds of a busy highway. 3rd Octave Band turn up the volume and add some layers ofgrit and grime, feedback and amp buzz. Paul Wickham slows it all down and adds even more hum and hiss. A pretty amazing remix project in a world that certainly doesn't need anymore. It helps that the original was so goddamn good!!
RealAudio clip: BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL "RMX 1"
RealAudio clip: 3RD OCATVE BAND "RMX 4"

V/A Street And Gangland Rhythms: Beats And Improvisations From Six Boys In Trouble (Smithsonian Folkways) lp 16.98
Wow, what an amazing artifact! Smithsonian Folkways have just reissued this 1959 release of urban folk song recordings made by six 11 and 12 year-old youths from the Harlem projects. With only bongos and bottles to beat out percussive rhythms, the kids make rhyming songs, chants, and stories that relate to their experiences of rough street life and how they cope with them. An argument can be made that these recordings are the nascent beginnings of what would later become rap, but the song's basic forms sound much more rooted in early blues, call and response rhymes, and tribal African rhythms, in that they still have the feeling of being tied to an older tradition of folk music. That they are being made by kids with such exuberance and charm in the face of real hardship make these recordings truly special.

V/A Street Music Of Panama (Original Music) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Truely unique recordings of Cumbias, Tamboritos, anad Mejoranas. Starts off reasonably enough, but just as you relax, you're treated with a 'grito': what seems like a version of kecak performed by imitating dogs barking. And later, a group of drummers are accompanied by several choruses of women singing call and response from what sounds like opposite ends of town.

V/A Street Musicians Of Yogyakarta (Mississippi) lp + 7" 15.98
**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT**
One of two new Mississippi releases we're listing this week, both incredible additions to the already impossibly impressive Mississippi catalog, and as we often mention, there are plenty of people who buy every single Mississippi release, regardless, and most aQ-ers definitely fall into that category, but really, any one at all interested in world music, and we're not talking the Starbucks / Paul Simon variety, we're talking real world music, the sounds you here on the streets and in the homes played by real people in real places all over the world, if that stuff holds any interest for you, then pretty much every single Mississippi release is essential, and without fail, each one will open up a whole new world of sound, and reveal all manner of musical magic to jaded Western ears.
The tracks here were recorded in Indonesia in the late seventies by a field recordist named Jack Brody, and this sampling offers up lots of the different flavors of street musicians at the time, displaying the various influences from Indian Bollywood music, American rock and roll as well as traditional Javanese folk musics, all wound into these unique and personal sonic expressions. The sound seems to be mostly vocal driven, with the majority of the vocalists female, the voices high and clear and soaring, lots of call and response and unique harmonies, strings buzz over simple hand drums and minimal percussion, many of the tracks here are simple and spare, but others are impossibly lush. And as these are all recorded on the streets, the music is peppered with the sounds of life, cars and buses, kids playing, adults talking, babies crying, horns honking. There are a couple of tracks featuring male vocalists, one in particular stands out, the vocalist singing in a super raspy Popeye/Tom Waits voice, over just intricate drumming, his vocal delivery rapid fire and super dexterous, the result dizzying and exhilarating. We could go track by track, but every song here is a gem, and like most Mississippi releases, we find ourselves spinning this over and over and over and getting totally lost in these incredible sounds.
Housed in a super heavy old school tip-on style jacket, and includes a massive booklet filled with liner notes on the music, the region, the performers, including lyrics and actual musical notation, as well as lots of photos and a bonus 7"!

V/A Streets Of Lhasa (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
The 19 tracks on Streets Of Lhasa were recorded by Zhang Jian, a member of Beijing, China's fm3 arts collective during a visit to Tibet in August 2003. Jian would hire the musicians for an entire day, paying them in cash and food, and record their performances in the relatively quiet surroundings of a city park. Most of the recordings are of either solo performers (singing a cappella, or accompanying themselves with a lute or fiddle) or in small ensembles. Many of the performers are children, often singing with their parents. Particularly cute is the father / son duet (with fiddle accompaniment). In addition to these private performances, Jian also made several recordings of ambient sounds and music on the streets of Lhasa: market sounds, prayer bells, children playing, trains, and a 12 minute track of monks heatedly discussing scripture and apparently clapping to puncuate their arguments, though the clapping sounds almost like a crackling fire. The result is a picture perfect audio post card to a place most of us will likely never visit.
MPEG Stream: "Father/Son Vocal With Erhu"
MPEG Stream: "Bian Jing"
MPEG Stream: "Peace On Top Of The World"

V/A Strike 100 (Shitkatapult) 2cd 23.00

V/A String Of Artifacts (Resipiscent) 2xcd 11.98

V/A String Of Pearls: International 78s (Mississippi / Canary) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
All you Mississippi Records fanatics should just stop reading now and click on the ADD TO CART button, because there's just no question that you are going to want, nay NEED this! Baltimore-based record store owner and record collector Ian Nagoski (who also compiled the excellent Black Mirror compilation for Dust-To-Digital) has put together another stunning collection of vintage 78 recordings from around the globe spanning between 1918-1952: Tanbur improvisations from Turkey, Vietnamese classical chamber music, Greek cabaret, Jamaican rural folk, Serbian dance, Spanish prayer song, Romanian Jewish mourning song, Italian opera, Highland Music of West Java; Arab classical music, Zuni Indian harvest chants, Ukrainian Hutzel music, Hindustani classical singing and Armenian folk music. Whew! It's a whirlwind tour of the world in beautiful, lonely and sometimes devastating bursts, colliding folk and popular styles, upper and lower classes, the famous and the obscure in a captivating melange of audio wonder. And apparently, there's more to come as this release also marks the debut of Nagoski's Canary Records imprint dedicated to International musical obscurities and the stories that hide within. Extensive liner notes with pictures included. Amazing!!

V/A Strings and Stings (FBWL-TOW) cd 15.98
Guitar tribute record featuring performances by Noel Akchote, James Plotkin, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Thurston Moore, Imagho, justin Broaderick and other avant/underground guitar heroes.

V/A Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox (Merge) cd 17.98
Last Summer, legendary New Zealand rocker Chris Knox, of the mighty Tall Dwarfs, suffered a life altering stroke, rendering him bed ridden, mostly unable to speak, and facing a long slow recovery. Stroke is a benefit record to help pay for Knox's recovery, and is a celebration of his life and music, featuring tons of rock luminaries, paying tribute, in the form of covers of songs from throughout Knox's long career. And judging from the folks participating, it's easy to see weren't the only ones who loved Knox and his music.
The most hyped track here is not surprisingly, the first actual new recording from Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum, since, well, since the last NMH record, and it's of course awesome. That voice, the stridently strummed acoustic guitar, and the fact that it's one of Knox's best tracks, "Sign On The Dotted Line", so perfect. And for those new to Knox, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a Mangum original, clever lyrics, unforgettable melody, so good. Worth the price of admission alone for NMH superfans, as is the chance to help out someone who's given us so much amazing music. But it's not just Mangum, there's Bill Callahan of Smog, AC Newman from New Pornographers, Lambchop, The Verlaines, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, The Mountain Goats, Alec Bathgate (the OTHER Tall Dwarf), Hamish Kilgour, Pumice, Shayne Carter, Skygreen Leopards, Stephin Merritt, Portastatic, David Kilgour, The Chills, Jay Reatard (RIP) and more!
And it's a testament to the songs of Chris Knox, that all of these versions sound incredible. Whether it's Callahan's darkly moody twang flecked slow burn take on "Lapse", or AC Newman's woozy sunshiney version of the perfect pop gem "Dunno Much About Life But I Know How To Breathe", or Oldham's gorgeous super stripped down, voice about to crack creep of "My Only Friend", or Lambchop's lush old timey lilting "What Goes Up", or Jay Reatard's reverbed, hand clapped "Pull Down The Shades", or Stephin Merritt's super tripped out glitchy, noisy, psychedelic "Beauty", or the dreamy washed out West Coast psych folk take on the Tall Dwarf's "Burning Blue"... We could go on and on, but by now you should have more than enough reasons to pick this up, helping out Knox, snagging a killer collection of amazing songs, by some of your favorite musicians (not to mention all the bands we've never heard of, all of whom impress). Plus hopefully, in addition to supporting Knox in his recovery, folks who have yet to discover the music of Chris Knox and the Tall Dwarfs, will now wonder how they lived without, and can rush out and buy everything they can get their hands on. Cool diecut yellow and black slipcover-ed sleeve too!
MPEG Stream: JEFF MANGUM "Sign The Dotted Line"
MPEG Stream: BILL CALLAHAN "Lapse"
MPEG Stream: YO LA TENGO "Coloured"
MPEG Stream: AC NEWMAN "Dunno Much About Life But I Know How To Breathe"
MPEG Stream: THE MOUNTAIN GOATS "Brave"

V/A STRP1 - Reactions To Raaijmakers (Basta) cd 21.00
One of the early Dutch electronic music masters, Dick Raaijmakers, gets his due here with this compilation, released as a companion to Basta's 3cd Raaijmakers Complete Tape Music set (seen elsewhere on this list). A bunch of big names on the experimental/electronic cutting edge either remix or entirely "reinterpret" old Raaijmakers pieces, among them Keith Fullerton Whitman (aka Hrvatski), Mouse on Mars, Jason Forrest, Phantom Orchid (Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori), David Grubbs, Thurston Moore, Atom TM, Isolee, Beautyon, Vert. All sorts of cool sci-fi sounding shimmery sizzle, bleeping drones, and glitchy poptronic silliness (like Atom TM's version of Raaijmakers' version of that old chestnut "Colonel Bogey") abound.
MPEG Stream: KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN "Vier Fanfares"
MPEG Stream: ATOM TM "Colonel Bogey"

V/A Structure of Scientific Misconceptions, The / The System of Scientific Misconstructions (Toyo) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volumes four and five of Toyo's Science Series of split singles, scientifically restructured for confusion and discomfort. Artists featured this time around (unintentionally?) reside in the regions of San Francisco, CA and Olympia, WA. Erase Errata kick off the disc with a structure handicapped chainsaw attack, followed by their show stopper "Marathon" (non-album version, mind you). The Need smash your teeth in with two fistfuls of crushing metal (including a cover of Judas Priest's "The Green Manalishi"). MeMe America (featuring Wynne of Tracy and the Plastics) offer a portion their unseen magnum opus "Part 2: Baby". San Francisco's Deerhoof grace this disc with their final recordings made over two years ago with Rob and Kelly still in the lineup. Possibly their finest songs ever laid down to tape - four brilliant, fractured pop songs that demand repeat listens. Blectum From Blechdom cough up two tracks of hyperelectro and a live rendition of the hilarious "Jump Jo Bones". The disc is rounded out by the pretty pop dreaminess of The KG (Tae of Kicking Giant with some dudes in the Microphones). All tracks exclusive, save for one Erase Errata track, available only on their self titled 7". Nice!
RealAudio clip: ERASE ERRATA "Marathon"
RealAudio clip: NEED "The Green Manalishi"
RealAudio clip: BLECTUM FROM BLECHDOM "Jump Jo Bones"

V/A Stubbs The Zombie: The Soundtrack (Shout! Factory) cd 17.98
As is stated on the back of this cd, this compilation features "original works and modern treatments of legendary recordings performed by today's top artists" for the video game Stubbs The Zombie.
Totally retro, totally future, totally now! Not that this collection isn't chockful of pop goodies, but noticeably absent are a few formerly omnipresent, like-minded compilation stalwarts Man Or Astro-man?, Apples In Stereo or They Might Be Giants. Participants include The Flaming Lips, The Raveonettes, The Walkmen, Ben Kweller, Cake, Phantom Planet, and Death Cab For Cutie. In the zombie spirit of bringing something back to life, these artists attempt to breathe new life into these vintage (albeit far from lifeless) songs. Some stick pretty close to the originals, while others venture out into their own (outer)space. The former is exemplified by Ben Gibbard and Co.'s cover of "Earth Angel". Anticipated to be one of the highlights, it's definitely pleasant, but surprisingly by-the-books. Ah well, if you're seeking the latter, you'll definitely find it on many of the others. Really, by the time we reached Rogue Wave's dreamy cover of Buddy Holly's "Everyday" we noted that the songs were more juicily infused with the artists' own personal touches. Highly entertaining!
MPEG Stream: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE "Earth Angel"
MPEG Stream: ROGUE WAVE "Everyday"
MPEG Stream: ORANGER "Mr. Sandman"

V/A Studio 1 Sales Conference Vol. 1 1979 (Studio 1) lp 12.98

V/A Studio One Classics (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
Pretty much all of Soul Jazz's Studio One reggae comps have been great, so how darn good d'you think one entitled "Studio One Classics" is gonna be? Yeah, that's right...classics. An inevitable, admittedly incomplete sampling of the best of Studio One's output over the years (since the '60s), from ska to rocksteady to dancehall to dub. This disc is intended as something in the way of a tribute to Studio One's legendary producer Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, who passed away last May at the age of 72. He had a hand in recording each of the 18 tracks found here, which include cuts by the likes of The Skatalites, Horace Andy, The Wailers, Alton Ellis, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Sugar Minott, Prince Jazzbo, Sound Dimension, Johnny Osbourne, and others. With that array of talent, a stellar compilation is more-or-less assured, eh? ...But what's that? Think you don't like reggae? C'mon at least give this one a shot. There's definitely gonna be something on here that you'll dig, or well...ok you don't like reggae, but we tried!
MPEG Stream: THE SKATALITES "El Pussy Ska"
MPEG Stream: SUGAR MINOTT "Oh Mr DC"

V/A Studio One Classics (Soul Jazz) lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Pretty much all of Soul Jazz's Studio One reggae comps have been great, so how darn good d'you think one entitled "Studio One Classics" is gonna be? Yeah, that's right...classics. An inevitable, admittedly incomplete sampling of the best of Studio One's output over the years (since the '60s), from ska to rocksteady to dancehall to dub. This disc is intended as something in the way of a tribute to Studio One's legendary producer Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, who passed away last May at the age of 72. He had a hand in recording each of the 18 tracks found here, which include cuts by the likes of The Skatalites, Horace Andy, The Wailers, Alton Ellis, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Sugar Minott, Prince Jazzbo, Sound Dimension, Johnny Osbourne, and others. With that array of talent, a stellar compilation is more-or-less assured, eh? ...But what's that? Think you don't like reggae? C'mon at least give this one a shot. There's definitely gonna be something on here that you'll dig, or well...ok you don't like reggae, but we tried!
MPEG Stream: THE SKATALITES "El Pussy Ska"
MPEG Stream: SUGAR MINOTT "Oh Mr DC"

V/A Studio One Disco Mix (Soul Jazz ) cd 21.00
Similar to the extended dance mixes that were ever so popular in the US, the disco mixes coming out of Jamaica were remixes, often combining a dub and vocal version, designed for dance clubs to keep a song playing longer. Part of the inspiration from Dodd's stable at Studio One was to counteract the then rampent versioning of Studio One rhythms by the other recording studios. Given that these tracks were being cut to 12" discs, they could run anywhere from 5 to over ten minutes in length. A few years back the label Heartbeat released one such collection of disco mixes from Studio One called Nice Up The Dance (no, not to be confused with the album by the same name released by Soul Jazz a couple years later) and it immediately became a favorite here. So we were pretty excited to learn that Soul Jazz was going to do their own collection. The only shortcoming with the Soul Jazz comp is that many of the tracks here are hardly "extended" mixes. Over half of the tracks on this collection are between 2 and 3 minutes in length. It's a fine collection nonetheless, filled with updated classics spanning some ten plus years of Studio One's output. While some tracks are merely remixes of the original tunes, many feature newer vocalists (at the time) reversioning the Studio One classics, as well as some vocalists updating their own tracks, like Alton Ellis' own 1980 revoicing of a tune he cut in 1960.
MPEG Stream: JUDAH ESKANDER TAFARI "Rastafari Tell You"
MPEG Stream: WINSTON FRANCIS, JACKIE MITTOO & BRENTFORD ROCKERS "Going To Zion"

V/A Studio One Disco Mix (Soul Jazz ) 2lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Similar to the extended dance mixes that were ever so popular in the US, the disco mixes coming out of Jamaica were remixes, often combining a dub and vocal version, designed for dance clubs to keep a song playing longer. Part of the inspiration from Dodd's stable at Studio One was to counteract the then rampent versioning of Studio One rhythms by the other recording studios. Given that these tracks were being cut to 12" discs, they could run anywhere from 5 to over ten minutes in length. A few years back the label Heartbeat released one such collection of disco mixes from Studio One called Nice Up The Dance (no, not to be confused with the album by the same name released by Soul Jazz a couple years later) and it immediately became a favorite here. So we were pretty excited to learn that Soul Jazz was going to do their own collection. The only shortcoming with the Soul Jazz comp is that many of the tracks here are hardly "extended" mixes. Over half of the tracks on this collection are between 2 and 3 minutes in length. It's a fine collection nonetheless, filled with updated classics spanning some ten plus years of Studio One's output. While some tracks are merely remixes of the original tunes, many feature newer vocalists (at the time) reversioning the Studio One classics, as well as some vocalists updating their own tracks, like Alton Ellis' own 1980 revoicing of a tune he cut in 1960.
MPEG Stream: JUDAH ESKANDER TAFARI "Rastafari Tell You"
MPEG Stream: WINSTON FRANCIS, JACKIE MITTOO & BRENTFORD ROCKERS "Going To Zion"

V/A Studio One DJ's (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
Soul Jazz does it again. This time the label tackles the classic DJ cuts produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One from the beginning of the 60's through the early 80's. Unlike the common DJ of repute who was content to merely play records, Jamaican DJ's have always been of a mind to persistently interject their own thoughts, off the cuff remarks, vocal sound effects over what they played. Such was the heavy competition between Sound Systems in Jamaica, that merely having the freshest cuts would win an audience. A charismatic master of ceremonies was crucial drawing crowds. Out of this developed the Jamaican DJ: U Roy, I Roy, Big Youth, Dennis Alcapone, Count Machuki, Prince Jazzbo et al. Coxsone Dodd, having already been the owner of one of the biggest sound systems in Jamaica by the end of the 50's, continued in the capacity of producer to become the institution he is today with vaults of the most popularly versioned rhythms in Jamaica. 'Studio One DJ's' takes a look at not only some of the most successful DJ's to work with Coxsone, but also some great obscure one's that you may never have heard. You won't find either U or I Roy on this collection, but that shouldn't dissuade you (we can set you up with great discs of either) as their's no shortage of awesome tracks on here from the sparse interjections of Count Machuki to the non-stop-almost-out-of-breath toasting and cocka-doodle-dooing of Dennis Alcapone, to the ever so gruff and foreboding chanting of Prince Far I, there's an impressive variety of artistry represented here.
Wow! And we also just discovered that there's a short video on Studio One included on the CD that you can watch on your computer. Brief interviews with Coxsone and Norma, plus footage of notable DJ's Lone Ranger and a pissed off looking King Stitt. Looks like it's a sneak peak of a full length documentary that Sould Jazz will be releasing on DVD and video in the near future. We're all waiting on the pins and the needles for its release!
RealAudio clip: PRINCE FRANCIS "Rock Fort Shock"
RealAudio clip: JIM BROWN "Seen Him"

V/A Studio One DJ's (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Soul Jazz does it again. This time the label tackles the classic DJ cuts produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One from the beginning of the 60's through the early 80's. Unlike the common DJ of repute who was content to merely play records, Jamaican DJ's have always been of a mind to persistently interject their own thoughts, off the cuff remarks, vocal sound effects over what they played. Such was the heavy competition between Sound Systems in Jamaica, that merely having the freshest cuts would win an audience. A charismatic master of ceremonies was crucial to drawing crowds. Out of this developed the Jamaican DJ: U Roy, I Roy, Big Youth, Dennis Alcapone, Count Machuki, Prince Jazzbo et al. Coxsone Dodd, having already been the owner of one of the biggest sound systems in Jamaica by the end of the 50's, continued in the capacity of producer to become the institution he is today with vaults of the most popularly versioned rhythms in Jamaica. 'Studio One DJ's' takes a look at not only some of the most successful DJ's to work with Coxsone, but also some great obscure one's that you may never have heard. You won't find either U or I Roy on this collection, but that shouldn't dissuade you (we can set you up with great discs of either) as their's no shortage of awesome tracks on here from the sparse interjections of Count Machuki to the non-stop-almost-out-of-breath toasting and cocka-doodle-dooing of Dennis Alcapone, to the ever so gruff and foreboding chanting of Prince Far I, there's an impressive variety of artistry represented here.

V/A Studio One DJs Volume 2 (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
Most of us have come to know the DJ as a behind the scenes mover and shaker, not so much the star attraction, but more of a journeyman, playing the records, not playing ON the records, but the DJ in the heyday of reggae and dub culture was very much right in front of the action. The main attraction in most cases. Often adding their own voice loud and proud over the top of whatever sounds happened to be spinning. Screaming, singing, rapping, goofing, adding much of the DJ's individual personality to the dubbed out grooves. Soul Jazz has once again used its master key to the Studio One vaults for this, the second collection of Studio One DJ's. Digging deeper into the dancehalls of Jamaica in the 70's and coming out with a bunch of gems. If you're a fan of all things Soul Jazz, Trojan, Dancehall and the like, this is absolutely essential.
MPEG Stream: PRINCE JAZZBO "Pepper Rock"
MPEG Stream: SOUL VENDORS "Whipping The Prince"
MPEG Stream: BIG JOE "Get Out Baldhead"