Music Reviews
Various Artists
ÊFuture Sounds of Jazz - Volume 8
(Compost Records)
I'll never forget the time my friend introduced his girlfriend as his
"future ex-wife." Thats the feeling I get when I look at all the CDs in
my collection with the word future in the title. Future-funk, future-jazz,
future soul, future-lounge, etc, etc.Sooner or later they all join the
rag-heap of ex-wives and ex-girlfriends I once called upon for my listening
pleasure.
Not so with Compostss Future Sounds of Jazz: Volume 8. What more can
you expect from the true innovators, the ones who exposed us to the likes
of Fauna Flash, Beanfield, and Kyoto Jazz Massive? Compost has always given
us the best that nu-jazz and future-funk has to offer. Why should now be
any different?
Compost head honcho and DJ Michael Reinboth has once again utilized
a keen eye in his selections. The Volume 8 compilation features everything
from Bossa Nova rhythms to laid-back nu-jazz to spoken word, always with
smooth transitions in between. Moonstars Dust kicks a lively second track
off with mid-tempo breakbeats tempered by swingy inflections that hypnotize
and soothe. Slow Supreme Lindströms Full Kennedy Breakdown calls the
dance card with loose, hypnotic beats that teeter on the boundary of deep
house without completely going overboard. And, of course, Beanfields bouncy
remix of The Quest by Attica Blues Robinson offers the signature electronic
jump-and-jive that put them at the helm of future-jazz innovation.
Other tracks on the compilation include numbers by Dan Curtin, The Underwolves,
Atjazz Iveson, and remixes by Recloose and Ashley Beedle. Theres no shortage
of good things to say about this release. And while Ive always felt that
Composts anthology selections were their strongest point, this could be
the compilation that forces me into some deeper research. - Jonathan Hanemann
