Desert Island Mix

"If you buy this Record Your Life will be better"... ha! I remember - that was a group called Tamperer Feat. Maya. Their big cut was "Feel It" back in 1998, a remake of the Jackson's old track.... it soared up the UK charts and they always played it at "Jelly Baby" and "The Dome" in Birmingham, England... or everywhere for that matter. Thanks for the memory!

Anyways, I've always respected Gilles Peterson as a DJ and music collector. You know that if you're picking up one of his cd's or compilations that he put together, you're bound to get some sort of mad, obscure, un-heard of track or cut in there. But then again, can you imagine his collection of vinyls and cd's? Yikes! Some people have a gift for making music and playing an instrument. GP's gift is putting the tracks together, finding them, making the connections and simply knowing music. He's done numerous series, from Trust The DJ to "The Incredible Sound of..." and this one, released a few years ago, was on a Journey's By DJ series which included other DJ's like Kevin Yost and even Coldcut.

But it's GP's that I dig. Admittedly I didn't fall for it at the first listen. But over time, it grew on me. Starting out with a sly cut remembering the name of a Jazz club and into a pure, old school track by Letta Mbulu, you'd think this would be soul. But then you have some electronica and beats added in this with Juryman and Ballistic Brothers who redid a classic old jazz track... break beat styled. Followed up nicely by some old school Buscemi then a surprisingly more commercial track, Jazzanova's "Fedime's Flight", you suddenly find yourself in break heaven. Kevin Yost's "One Starry Night" has a sound to it that reminds me of trance group Banda Sonora and "Guitarra G" that was popular back in 2001. Other cuts on this album that stood out where soulful tracks by Roy Davis and Drop Zone Productions. The CD finally winds down (well, not really a wind-down) with the classic Rotary Connection track, redone and remixed numerous times by groups like Nuyorican Soul or 4 Hero, called 'Black Gold of the Sun'. Ha... imagine, a group with Minnie Ripperton (mother to SNL actress Maya Rudolph) in it.

I definitely recommend this CD. It's got a bit of everything in it. Soul, broken beats, electronica, a little latin, a little Brazil. Not every track got me in this though. I never was a big Roni Size fan, and I-Cube's "Ding Ding Ding" is just downright creepy to me. But there's not enough of those tracks to prohibit you from the groove. If you dig this, definitely check out the Break Beat scene with Bugz in the Attic, Nathan Haines, Phil Asher and Patrick Forge among SEVERAL others... including guys out of the US and Germany (Compost), etc.

This is a wonderfully sassy, infectious and retro-cool sounding album in which Peterson has manged to collect a myriad of funky, jazzy and euro culture beats. Placed skillfully alongside an electic range of interesting and dynamic vocals, it is journey through many genres, styles and decades.

There is a smokey, jazzy edge throughout and reference to 50's/60's cool, spiced with salsa, samba and 90's/00's club mix cool. An upbeat but equally tranquil journey and one definitely worth taking.

Gilles Peterson is arguably one of the most knowledgable and respected voices and figures in the the U.K. Jazz, Acid Jazz, Jazz Funk & Soul-jazz scenes. Even so far as, setting up (the now sadly defunct) "Talkin Loud" label. And with myself, having personally enjoyed several clubs nights, when Mr Peterson was spinning on the decks. Let there be no doubt that the man has impeccable track selection. An almost equally highly regarded 'eclectic' DJ, who's equally at home spinning: Rare Groove, Funk, Soul, Drum 'n' Bass, Northern Soul, Samba, Jazz, Hip-Hop...and any genre that fits in-between. And with a impressive selection of compilation disks under his belt, (especially the esteemed "Worldwide" selection compilation series), who better to compile a disk that takes the listener on a aural journey???....and has such a proven track record with these sorts of albums, this should be a case for massive celebration, shouldn't it??.........(of Course it is!!!)

Gilles' Disk accurately reflects his musical tastes admirably and features several songs that I've personally heard him play in club nights (as opposed to an artist randomly selecting tracks with no relevance to their profession), with a tracklisting that leans heavily towards Latin, Samba and Acid-Jazz, and leads with the scattershot spoken word Jazz of 'Mark Murphy's - Dingwalls', and the stylish Nu-Jazz of "Jazzanova's - Fedime's Flight". The utterly sublime garage mix of "Gabriel" (feat. Roy Davis Jr), gets a deserved airing, and is refreshing to see this incredible track not just relegated to Garage/2-step compilations. And it's here that the tempo increases, by moving into breakbeat /Drum 'n' Bass territory with two "Roni Size" productions....the hyperkentic breakbeats of "Breakbeat Era's - Breakbeat Terror", before surging nicely into the Jazzy/Drum 'n' Bass fusion of "It's Jazzy". Its also worth mentioned the effortless mixing by Gilles here. Seeing as a wide variety of genres of being interlaced here, its surprising and a testament to the DJ skills of Mr Peterson, that the transitions are superbly executed, without too many discernible contrasts in sound. Rounding out...is a Peterson favourite, "Rotary Connection's" legendary soulful "Black Gold of the Sun", which Peterson frequently drops in his Club nights, and has at least made one other compilation of his....although this version seems to contain more vocal and a little more laid back (it's probably the "4-Hero" remix that I'm familiar with), but a truly perfect album closer. The 'Journeys By DJ' series have arguably delivered a impressively consistent and reliably strong collection of compilation albums, that provided your familiar with the style of music that the DJ featured, trades in...has rarely disappointed, and to be honest, this is arguably one of the finest, that the series has to offer. Sure, It doesn't match the incomparable brilliance of 'Coldcuts 70 minutes of madness' effort in the series. But then it doesn't look like anyone else will ever quite match that level of brilliance (even Coldcut themselves), and those that aren't keen on stylistic shifts in music over the course of an album needn't apply, but then again, anyone that's well aware of Gilles music selections, this certainly won't be a problem. (in fact it's one of his best attributes)...so, go and buy and with confidence, that this easily matches up with anything else compilation-wise, that Gilles has put his name to.