Genre: Ambient / Downtempo / Experimental / Future Jazz

Four Tet在我心目中，一直就是一电音界的解晓东那角色——很鸡肋。出过不少作品，但是别提说得上名，就大概其连说出他们什么风格都有点费劲。

不过2010年初的这张’There is love in you’估计是能给我留下印象最深的一张。查了一下履历，上一张专辑发布还是2005年，看来这四五年歇得Kieran Hebden算是真开窍儿了。

本专辑也入选Ninjatune 2010最佳专辑。

Tracklist:
01. Angel Echoes [04:00]
02. Love Cry [09:13]
03. Circling [05:17]
04. Pablo’s Heart [00:11]
05. Sing [06:48]
06. This Unfolds [07:55]
07. Reversing [02:40]
08. Plastic People [06:33]
09. She Just Likes To Fight [04:34]

Artist: Natural Self
Title: The Art Of Vibration
Label: Tru Thoughts
Catalog#: TRUCD162
Style: Trip-Hop, Instrumental, Soul-Jazz, Breaks, Future Jazz, Downtempo

Tru-Thoughts的挖掘新人能力的确惊人，Natural Self去年在Breakin’ Bread (UK)发过一张The Love Theme之后，就进入TRU的视线了。今年早先TRU出的精选shapes 08:01和Nostalgia 77的One Offs, Remixes & B-Sides都有他的身影。这张基本秉承了TRU的传统，优雅的Soul女声，中规中矩的beat，张张都非得听出点儿什么惊喜来太勉强了，对自己对艺人都一个意思，no news is good news吧咱还是。

Tracklist:
01. Introduction (1:19)
02. Welcome To The Ascension (3:06)
03. The Rising (feat Andreya Triana) (4:17)
04. In The Morning (4:01)
05. Alright Turn It Up Now (4:55)
06. Faultlines (3:40)
07. Breathe Deep ( feat Abdominal) (4:12)
08. Ghost In The Machine (3:11)
09. The Crush (3:25)
10. The Laws Of Motion (4:42)
11. Feet Keep Moving (3:06)
12. Another Land (3:43)
13. Alexander And Gabriel (4:24)

Release Note:

Hitting you with incredible beats, infectious hooksand punchy horns ‘The Art Of Vibration’ by NaturalSelf encompasses a diverse range of influences andmoods, with accomplished songwriting andproduction. Guest vocals are provided by eminentsoul singer Andreya Triana and MC Abdominal.

Natural self loves a good introduction (and in hisown words, “There’s nothing wrong with being a bitover the top about it either!”). From theattention-grabbing intro right through to theheartfelt tenderness of the final track “Alexandra& Gabriel” – a sweet dedication “to a beautifulwoman and her baby boy” – ‘The Art Of Vibration’presents the impressive sum of the variousevolutionary twists and turns in Natural Self’smusical development so far.

Whilst this is the first full length solo albumfrom Natural Self on Tru Thoughts, Nathaniel Pearn,the man behind the Natural Self moniker, haspreviously received acclaim for the 2006 album”Gravity” – the collaboration with his label-mateNostalgia 77 under the name The Broken Keys – and ahandful of 7? singles on Tru Thoughts. He releasedhis debut album on Breakin’ Bread Records, also in2006, and has a number of years’ experience as askilled DJ, recently guesting alongside Mr Scruffat his Brighton residency.

“The Rising” is the first single from this albumand has received rapturous reactions to date. Agreat behemoth of a track, the idea behind it isthe gods lamenting the behaviour of the humans intheir treatment of the planet. A powerful, chantedchorus, featuring Pearn on vocal duties, gives wayto captivating lead vocals written and performed byAndreya Triana, with an impossibly tasty, heavy-hitting hip hop beat (with a dubstep lilt and somecheeky snares in there for good measure) drivingstraight through the middle. Andreya Triana,definitely one to watch, is currently co-producingher first self-penned album with Bonobo.

The punchy horn stabs which permeate “The Rising”and many tracks on this album give a taste of theold-school funk music that has played such aconsistently important role in Natural Self’smusical inspiration, and call to mind some of hisearlier work, such as his collaborations with AliceRussell. Club tracks and dancefloor gems abound,namely in the form of “In The Morning”, a feel-goodsummery club tune featuring Pearn and AndreyaTriana on vocals and Ben ‘Nostalgia 77? Lamdin onGuitar.

In “Alright Turn It Up Now” the horns are out inforce, piled on top of viciously crafted beats andcreating layer upon layer of fiendishly catchyhooks and breaks. A definite dance music-inspiredtrack, but in Natural Self’s own imprint. Incontrast, the raw feel of “Faultilines” gives thesense of a musical journey with the essence of thegrind of daily life, and the track continues tobuild in various layers of percussion and bass.This track is undeniably gritty and gratuitous -”Almost ugly. A crude bastard of a tune.” saysPearn, gleefully – but it also has a tropical,rhythmic feel.

On “Breathe Deep”, the charismatic MC Abdominal,who has previously worked with DJ Format on moreuptempo business, handles this slow and deep beatwith ease and skill in the more downtempo secondhalf of the album. A space-age theme bubbles upthroughout “Ghost in the machine”, “The Crush”(‘Robot sex music’, according to Pearn) and “TheLaws Of Motion” which variously sound cosmic, spunout and futuristic. Pearn provides the vocals on”Feet Keep Moving” having got into singing byaccident during the Broken Keys album (when theoriginal vocalist was unable to do it) and it isnow something he would like to pursue further, andrightly so judging by this performance.

“The Art Of Vibration” is the culmination ofboundless appreciation of hip hop, funk, soul andclub music, an uncanny talent for crafting killerbeats and an inspired desire to experiment and takethings further, representing a giant step forward -and a tantalising sign of more gems to come. Aswell as the CD, the album is available as a special6-track LP with full CD album inside.

Label:    Tru Thoughts
Catalog#:    TRU CD 164
Format:    CD, Compilation
Country:    UK
Released:    02 Jun 2008
Genre:    Electronic, Funk / Soul, Latin
Style:    Samba, Broken Beat, Soul, Afro-Cuban, Future Jazz, Hip Hop, Neo Soul, Downtempo, Breaks, Funk
Credits:   

Artwork By [Cover Art] – Stef
Artwork By [Design] – Steve Sawyer
Compiled By – Robert Luis
Other [A & R], Other [Label Management] – Robert Luis
Other [Label Management] – Paul Jonas

Tracks List:

01. Unforscene – Belly Full Of Lead
02. Me&You – Brown Paper Bag (Flowering Inferno Version)
03. Alice Russell – Humankind (Grant Phabao Mix)
04. Up Hygh – Let Me Looz Featuring Leafnuts
05. Milez Benjiman – Crazy ’bout Ya
06. Up Hygh – Be Known feat Eska (Owusu Remix)
07. Dirty Diggers – The Goodum Tune (Umod Bass Remix)
08. Belleruche – It’ll Come (Yam Who? Remix)
09. The Bamboos – Bring It Home feat Alice Russell (Lanu Remix)
10. The Quantic Soul Orchestra – She Said What?
11. Kylie Auldist – Community Service Announcement
12. Saravah Soul – Nao Posso Te Levar A Serio
13. Nostalgia 77 – Quiet Dawn (Bonobo Remix)
14. Kinny – Back Street Lust feat Diesler
15. Hot 8 Brass Band – Fly Away
16. Natural Self – Feet Keep Moving

Release Note:

"Don’t be fooled by me, my surface is my mask. Don’t be fooled by the face I wear, for I wear a thousand masks… and none of them are me."
This sample closes the mix and it sums up the label as I see it perfectly whilst referencing the Ninja of folklore that it takes it’s name from. One of the reasons for this compilation is to give the public at large an overview of the label and it’s current roster in 2008. Of course the hardcore fans know what’s going on but to many casual listeners Ninja is still a by-word for blunted downtempo ‘trip hop’ or smokey jazz beats. While they still have their place, look behind this mask and you’ll hear that that is far from their current spot on the musical map.
There are now so many different artists on the label as well as it’s sister labels, Big Dada and Counter, that it is impossible to sum it all up in one musical category. This has always been the case but it can also be problematic – people like categories – and why not? They’re useful, they define our world, making it easier to organise and describe the everyday. But with artists this diverse, from countries all over the world, each with their own agenda, categories are redundant. So what better than to round them all up and make our own one-off category called ‘Ninja Cuts: You Don’t Know’ to show them off?
This compilation is long overdue, the last one was way back in 2000 and the only label overview since has been 2006′s Zen TV which was more of a retrospective look back than a current mission statement. There’s still the Hip Hop, Jazz, Turntablism and Electronica the label became know for. But It’s time to see what’s behind the Ninja mask NOW – you’ll hear drum n bass, folk, dubstep, glam rock, techno and a thousand other styles, none of which sum up the label completely.
Strictly Kev – February 2008.

QueBiLe Note:

老有人问，就你喜欢那忍者猴儿那厂牌，他们是玩儿数么风格的？
下回谁再问，我就把这张给他听。
另外，经我听了一遍之后，我发现这张功效还不少。你听的时候，同时还可以工作、跳舞、收拾屋子、睡觉、洗脚……效率都会有提高。

Buy it @ NinjaShop

Tracks List:

1    -    Kid Koala    -    Slew Test 2
2    -    TheDeathSet    -    Around The World
3    -    DJ Kentaro*    -    Enter The Newground
4    -    Qemists, The    -    Drop Audio
5    -    Roots Manuva    -    Seat Yourself
6    -    DJ Shadow    -    Bring Madlib Up
7    -    Sixtoo    -    Part 10
8    -    King Geedorah*    -    Next Levels
9    -    Ammoncontact    -    Infinity Of Rhythm Instrumental
10    -    RJD2    -    True Confessions
11    -    Diplo    -    Epistemology Suite 1: Don’t Fall
12    -    Bug, The    -    Poison Dart
13    -    Coldcut    -    Just For The Kick (Original Version)
14    -    Hexstatic    -    Distorted Minds (Zero dB Vox Remix)
15    -    Ghislain Poirier    -    Blazin’ (Modeselector Remix)
16    -    Two Fingers    -    Have It Like That
17    -    Wiley    -    No Qualms (Re-Vox)
18    -    Coldcut    -    Atomic Moog 2006 (The Qemists Remix)
19    -    Daedelus    -    Fairweather Friends
20    -    Roots Manuva    -    Chin High (Manuvadelics Version)
21    -    Bonobo    -    Nitelite (Zero dB Vox Remix)
22    -    Ammoncontact    -    Infinity Of Rhythm Instrumental
23    -    Loka    -    Beginingless
24    -    Fink    -    Pretty Little Thing
25    -    Pop Levi    -    Dita Dimoné
26    -    Heavy, The    -    Coleen
27    -    Cinematic Orchestra, The    -    Rites Of Spring (Live At The Barbican)
28    -    Bigg Jus    -    Say Goodbye
29    -    Yppah    -    Again With The Subtitles
30    -    Ty    -    Wait A Minute (Dwele Remix)
31    -    Cadence Weapon    -    In Search Of The Youth Crew
32    -    TTC    -    Travailler (Orgasmic Remix)
33    -    Spank Rock    -    Bump (Switch Remix)
34    -    Pest    -    Pat Pong (Switch Remix)
35    -    Coldcut    -    Walk A Mile In My Shoes (Tiga Remix)
36    -    Homelife    -    Seedpod
37    -    Jaga*    -    Swedenborgske Rom
38    -    Cinematic Orchestra, The    -    Breathe (Susumu Yokota Remix)
39    -    Amon Tobin    -    Bloodstone

Label:    Madwaltz
Country:    UK
Released:    1998
Genre:    Electronic
Style:    Abstract, Future Jazz, Downtempo

英国的“不一定乐队”，现在签给了Ninja Tune。他们的变数可比“不一定”要不靠谱得多，很难讲这个乐队有多少人，很难讲都有谁来加入制作，就连同张专辑里的不同作品，都不一定是同一个’homelife’做出来的。反正就是这么一个非法组织，经常由Paddy Steer攒局，人来的差不多，哥儿几个就各玩各的，吹拉弹唱一通，在Paddy家里就把素材都录好了。一般一张专辑下来，前前后后也得15、6个人。首张同名专辑Homelife，98年面世，由Paddy自己成立的厂牌Madwaltz发行。

Tracklisting :
01. Ray Or Roy (3:38)
02. Whitefire (3:22)
03. Firefly (3:01)
04. Steely (2:26)
05. You Have A Problem (2:56)
06. Homelife (4:33)
07. Off Crutches (3:16)
08. Hit The Ground Running (3:24)
09. Eleven Till Seven (4:39)
10. Longday (3:45)
11. Old Burst (4:51)
12. The Match (5:48)

Credits :
Cello – Semay Wu (tracks: 3, 4, 5, 11)
Guitar – Simon King (tracks: 1, 5, 7)
Violin – Rosie Lowdell (tracks: 3, 4, 5, 11)
Bongos, Congos – Icarus Wilson Wright (tracks: 1, 10)
Drums – Jason Self (tracks: 2, 10)
Vocals – Faron Brooks (tracks: 2, 8)
Scratches – Justin Robertson (track: 4)
Flute – Phil Steer (8)
Guitar, keyboards, whistling, humming, matches – Tony Burnside
Bass, double bass, programming, keyboards, harmonica, melodica, humming – Paddy Steer

当全国人民还跟‘燕舞，燕舞’较劲的时候，coldcut的house就已经风靡欧美了。当年他们的一些经典曲目以及后来他们做的一些，04年由BMG搓堆儿出版了。

尽管风格跟现在差了不少，但冲着coldcut，以及幻想着这些东西在燕舞年代有多么多么尖儿之后，还是收藏起来了。其实也没那么惨，这里可以比较着听到两个早期CC版的Autumn Leaves。最后的French Version应该更贴近后来他们正经发的那版。还有永不退流行的9分钟大house ‘People Hold On’……

Tracks:
01. People Hold On (3:58)
Featuring – Lisa Stansfield
02. Doctorin’ The House (3:45)
Featuring – Yazz And The Plastic Population
03. Stop This Crazy Thing (3:59)
Featuring – Ahead Of Our Time Orchestra , Junior Reid
04. My Telephone (3:50)
05. Kinda Natural (5:10)
06. Autumn Leaves (3:22)
07. Fat (Party And Bullshit) (4:34)
08. Screw Loose (3:09)
09. Find A Way (4:00)
Featuring – Queen Latifah
10. Plastic Man (12" Version) (6:17)
11. Dreamer (ECU Mix) (3:38)
12. Coldcut’s Christmas Break (3:56)
13. Beats + Pieces (12" Version) (5:57)
14. People Hold On (12" Version) (9:25)
Vocals – Lisa Stansfield
15. Autumn Leaves (French Version) (5:48)

98.2M@198 kbps