25.11.2007 von mk.

After the success of Homecooking (SK127CD), JAZZANOVA team up with RAINER TRÜBY to bring the combined magic of wine, food and music at your table with their new cookbook Beats, Bites and Öxle. This CD is accompanied by a very special book bound in linen (!) including 48 pages printed on high quality paper & beautifully illustrated by Maria Tackmann.
RAINER TRÜBY is a man of passions and a fountain of knowledge. His encounter with the JAZZANOVA crew in the early 90s has been a lucky and fruitful one. RAINER TRÜBY shared with them his erudition in music from old jazz classics and house rarities to the newest music productions. Musicians and DJs such as DIE FANTASTISCHEN 4 or BBC 1’s radio legend GILLES PETERSON also gained a lot from working with him. RAINER TRÜBY made himself a name with many successful projects such as the Abstract Jazz Journey mixes for the label King Street Sound, the sampler series Glücklich on Compost and of course with the famous band TRÜBY TRIO that he formed with his friends CHRISTIAN PROMMER and ROLAND APPEL. Not only RAINER did spread his enthusiasm about music, he also passed on his other big passion to the JAZZANOVA team i.e. his love for good wine. In 2004 he started to organize the famous Beats and Öxle exhibitions in Freiburg at Waldsee Inn. Every new exhibition has been and still is the occasion for him to share his love for wine in a nice musical atmosphere and to present the best bottles that the wineries of his region can offer.
The question of “which wine for which dish” became a hot topic of conversation between RAINER and JAZZANOVA. Instinctively RAINER got himself involved in the making of Homecooking (SK 127CD) last year with his personal wine tips for the first cookbook of Sonar Kollektiv. And this year they imagined and created this new book called Beats, Bites and Öxle (SK167CD/illicity) for both finest gourmets and music connoisseurs, where the savour of a delicious dish meets the flavour of a tasteful wine. They selected together 6 vineyards from the region of Baden-Württemberg in the Southwest of Germany. In the book each winemaker presents his vineyard, 2 of his favourite traditional recipes as well as the bottle of wine that accompanies this moment of gustative pleasure to the perfection.
Sonar Kollektiv puts the cherry on the cake with an assorted selection of their best tunes from their favourite artists. CHRISTIAN PROMMER’s DRUMLESSON, SLOPE and EXTENDED SPIRIT with Solid Water retouched by TRÜBY TRIO set up a very warm jazzy-ambient vibe. This compilation also highlights Sonar Kollektiv’s most soulful artists such as 1LUV or GEORG LEVIN with Leisure Suit. ISOUL8 goes a little bit uptempo with Give It Up and CLARA HILL & VIKTER DUPLAIX keep up this pace with the groovy and seductive Paper Chase. Of course JAZZANOVA is featured in the selection with a live version of That Night featuring CLARA HILL recorded in the Sonar Kollektiv office.
The presence of Like a Rainbow by NOMUMBAH is the extra spice of this musical dish. This tune, which is released for the first time, is a beautiful deep house cover version of a song by the fusion-jazz band AMANITA that can be found on the Sonar Kollektiv Brazilian music compilation Paz e Futebol (SK089CD/LP). EVA BE completes the picture with She walks alone as presented on her recent album Moving Without Traveling (SBCD0007/SB7020/dem roots) on Sonar Kollektiv’ s sub-label Best Seven.
With Beats, Bites and Öxle (SK167CD/illicity) Sonar Kollektiv multiplies the pleasures once again, so lay the table and leave the rest to your hosts JAZZANOVA and RAINER TRÜBY.

Label: sonar kollektiv

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19.11.2007 von mk.

Rodney Hunter is dead-on when he says that he’s been “around the block” more than once. His musical career spans 20 years starting off as an underage bassist of the Austrian band “Mordbuben AG”, later on becoming a member of the legendary “Moreaus” along side Peter Kruder, DJ DSL and Sugar B, leading him to launching his own label and production company Uptight with Werner Geier, storming the Billboard Charts, receiving a Grammy nomination with Uptight Productions, delivering remixes for Omar, Gravediggaz, Doug E. Fresh, Freakpower, Cornershop, Shantel, Martine Girault etc, hit supplier for the HipHop formation Aphrodelics and reputable others… Yes, Rodney Hunter, skilled bass and drum player, has come a long way.
In 2004 his well received and critically acclaimed solo debut album “Hunter Files”, was released on K&D’s G-Stone Recordings. More than three years later the Hithunter returns with this well worth the wait follow up, smoothly circumnavigating the burden that usually comes along with making the “second album”.
Like no other musician Rodney Hunter determines and consequently declines the catch phrases of the Quincy Jonesish Groove-grammar.
He builds his “Hunterville” - a modern funk metropolis- in star architect manner, knowing about today’s requirements only too well. Its foundations and unshakeable truths based upon the heritage that artists such us Herbie Hancock, Chic, Average White Band, Kool & The Gang or the before mentioned Quincy Jones have left behind.
Kruder and Dorfmeister, Rainer Trüby, the Stereo MCs,… they all have been falling back on his productions for years now simply because his musical output easily fits in any DJ set around the world. Although his productions are state of the art Rodney Hunter never forgets his roots, unifying different genres from funk to electro, downtempo to house, dub to hip hop to his very own “Hunter sound”.
“Timeless, modern Funk and Soul” is Hunter’s favourite description for his sound, and we can easily let this statement stand for itself. ”
More than ever this formula applies to “Hunterville”. Tastefully adding some R´n´B along the way is certainly no handicap either.
It’s up to the listener to call them “tracks” or “songs”, that this music works simply can not be denied.
Last but not least, excessive and meticulous mixing sessions with Peter Kruder and with Michael Jackson peering from his “Thriller” album cover always keeping an eye on things, have created an album that fulfills all demands of today’s definition of funk.
In other words: between “Billie Jean” and the latest Techno smash outta Germany only one will keep his sure place no matter if this showdown will happen on an iPod or in the club.
Without a doubt Hunter determined, he continues to follow his own path. He might not be wearing diamond socks but this can only be due to the fact that we’re talking about understatement here, a gentleman’s only luxury in this world.

Label: g-stone recordings

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12.11.2007 von mk.

Michael Reinboth presents volume 11 in the “Future Sounds Of Jazz” series. Modern sophisticated club music - from minimal house to tech jazz. Including tracks by Dennis Ferrer, Blackjoy, The Invisible Session, Solomun & Stimming etc. and remixes by Prins Thomas, Panoptikum, Drumlesson etc. (four exclusive tracks).
“Call this what you want - but not Jazz. John Coltrane would turn over in his grave,” some disappointed customer wrote on Amazon about the Future Sounds Of Jazz series, apparently unaware that the term is used as synonym with the full spectrum of modern sophisticated club music. No matter if the beats are straight or broken, up- or downtempo the music connoisseur Michael Reinboth presents rarities, exclusives and contemporary beauties with a certain jazzy attitude.
So welcome to the eleventh chapter of this exquisite compilation series that was launched way back in 1995. The longevity may be the most obvious proof for its success - and quality! Not for nothing in the past years Future Sounds Of Jazz has been voted repeatedly one of the best compilation series of all times in English and German music magazines like Mixmag, Jockey Slot and Groove. But instead of being misled to rest on his laurels Mr. Reinboth is only incited to update his track record.
Anyway, a lot of great soulful electronic music out there at the moment and this package right here takes you on a diversified trip into the deeper spheres of advanced dance music. The selection ranges from warm but fragile minimal house by Solomun & Stimming to Christian Prommer’s luscious tech-jazz-rework of Koop. With the rare Extended Mix of “Movin” by 400 Blows there is even some kind of protoype Nu Disco track from the 80s included.
Business as usual, there is a bunch of exclusive and unreleased highlights awaiting you like the brand new Panoptikum Remix of Invisible Session’s “Til The End”, “Salome” by British newcomer Joash or the instrumental remix. These stand out cuts will be available on CD or for download for the very first time.
Surely John Coltrane would turn over in his grave when hearing this - looking for some more room to dance!

Label: compost records

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7.11.2007 von mk.

The unique trio Cobblestone Jazz use early computers and analogue instruments to create pared down sounds that retain the quality of improvisational jazz but with a techno dancefloor
aesthetic. Through a real-time exchange of musical form, language, and ideas, the Canadians Tyger Dhula, Mathew Jonson and Danuel Tate provide a continual sense of excitement and discovery for their audience.
All members of Cobblestone Jazz are successful musicians and producers in their own right, and the influence of each individual contributes greatly to the international success of the group. Tyger Dhula’s history as a DJ and producer of electronic music provides the stylistic platform for the group’s improvisations with his ability to break grooves up into their key elements, holding the music firmly within the electronic music tradition. Mathew Jonson brings a fervent commitment to pushing his music in new directions, as well as the gifted ability to mix and compose freely. Using analogue drum machines and synthesizers as his instruments of choice, Mat chooses to write and record his contributions in the moment, as opposed to settling for pre-configured patterns. Danuel Tate is the jazz musician and performer who prompted this approach to the group’s writing practices. His keyboard playing shows a rich understanding of modern harmony and melody, but, like many great artists, his dedication to simplicity is what holds him in such high regard.
Cobblestone have received critical acclaim since their 2002 debut release on underground label ItIsWhatItIs, with support coming from artists in all walks of electronic music; from Gilles Peterson and Theo Parish to Daniel Bell and Richie Hawtin. The last few years have seen them perform everywhere from fabric in London and Panorama Bar in Berlin to Mutek in Montreal and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. As a representation and celebration of how they make music, a Cobblestone Jazz performance showcases the musical outfit as a pragmatic and responsive unit, a living and breathing creation free of formulaic sequence, and offering one captivating perspective on the future of electronic music itself. ‘23 Seconds’ is their debut album.
Opening track of CD1, ‘Waiting Room’, paints a vast and unfamiliar landscape, sparsely populated with nebulous synth chords and beckoning vocoder traces. Twin-peaked lounge tones numb you in preparation. Recent 12″ release ‘Lime In Da Coconut’ is a potion brimming with transformation. Cobblestone approach a simple key melody from every angle imaginable, with the harmonies, disharmonies, bubbling accents and rhythmic permutations exposing the otherworldly potential of the simplest of tunes.
Album title track ‘23 Seconds’ sees the band doing ‘what they do best’. The skippy and swinging 101 is joined by the rhodes and vocoder to give it a really light and lazy feel, later permeated by a bubbling and loopy melody. In ‘Peace Offering’ you find a classic house feel accentuated by a rolling synth line, deep pads and shimmering percussion, creating a wonderful laidback but bumping groove. Finally, closing track of CD1, ‘W’ is currently riding roughshod across the worlds finest dancefloors thanks to its appearance on the latest Cocoon compilation. It’s perhaps the most uncharacteristic of the tunes on the album, drawing its influences from early trance.
CD2 features a live set recorded in Madrid (in Mondo, May 10th 2007) earlier this year and two Cobblestone classics (which have only been out on vinyl before). ‘Dump Truck’ was the standout hit of last year and the first release on their own Wagon Repair label. Simple percussion loops & non-sequenced synth provide a base, while a delayed Rhodes solo delivers a funk-fused groove. Finally the stunning ‘India In Me’ pulls us back to earth, submerging us deep in the ocean as electronic whales sing to each other in an undulating groove that is unmistakably Cobblestone Jazz.

Label: !k7 records

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