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Album Reviews

In honor of their ten years of making and mixing hundreds of nu-jazz tracks, Kyoto Jazz Massive's label, Compost Records, put out a two-disc album of some of the highlights of the group's decade in the business. And of course, being that this is electronica music and that brothers Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino are producers, this is no set of originals culled from master copies and presented intact and unchanged. In true nu-jazz fashion, 10th Anniversary is a collection of remixes, covers, and tributes from and for some of the biggest names in the nu-jazz and house scene. Disc one, which contains a remix of "The Brightness of These Days" (originally on Spirit of the Sun) by British superstar Quantic as well as Kenny Dope's take on the classic "Shine" (which is also given a reworking by Jazztronik on disc two), would fit well with any house or club set, while the second disc, featuring work from the always excellent Da Lata (their cover of the Joao Bosco/Aldir Blanc song "Ronco da Cuica" is great and really organic sounding, despite all of the electronic instrumentation and production), Kenny Dope's Masters at Work partner Little Louie Vega (who does a cover of "Aphrodite"), and Toshio Matsuura (who makes "Behind the Shadow" very haunting and melancholic with subtle and affecting vocals and a soft theremin), focuses more on the nu-jazz side of Kyoto Jazz Massive's body of work, with lots of live instrumentation, swinging sax and piano solos, and beats that really move. It's a nice complement to the more processed Euro-lounge ideas explored on the first disc, and overall creates a really cohesive and interesting look into the career of one of the genre's biggest and longest-lasting names. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide