Dr. Phibes and The House Of Wax Equations - Hypnotwister 1993

Formed in the late 80s at South Cheshire College of Further Education, England, where they all studied music, Dr. Phibes quickly became one of the north west’s most important dance bands. The name is taken from two separate Hammer Horror films. The band comprises Howard King Jnr. (vocals/guitars), Lee Belsham (bass), and Keith York (drums). Their recording debut came with the 1990 12-inch ‘Sugarblast’, which preceded their long playing debut in April 1991. Topping the independent charts for two weeks, it generated significant media coverage and critical acclaim. Their music is an eclectic, but primarily rhythmic mix, of blues, funk and psychedelia. Recording sessions for their second album were disturbed when Belsham injured a shoulder. His colleague York drove off in their van, unbeknownst to Belsham who was still lying on top of it. AMG.

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Fatboy Slim - Better Living Through Chemistry 1996

Fatboy Slim is one of DJ Norman Cook's many aliases, and has proven to be his most popular and successful yet. Although he consistently racks up dance hits in his native England (each under a different surname), he didn't achieve global success until the re-release of Better Living Through Chemistry in 1997. On the insistence of his friends the Chemical Brothers, Cook released the track "Going out of My Head" as the album's first single. Due to its popular video and instantly catchy sample from the Who classic "I Can't Explain," Cook earned his first U.S. hit. Another unlikely sample used to great effect was featured in the track "Michael Jackson," which used a snippet of Negativland's "Negativland." "The Weekend Starts Here" is similar to the Beastie Boys' funk instrumentals, featuring distant organ and lazy harmonica blowing (which sounds an awful lot like the harmonica phrase at the beginning of Black Sabbath's "The Wizard"). Recommended to those who can't get enough of the popular technoid-sampled alternative dance style of the late '90s. AMG.

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Dulce Pontes - Lágrimas 1993

At the age of four, Dulce Pontes used to proudly sing the national anthem of Portugal, an early sign of what would become her most important passion in life. The artist's career began in 1988, when the talented singer/actress came in first place in a local music contest. After getting roles in different plays and television shows, Dulce Pontesparticipated in 1991's Portuguese Song Festival, winning the event with a song called "Lusitana Paixao," which resulted in her being nominated to represent her native country at Eurovision. In 1992, her first album, called Lusitana, was locally released, followed by 1993's Lágrimas and 1995's double-live record Dulce Pontes Em Concerto -- A Brisa Do Coracao. AMG.

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George Duke - Deja Vu 2010

Déjà Vu is 2010's bookend to 2008's Dukey Treats. That record explored George Duke's funk roots and channeled everything from Earth, Wind & Fire to P-Funk, artists who inspired his own successful run of funk outings. Déjà Vu revisits Duke's love of electric funky jazz. Here he recalls some of the production and musical techniques he employed in the '70s. Along with playing a load of synths (mono and analog), Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, clavinet, acoustic piano, and even miniMoog bass are in abundance, too. The production is pure retro; compared to the contemporary jazz recordings of the 21st century, Déjà Vu sounds almost organic. Duke composed, produced, and arranged the set as well. "A Melody" recalls -- seamlessly -- the sounds and textures explored on 1979's A Brazilian Love Affair. A chorus of backing vocalists glides above a modern samba groove, driven by various synth strings and percussion and rhythms held steady by drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr. and bassist Michael Manson. The breezy melody gives way to some fine inside improvisation. "You Touch My Brain" is slippery laid-back funk à la Sly Stone's Fresh album, with a nice trumpet break by Nicholas Payton. "What Goes Around Comes Around" features some nice piano, an excellent vocal through a synth, and a gorgeous Everette Harp soprano solo. "Ripple in Time" is dedicated to Miles Davis. Duke is is clearly inspired by Davis' Tutu period. It's a lengthy but moody beginning, but cracks into a beautiful funky vamp at the two-minute mark. Duke's bass sound is big and meaty; Oscar Brashear provides excellent trumpet work next to Harp's tenor sax before a badass guitar by Jef Lee Johnson claims the vamp and works it to death. "Stupid Is as Stupid Does" might have come from his Feel or Faces in Reflection outings from the mid-'70s. Hubert Laws' signature flute appears, as does Bob Sheppard's tenor. The title track is the biggest surprise: closing out the album, it reflects the drama of John McLaughlin and Mahavishnu Orchestra, with Duke handling the guitar sounds on a Motif ES8! The violin playing by Sarah Thornblade is a dynamic foil. Déjà Vu is Duke's most consistently satisfying and eclectic recording since 1995's Illusions. AMG.

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The Beat of the Earth - Our Standard Three Minute Tune 1994

Although The Beat Of The Earth only ever had two recording sessions, they produced outtakes alongside what was released on the debut. In 1994 Phil Pearlman dug out the session reels, cleaned them up and released this second album. More improvised freak outery.

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Gaudi & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Dub Qawwali 2007

Over the years, the singing of the world famous qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has become a canvas on which a wide variety of admiring musicians and producers have painted their own musical images -- guitarist Michael Brook recorded an album with him, and Khan's work has been remixed by everyone from Black Star Liner to Asian Dub Foundation. The latest celebrant in the Church of Nusrat is the brilliant electro-dub artist Gaudi, whose aptly titled Dub Qawwali takes rare and previously undiscovered vocal recordings of Khan from the '60s and '70s and embeds them in completely new instrumental settings, all of them based on varying styles of reggae, and all of them mixed in a rich, warm dubwise style. The album's high point is its lead track, the softly beautiful "Bethe Bethe Kese Kese." Here Khan is in relatively restrained mode, tenderly crooning a simple melody and avoiding the virtuosic flights of melisma that characterize his more up-tempo work. Gaudi's accompaniment is similarly gentle and caressing. On "Tera Jana Kere Rang Lawe" the melody is drier and the bassline busier; "Dil Da Rog Mka Ja Mahi" benefits from a wet, spacy sound similar to what you might have heard if Lee "Scratch" Perry had moved his Black Ark studio to Mumbai; "Kahin Mot Se Bhi Na Jao" is built on a rockers beat and a sturdily chugging organ part. But on every track, the star of the show isKhan's gorgeous, powerful, and plaintive voice -- this album is ultimately a labor of love and a tribute to the memory of one of the finest singers who ever lived. AMG.

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