From The Back of The Box part 2

Hailing from Stockholm and generally found on Raw Fusion, Up Hygh have slowly been making waves amongst taste-makers for a few years now without ever truly getting their big breakthrough. This remix is done by Philip Owusu who is one-half of Owusu & Green as well as Owusu & Hannibal who delivered the incredible Delerium on Ubiquity a few years back. I don't think this ever came out from what I can gather but it was meant to come out on Jugglin' but either way what you have is a deep modern take on soul music that has been a secret weapon of mine over the past 20 months or so. One of those records that sneaks up on you and hits you where it counts.


Up Hygh feat. Eska - Be Known - Owusu remix

This Jaco Pastorius-penned monster from the Mr. Gone album is a superb future jazz number that works as well in disco sets as it does in jazz sets, I like records that are versatile and this definitely fits the bill. There was a lot of controversy surrounding this when Downbeat magazine gave it a one-star rating and all hell broke loose with the band members arranging a rebuttal interview that was a bit tense to say the least. I'm not sure how you could give this track or the album for that matter one-star and whoever did so must be cloth-eared. This is one of those records that you never get tired of.


Weather Report - River People

The king of shoegaze electronica dropped this little beauty on his first opus Far Away Trains Passing By which has as much to do with My Bloody Valentine as it does with Electribe 101 and he may have gone a bit off the boil in recent years but during this particular purple patch he produced the follow-up A Strangely Isolated Place as well as the immaculate reworking of Justin Robertson's Love Movement that had everyone frothing at the mouth when it came out. Passing By is as perfect a sunrise record as you'll ever have the pleasure of hearing, use it wisely young Skywalkers.


Ulrich Schnauss - Passing By

This track, which was a staple of mine on my radio show for a couple of months, was produced by Nigel Godrich and the lyrics were penned by Jarvis Cocker and as far as I am concerned this is the epitome of modern balearica (although that may be a bit of an oxymoron) with its lush piano line and Charlotte's almost melancholic delivery. This is a superlative record on an album of superlative tracks, hunt it down immediately if you don't already own it.


Charlotte Gainsbourg - The Operation

This bonafide Aficionado anthem was given to me by my good friend Jeffo from Hot Chip (he's not really a member of Hot Chip but he's the splitting image of the bear-like one from the band) and I play it at least every other day. It's hip hop. It's indie. It's fucking brilliant.


King Biscuit Time - I Walk The Earth