It’s great to have this series back after a five year absence, and it provides a timely reminder of the gap Compost are so good at filling between jazz, house and soul. With two discs of sparkling material it’s a release that takes its opportunities to explore and experiment, nicely mapped out for home listening. As they’ve pointed out on their own website, the label don’t seek to map out the future of jazz – more to recognise electronic tracks that have elements of the music form in use. So we don’t really get too much in the way of extended sax solos – though there is a nice piece of work on the Rupert & Mennert Snowbound Remix of Ensemble Du Verre’s track ‘Emily’s Poem’. The opening to Laszlo’s ‘NRV’ sparkles before the elastic beat drops, while Roberto Di Gioia’s ‘Moon And Space’ taps in to a more spiritual side. Other highlights include the rolling percussion and cheeky xylophone of Basti Grub & Mike Trend’s ‘Afrika Am Strand’, a grainy double bass line to support the chopped up melodic fragments of The Glimmer Twins’ ‘Snatch’, and the mesmerising organ riff of Santos’ ‘La Mediana’. Proof that there is still plenty to explore in this invigorating area of music.
5 out of 5
Reviewed By Ben Hogwood
