There’s always the temptation to brush over anything titled “Beginners Guide To..”, assuming it’s a brazen marketing ploy to sell you another shed load of tunes you’ve already got on a dozen other compilations. However, Nascente have created a real name for themselves with this series, primarily by avoiding the obvious and the much comp’d, instead concentrating on quality music of a particular genre, style or country which may not have had much prior exposure. For this release, Russ Jones pulls together a choice selection of laidback (mostly) tunes that borrow from the world stage, be it Africa, Spain, South America or Europe. So you’ll find artists like Faze Action, Thievery Corporation, Osunlade, Karminsky Experience, DJ Gregory, alongside less obvious choices such as Nitin Sawhney, Dzihan & Kamien, Marcos Valle, etc. Choice cut? Thievery Corporation’s “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” with David Byrne’s vocals still sounds fresh. Spread across three CDs, it covers the before, during and after of your typical clubbing weekend. A great selection, well worth investigating.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: DARREN WALL
