Various

Shadow has definitely been on a compilation tear as of late, releasing more albums consisting of past offerings and various artists than they have proper full-lengths. But the record label's habit of rehashing tracks is coming to a halt starting with Hed Sessions, another compilation, but with previously unreleased material and a forthcoming taste of what's to be unleashed in the next couple of months. This collage of cuts focuses more on the down-tempo side and keeps the beats-per-minute laying low. The album offers its listeners two tracks each from five artists on Shadow's current roster (Saru, Mujaji, Goo, Merkin, and Hybrid Device). It's sort of like a mix tape effect where you get a second taste of where certain DJs are coming from. The tracks provided by Mujaji have already appeared on their stellar Free Rain release but aren't the greatest representation of how wonderfully abstract the Dutch duo is. The other stand out is Los Angeles-based Saru. Even though the cuts have been remixed, it's still a strong indication as to how amazing his debut release is taking shape. Given the fact that the majority of these songs have or will inevitably be released again, some might want to consider testing the artist's full-lengths on for size, rather than this mixed bag.