Groove Corporation

Another one of Guidance Recordings' au courant and passionate groups, the Groove Corporation has been going around the block since 1995, after their previous incarnation as Electribe 101, along with Billie Ray Martin, dissolved with Martin pursuing a separate career. The studio engineers Joe Stevens, Roberto Cimarosti and Brian Nordhoff decided to keep the party dub-inflected in this remix selection of reggae and dub tunes, courtesy of everyone from Dillinger to Marley, UB40 and Luciano, even ending the mix with spaghetti Western composer Ennio Mooricone. Despite the presence of so many renowned names, the mix doesn't feel like a namedropping claim to fame. The studio masters rework the tracks subtly, adding some additional layers of beats while maintaining enough of the original spirit of the classic tracks to keep it real. The end result is a decidedly laidback tempo of affecting tunes. The definite highlights are the opening number "Cocaine In My Brain," by Dillinger, and the Groove Corporation's own "Peace Time." But for soulful, spirited sounds, it is undoubtedly UB40's "Legalise It" and Luciano's spiritual storytelling tale "Police and Thieves" that are memorable. For a shift in pace, witness their spin on Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street," with its urgent bass-driven tone, saxophone riff breaks and Womack's raw vocal power. The trio enlists some musicians and vocalists to add another layer of sophistication to the deeply resonant dub, keeping the overall mix smooth and pleasurable.