Jazzanova / Various

Mining their label Sonar Kollective’s recent back catalogue, Berlin based Jazzanova serve up some easy listening electronica that bobs between soulful hip-hop and electro pop flavoured by retro rock and vintage R&B sounds. Cut-up by short interludes of broken beats and words, Jazzanova’s mix offers edgy soul for electronica lovers and light electro for soul aficionados. Opening with the acoustic guitar strums and light rock vocals of Wahoo’s "Candelight,” it isn’t until track four, the glitch tinged techno-lite of Ame’s "Excelsior,” that the beats roll in. They never dominate Jazzanova’s soul-sweetened audio sphere though, and rhythms and vocals take equal billing as the CD cruises into soul defined hip-hop, such as Capitol A’s "In the (Re) mix” and Studio R’s "Clapz” featuring Mocky on the Trickski Mix. Other highlights are the organic soul and reggae tinged "No Memory of Time,” by Eva Be featuring Joe Dukie and one of the few dance floor directed tracks, Jazzanova’s "Boom Clicky Boom Klack (Mr. Scruff Remix).” Sometimes settling into pure vintage flavours like the retro rock of "Flashback” by Fat Freddy’s Drop and the straight Rhodes-laced soul of "I Just Wanna Sing For You” by Norman Weeks & the Revelations, the CD still manages to move to the electronica edge near its finale with the grimy electro and twisted glitch of down-tempo stomps from Jaslopski in "Beatzep” and from Arken with "Step Off.”