Various

Volume two picks up where 1998's original left off and raises it one. Where the first round moved mainly within the realms of moody down and mid-tempo, with a sprinkling of drum & bass, this compilation carries forward a common sound while adding house and Brazilian flavours to the mix. Clearly the Nürnberg-based DJs and bar-owners behind these comps not only have great taste, but also some solid respect and licensing connections given that they've gathered 12 tracks from as many innovative international labels. The jazzy, sweet and deep moody house of Pat Barry's "Side to Side" Guidance label gem kicks things off, with Marschmellow and Aromabar later matching the jazzy vibe and adding some full-on funk to their house with the floor-filling elasticity bass and falling keyboard riffs of "Swinging Man." Funkylowlives kick the beat, a slowed down batucada-like beat to be precise, on the simmering percussive instrumental "Funk Construction," where Organic Audio ride the mid-tempo, Latin-flavoured wave à la Kruder & Dorfmeister with the loping, rich "Organic Monday." Astrud Gilberto is an obvious reference point for two quite different inclusions, the mid-tempo Jazzanova remix of Balanco's sweet "Metti Una Sera a Cena" and Nemo's sweet, but brooding, "Darkest Day," a down-tempo vocal song that shifts, sways, hums, draws one in and ends all too soon, as does the compilation itself.