Mixing up house, chill, future jazz and electronica with some serious remixers of choice is guaranteed to get a positive FLY review; but this collection is something else as its got the Japanese factor and some of our very favourite remix guys.

Cobblestone Jazz, Theo Parrish, Henrik Schwartz, who more do you want? Well perhaps some folks that are not so well known, such as A Mountain Of One (who happen to be a trio of Mo Morris, Leo Elstob, and Zeb Jameson) as they kick things off on the CD on a chilled out Floydoid trip with some poeticness.

Tony Lionni has had a busy ‘debut’ year as he’s had no less than seven 12s out since ‘Better Change’ on Mule Electronic in March. His version of ‘Birds’ is a gorious piece of modern Hi-tek soul in a classical form (it’s currently on his myspace site - see links below).

When the Ed. ever gives me a sideways glance at some of our more leftfield choices, it’s tracks like Henrik Schwarz’ remix of ‘Dear African Sky’ that joins the dots between the beats of the motherland and the club scene. Schwarz is of course a remix master, (also see Soma Coma Vol.1: Out of Body Electronica) but this track touches the Zen of Yoruba!

Talking of which, ‘The Session’ is a track in the house of Detroit and a monster in it’s own right, so what could Cobblestone Jazz bring to the party? Well there’s an upping of tempo, some serious knob twiddling, a touch of vocoder and some live percussion makes it a big end of night tune. Just because they are based in Vancouver, it doesn’t mean Cobblestone Jazz are at all isolated as last years’ 23 Seconds was definitely the best free jazz-funk techno album of the year; whilst on the subject of Wagon Repair, check out Deadbeat’s new album Roots & Wire).

Theo Parrish has been one of the biggest producers of recent years bagging the 2007 Gilles Peterson Worldwide album of the year for Sound Sculptures Vol. 1 (released on his Sound Signature label) that includes the modern classic ‘Love Triumphant’. His remix of ‘All These Things’ is typically him at 13 plus minutes long. He’s kept the vocal by Josée Hurlock that’s got a strange Kate Bush quality to it. Normally I wouldn’t go for such like but then again, Mr. Parrish has yet to produce Ms. Bush; perhaps it’s time he did?

Whilst on the subject of Detroit, Carl Craig’s ever popular remix Parrish’s of ‘Falling Up’ went head to head with the Chateaux Flight’s version last year and the boys are back here with some ‘Earth Beats’.

To say we’ve got a soft spot for all things Japanese would be stating the obvious but clearly we’re not the only ones; Kuniyuki Takahashi has some serious mates and they’ve not let him down but when you hear his ‘Rain Of Ocean’ you’ll want to find out more about this guy.

Reviewed: Kuniyuki Takahashi - Remixed (Mule Musiq) Cat. No. MMD08 Release date: 20th October 2008
Tracklisting:
1 Touch (A Mountain Of One Peyote Remix) (7:00)
2 All These Things (Theo Parrish Remix) (13:58)
3 Dear African Sky (Henrik Schwarz Remix) (8:08)
4 The Session (Kuniyuki Self Remix) (8:37)
5 Birds (Tony Lionni Remix) (8:54)
6 Rain Of Ocean (9:40)
7 The Session (Cobblestone Jazz Remix) (6:44)
8 Earth Beats (Chateau Flight Remix) (6:34)
9 All These Things (Kuniyuki Self Remix) (9:19)

Forthcoming Gigs
12 Oct 2008 - KOSS live @NAGOYA (domina) 名古屋, 愛知県
13 Oct 2008 - KOSS live @tokyo nagisa お台場, 東京都
24 Oct 2008 - Kuniyuki live@osaka Triangle 大阪, 大阪府
01 Nov 2008 - KOSS aka kuniyuki live @tokyo (club asia) 渋谷, 東京都
08 Nov 2008 - Kuniyuki live@tokyo(unit) 代官山, 東京都
21 Nov 2008 - KOSS aka kuniyuki live @tokyo (unit) 代官山, 東京都
27 Nov 2008 - Kuniyuki DJ@tokyo(tba) tba, 東京都
29 Nov 2008 - KOSS aka kuniyuki live @tokyo (tba)

Links
www.kuniyukitakahashi.com
http://www.myspace.com/kuniyuki
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuniyuki_Takahashi
www.last.fm/music/Kuniyuki
www.last.fm/music/Kuniyuki+Takahashi
www.mulemusiq.com
www.myspace.com/mulemusiq
www.myspace.com/amountainofone
http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomtonylionni (this lnk works!)
www.chateauflight.com/
www.myspace.com/chateauflight
Gilles Peterson :: 10 January 2008 :: The Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards 2008
1) Theo Parrish - ‘Sound Sculptures Vol. 1’ (Sound Signature)