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As we’ve had a look at Norway and Finland, it’s only right to give Mad Mats respect as Raw Fusion Bass-Ment Classics came in third in the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards Compilation of the Year.

In addition to being the a very successful club night, Raw Fusion is the highly rated label that’s given us some excellent Latin flavoured jazz including Povo (who released a great album this year, We Are Povo), A Bossa Elétrica and Beatfanatic (who can forget, ‘Jogando Capoiera’?). So more of the same for this CD? Nothing like it as the clue is in the title. This selection is all about bass and beats.

Label boss and DJ Mad Mats has made the selection and kicks off with ‘Bass-ment Theme’, which promises us an “intergalactic journey into the Funk”. It’s the perfect introduction before one of the best records ever made, ‘Witness Dub’ by the winner of the Worldwide Session of the Year, Ninja Tune’s Roots Manuva.

Danny Breaks (Sonz Of A Loop Da Loop Era) certainly likes ‘Witness’ as ‘The Jellyfish’ is in a similar groove for the head nodders. The remix of Andre’s downtempo love song, ‘I’ll Do That’ gets a similar treatment.

Phat Kat’s outta Detroit and tells it like he sees it with Jay Dee/J-Dilla (who featured on the Keepintime project this year) and the ever brilliant Carl Craig’s Detroit Experiment is represented by ‘Highest’, still top draw.

Jay Dee gets in a sexy mood stylee on ‘Take Dem Clothes Off’ and it’s quite a contrast to Break Reform’s ‘When It Came’, albeit in the Attica Blues Remix form it’s predominantly beats (early bruk?) with Nanar’s sublime vocals as usual. A brief recap, ex-Mo’Wax Attica Blues, two of the three members were also ‘names’ this year, one being Charlie Dark (KeepinTime) and the other Tony Nwachukwu (CDr/Freeness); now that is beat cred!

Another stand out track in the hip hop ragga of DJ Vadim and Demolition Man, ‘Til Suns In Your Eye’ (original Ninja Tune, 2002).

Caural’s ‘I Won’t Race You’ is a moody downtempo choral one whilst ‘Available’ is nu-soul in a eighties groove that’s been given a multi-beat’n’EFX remix by Hearin’ Aid. They return with ‘Fwyip’ on a funky bounce beat and some sexual explicit language (lets not get into Swedish stereotypes eh!).

The CD ends with a couple of big names of the last couple of years. Japan’s DJ Mitsu the Beats getting a work over by Sa-Ra which first appeared on ‘New Awakening - Remixes Part 4’ out of Planetgroove from Japan (the series also included Lady Alma remixed by Mark de Clive-Lowe and Phil Asher). Easy to guess ‘The Beats’ is a favourite of Nik Weston and hopefully we’ll get some European based output next year to save the pennies.

Congrats to Mad Mats for getting in the top five of the awards and avoiding the temptation to mix it all up.

Reviewed: Various - Bass-ment Classics (Raw Fusion) CD Cat. No. RAFCD006 Released 18th April, 2005
Tracklisting
Up Hygh - Bass-ment Theme
Roots Manuva - Witness Dub
Dabrye feat. Jay Dee & Phat Kat - Game Over
Melo - Moody Melo
Danny Breaks - The Jellyfish
Jay Dee feat. Frank-n-Dank - Take Dem Clothes Off
Caural - I Won’t Race You
Break Reform - When It Came (Attica Blues Remix)
DJ Vadim feat. Demolition Man - Til Suns In Your Eye
Linn - Available (Hearin’ Aid Remix)
Detroit Experiment - Highest
André feat. Emma - I’ll Do That (The Booty Mix)
Hearin Aid - Fwyip (The Club Banga)
DJ Mitsu - Negative Ion (Sa-Ra Remix)

Links:
Worldwide Music Awards 2005 Compilation Of The Year:
1. Jazzanova - ‘The Remixes 2002-2005 (Sonar Kollective)
2. Bugz In The Attic - ‘Life:Styles’ (Harmless)
3. Mad Matts - ‘Raw Fusion Bass-Ment Classics’ (Raw Fusion)
Raw Fusion
Break Reform www.breakreform.com
Planetgroove
J-Dilla
The Stones Throw Holiday Mix Compiled by Peanut Butter Wolf