SOLESIDES COLLECTIVE

The review at the top comes from a Straight No Chaser magazine dated winter 2000.
It's for a hip hop compilation album called "Solesides Greatest Bumps", featuring various acts connected to Solesides - such as Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow, Latryx, Blackalicious etc.
The double album consists mostly of exclusive material and was released by Ninja Tune/Quannum.
The sleeve above, taken from my own collection, is actually the outer cardboard box cover which is different to the main CD cover design inside. A 12 page booklet is also included.

BLUNT TRAX

The top item was published in DJ Mag in September 1992 and is a short run down of UK releases the journalist recommended that particular week.
From the same issue of DJ Mag is a playlist compiled by Phil Perry who was DJ at Full Circle near London, and one of the records that gets a mention in both items is Blunt Trax Vol 1.
This was a 12 inch that came out on the Tomato label and consisted of 2 tracks - "Head Space" & "Carried Away".
The vinyl on display above is out of my racks at home.
The flip side of it contains the exact same details on the label & cover as what's shown above, which is why I have only needed to take just one photo of it.

NUGROOVE GEAR

The top item is a brief overview of New York house label, NuGroove, which was published in dance music magazine, Mixmag, in 1995. It's just a compact bit of background info and includes a few of their classic tracks as a guide.
Under it is an insert from an album that contains a more substantial list of NuGroove releases, albeit only covering the releases up to 1991. It is also a good reminder of how prolific they were too!
The 2 albums taken from my own collection are both compilations of NuGroove tracks.
The green one is simply titled "A Compilation" and was released in 1991.
The wine one is titled "A Second Compilation" and was released in 1992.
Both LP's are double vinyl packs and came out on the Network label in UK.

AUDIO ACTIVE DEBUT ALBUM

The item at the top is an ad that appeared in Japanese magazine, Bar-F-Out, back in winter 1993.
It's for the debut album by Audio Active - the LP shown in the ad being the available in Japan only version.
The Soundclash DJ's at The Gallery in Leeds, however, managed to get hold of this version of the album in early '94 as it crops up in their playlist which was published in Straight No Chaser magazine in Spring 1994.
Later in 1994 the UK version also came out, and that's the one I got, and so have featured my vinyl copy to accompany the mag items.
It has a different cover and as well as a fuller title - "We Are Audio Active, Tokyo Space Cowboys".
The UK version has almost the same track listing as its Japanese counterpart, with only a couple of changes.
The Japanese release came out on Alfa/On-U Sound, the recording made in both Alfa Studios in Tokyo and On-U Sound in London.
As with all On-U Sound records, it was produced by Adrian Sherwood (apart from track 6) and featured some On-U's guests on backing, such as Bim Sherman, Doug Wimbish, Skip McDonald etc, but in the main, Audio Active manage to stamp their own sound.

PENETRATE DEEPER

The top 2 items are from the same issue of Generator magazine as the previous post, and so when they were looking back over 1995's best albums in January 1996, the LP above was one of their compilations of the year.
The Generator ad on top reveals that the release was also Muzik magazine's 'compilation of the year'.
The short Generator review is from their albums of the year overview.
To accompany the magazine material I have plucked out the LP from my own collection at home - a double vinyl compilation called "Penetrate Deeper" which was released on Tribal/ddr.

KENNY LARKIN LP

Back in January 1996, Generator magazine published a list of their favourite albums of 1995, and one of those that made the top 10 was the example above, Kenny Larkin's "Metaphor".
The item at the top is the actual review taken from that very issue of Generator.
Underneath it is my copy of the LP - a double vinyl package released on the R&S label.

FREEZONE 3 CD

There were 7 volumes in total in the "Freezone" compilation series which started up in 1994, and so the one featured here (3) comes from approximately the half-way stage.
The ad at the top is from USA magazine "On The One" and is dated summer 1996.
The review of the album is from the same issue of the mag.
The CD details to go with the items is from my own collection, and the album (subtitled "Horizontal Dancing") was released on the SSR label.

JAZZ POWERS EP

The ad at the top comes from Japanese magazine, Bar-F-Out, and is dated December 1993.
There is the mention of 2 EP's on it - "Jazz Com Bossa" which I've already featured in an earlier post, and "Jazz Powers" which is the one I'm featuring here.
The EP crops up a little later in Europe, with it making the mail order list of Fat City Records in Manchester, this ad dating from spring 1994 and published in Straight No Chaser magazine.
Also from spring '94 and the same issue of SNC is a playlist for Groove Attack in Germany, with Jazz Powers included in the chart.
The 12 inch copy of the EP is from my shelves at home and is actually a various artists release with 4 different acts on it. They are all Japanese acts and are as follows...
Cycle "Quiet Blue"
Little Big Bee "Sunshine"
Cub "Drive"
Hot Juice "Who Made You Believe So?"
The vinyl was released on the Typhoon label.

GIANT STEP NYC

The Dorado ad at the top comes from an issue of Check Dis magazine dated summer 1992, and one of the records featured on it is a single called "Impressions" by Giant Step NYC.
Underneath the ad is a review of the single that was in the same issue of Check Dis.
Meanwhile, in a summer '92 issue of Straight No Chaser magazine , they also had a review of the single along with a chart compiled by Hamburg's BeatBox crew in Germany, and featured on the playlist is the Giant Step NYC track.
Below those items is another chart, this time from a September 1992 issue of DJ magazine, and on this playlist (which was compiled by Mike Scott in Scotland) not only does it have the Giant Step NYC single but it also has the other track mentioned in the Dorado ad, "Devil Of Cruelty" by Circle In The Round.
Finally, I have accompanied the mag items with my 12 inch copy of the Giant Step NYC single.

DEFENDERS OF THE UNDERWORLD

The 2 reviews at the top are for the same album called "Defenders Of The Underworld", a compilation of underground hip hop tracks.
They come from two different publications - the first one cropping up in Straight No Chaser magazine in summer 1999, and the other is from an autumn 1999 issue of Milesahead magazine.
I've dipped into my own collection at home to accompany the reviews with a copy of the CD cover, and the album was released on the excellent Jazz Fudge label.

COLD CHILLIN STUFF - 1988

The top item is a full page ad that appeared in Soul Underground magazine back in March 1988.
It's for a gig at the Academy in Brixton, London, and featured acts that were on the New York hip hop label, Cold Chillin. The line up included Roxanne Shante, Biz Markie, MC Shan and Big Daddy Kane. UK's, Tim Westwood was the DJ.
Under the ad, from the same issue of the magazine, is a chart featuring the top 20 hip hop records that were on the go at the time, compiled by Groove Records & City Sounds shops in London, and in amongst all the classic 12's is one solitary album, namely Biz Markie's "Goin' Off".
So because it was a Cold Chillin release, I have accompanied the items with my vinyl copy of the LP.

WORLD CIRCUIT AD

The ad at the top was published in Take Cover magazine, summer 1990, and featured 2 albums released on World Circuit.
The first is a compilation of various Colombian acts called "Cumbia Cumbia", and the second is an album by Senegalese act, Orchestra Baobab, and is called "Pirates Choice".
Both records were actually released in 1989 and the two LP covers above are from my collection at home.