Ladies & Gents, your attention please as this is almost the very last call for our special offer allowing you to have discount rates on the M3 passes. It’s definitely the time for promotion in regards to the numerous parties and events due to happen in a fortnight, so we’ve managed to have a chat with 3 times award winning NYC promoter, Robbi, who’s to look after the MAW and Clubshelter parties over there. Our Single Of The Week comes courtesy of Japanese producer DJ Kawasaki on King Street. Meanwhile, we have JM Irie talking about Nu Groove and Nicolas Lanneau about some Japanese releases for our French readers. All da best…

ISSUE#86

NUGROOVE (SOUL, JAZZ, BREAKS, BROKEN BEAT + MORE…)

Winter is still too cold all over this cold world… but the music is so hot so we can’t complain !

‘Too Cold’ happens to be the title of the excellent second single from the brand new Roots Manuva LP on Big Dada (Ninja Tune’s hip hop division). A title that speaks for itself and comes with a dirty, funky remix courtesy of Sa-Ra. And if you like Sa-Ra’s sleazy futuristic funk odd odysseys… just hold tight cause these boys are on a roll for 2005 (including many releases on Ubiquity, Dublab and ABB records plus works of the likes for Martin, Medeski & Wood on Blue Note and much more to come…).

Another very very very prolific artist you must be familiar with by now (if you read these Nu Groove pages) is Dominic Stanton aka Domu (of Dom-unique productions). Unique he remains without a single doubt, a master breakologist who’s ready to drop his second heavyweight LP Return Of The Rogue as Domu on Archive (the label of Mister Volcov, his partner in crime in the Rima project). Domu who’s also involved with a synergic project entitled Lords Of The Underground (not to be confused with Lord Jazz’s seminal US hip hop group)… The soundtrack to a “sci-fi  modern dance show”(an event to be found archived on fabchannel.com) with collaborations tunes from Seiji, Mark De Clive-Lowe, Bembe Segue and Rasiyah…” a never heard soundtrack ranging from spaced out broken beats to future Afro pounding bpm productions, a wild West-London wet dream”. To be released some time soon on Amsterdam’s finest, Kindred Spirits records.

Now let’s talk about Paris’s finest (who’s already big if not huge on IDMW.Com as judged by our 2004 annual pool)… Monsieur Franck Roger ! And like Dr Evil (from Austin Powers movie) says : “ Franck is on fire” right now… with remixes commissioned from Blaze featuring Barbara Tucker on Defected, Osunlade featuring Nadirah Shakoor on Yoruba etc… Not forgetting is own wicked Real Tone Records label, with many different and uplifting deep house songs with gifted people like Alix Alvarez, Arnold Jarvis, Markus Enochson and Spinna just to name a few…phew!!!! Franck’s brand spanking new tune “Right, Make It Right” on Real Tone (with an Osunlade remix) which is his first (and certainly not his last) work with the very distinctive voice of Mani Hoffman. A very special French singer that you must have heard of mostly from his intergalactic 2000 “Starlight” hit with The Supermen Lovers. Mani whose eclectic carrier is more and more focused on the underground, following the soulful spirit of his first songs with Shade Of Soul. So expect a lot more from this talented man to come in the future including monster tunes with DJ Fudge and Troublemen (aka DJ Fudge and Bruno Banner) and Playing For The City (on Straight Up Records). IRIE

NU GROOVE HOT 10

DOMU Return Of The Rogue (Archive)

PLANTLIFE When She Smiles She Lights The Sky - 4Hero Remix (GUT)

FRANCK ROGER featuring MANI HOFFMAN Right Make It Right (Real Tone/CD-R)

DJ FUDGE featuring MANI HOFFMAN Keep On (Stalwart/CD-R)

TROUBLEMEN featuring SIDNEY “?” (Nordic Tracks)

OSUNLADE featuring NADIRAH SHAKOR Breath Away - Franck Roger Remix (Yoruba/CD-R)

SA-RA Spaceways Theme (Dublab)

SARA DEVINE Special (Vega)

TY TRIBBETT Mighty Long Way (Columbia)

I:CUBE “?” (Versatile)