The Tracks
Chaser - Life In Loisaida
Chaser is a jazz-orientated house-project of Lars Sandberg (Funk D'Void) and Nigel Hayes (Dance Tracks). Chaser's rare and original technoid sounds are heavy into cyberjazz. "Life in Loisaida" is a more gentle upbeat-arrangement in tribal atmosphere style. At the moment both are working on their first new album for their homebase Soma Recordings in Glasgow, and Lars is DJing with the UK-Indie-Label-Tour "Vapour". Second time that Chaser appearing on Future Sounds Of Jazz (check their classic jazz-house tune "Sides Of Iron" on FSOJ Vol. 2 )
Björn Torske - Ode To A Duck
The Danish-born Björn Torske is a brand new signing for Russ Gabriel's Ferox Records (Ian O'Brien). He is best described by Muzik Mag (UK): "Perfect combination of Ferox's Detroit sound and the nordisc natures Cai Boisenmöller, Future 3, Dot-artists and last but not least Neil Landstrum."
Nek Lok - Escobar Blues
Nek Lok are Bob Richardson and Spencer T. They first met when working together with Jack Smooth on various music-projects on Polyrhytmic Productions. Both have solo projects apart from their Nek Lok collaboration. Spencer T has a track record stretching back to early hard-core techno scene. The track "Escobar Blues" quickly became Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge's favourites, because of it's speeded up 160bpm breakbeat-fusion feeling. Half way drum & bass half way latin-esque Detroit-techno, but full in effect!
Earthbound - Reggie's Escape
The Zurich-based producer- and DJ-Team consist of former Natural High Productions-members Alex Gustafson and Alex Dallas who are coming with an eclectic jazz-driven breakbeat track which explodes in clubs with a heavy bass and mad percussive beats. This tune has been played already by Gilles Peterson on his worldwide shows and is also a favourite for the likes of Bel-Air Project, Hidden Agenda, Certificate 18 and others. Natural High Productions have already released an 12-inch on Compost Records.
Lulu Mushi - Blue Sonoko
This is coming from the Westcoast. Lulu Mushi is a producer and visual artist. She was born in California and has spent the past few years exploring the globe but is now planning to return to San Francisco sometime next year. "Blue Sonoko" is a classic mad jazz-driven latin-tinged tune, which get reputation and spins by the Rawkus posse and DJ Chillfreeze.
Ill Dependents - The Shake Up
Positively overflowing with the funk, The Ill Dependents step back from the dancefloor to offer a cry for political justice all over the world. But musically speaking they give you the heaviest funk and cool breaks in combination with organic percussive elements. You can call it new Rare Groove! They simply voice their message with a hazy hypnotic brew of heavy beats and dextrous cuts. They are part of the Ultimate Dilemma posse (Runaways, Common Ground a.o.). This label and posse are the UK-counterpart to Rawkus, keeping the vibe alive!
Chroma Oscura - Glow Worm
The man behind the act "Chroma Oscura" is the New York-based producer and Balihu Records boss David Wang. He is obsessed with disco music since being eleven. Wang's way to music business was long and unconventional; after some academic years and a brief porno career he made his hobby into a profession. His groovy rhythms always have a slightly abstract, fantastic edge. But then again "Glow Worm" is an elasticated vibraphone piece of funky tunes. The compilation of the best tunes of Balihu Records called "Best of Balihu" was released in the spring 1998. Balihu is one of the most irritating, interesting, indemand nu-disco-labels around the globe. Their style is unique!
Cine City feat. Wai Wan - Plants, Animals, H2O
Manchesters Paper Recordings should be well known for their nu groove filtered house, often in a jazzy vein. This massive 10-inch monstertune was one their earliest releases and is hard to get, but still a huge hit on many floors. It was also the first time to get in touch with producer Wai Wan, who just released his debut-album and the single "Godess" on Autonomy.
Max Brennan - 1300 Milliseconds of Brass
Max Brennan has emerged as one of England's finest and most progressive producers. His complex and intriguing sound weaves he sampled and sequenced with "live" instruments. This sound is where Herbie Hancock meets Buddy Rich and Brian Eno. Even the most "ambient" of his tracks possess an inescapable infectious funk element that doesn't harass the listener to dance, but draws her/him into a groove. He cuts funk on the edges of house, breakbeat, jazz and post-rock. Max Brennan has also several pseudonyms: He released material on Holistic Records as Fretless AZM and Universal Being, on Peacefrog as Maxwell House, on Beau Monde as O.H. Krill, on Cide as Max and on Guilty as Helmet. On Sublime he works under his own name. Max Brennan's track "1300 Milliseconds of Brass"..is pure fun electro-breakbeat-jazz.
Fauna Flash - Taurus 
Fauna Flash is a flashlight project of Christian Prommer and Roland Appel. Their intelligent spiritual drum&bass and downbeat tunes also works great as an analogue-computer live-act. They are one of Compost's main-acts and of course, they are also part of The Trüby Trio. "Fauna Flash makes the best drum&bass outside of UK!" wrote the Bristol-based drum & bass magazine Knowledge. This tune comes with warm but heavy live bass by Raoul Walton, who will contribute his skills to the Fauna Flash live concept. Fauna Flash just finished remixes for the Vienna project Waldeck and Compost's new signing Force & Paul (see below!).
Mayhem - Nasty Funk
Brand new label Nu Notes, brand new outfit from London. Distinctive drum & bass feeling but with a heavy portion of eighties and seventies sounds. Little bit comparable to Peshay style, and of course played by Grooverider, Peshay, Fabio and others.
Azymuth - Tempos Atraz (APE-Remix)
Brazillian back in the day and still going strong' trio Azymuth let a host of young guns loose on their back catalogue. Here comes the dubby shuffling version, a highly pleasing laid-back approach, a real downtempo beauty mixed by futurehead APE. Azymuth are more than 25 years on the brazilian jazz-funk scene and sometimes they still ahead of our time. This APE-remix appeared on the "Misturada 2" compilation, but it is such a brilliant lightly swinging tune, which deserves more airplay.
King Kooba - Freakmeister
"Yes, electro-jazz funk!" Whenever I am playing this, people ask me "Is this Hancock? Is it from the `Rock It´ era?" The duo Charlie Tate and DJ Shuff (aka Matt Harris) produce a rare fusion of breakbeat, drum & bass, raw funk, and new jazz combine to evoke what could be best described as atmospheric future funk. Their sound have been constructed with a mixture of programming and live instruments, giving Charlie's talent as a musician and arranger a chance to combine with DJ Shuff's production skills to create songs that have the necessary ingredients for the dancefloor while still being musical and retaining a sense of melody that enables the songs to work beyond clubland.
Force & Paul - Casablanca
Force & Paul aka David Muallem and Paul Beller started to produce tracks in their spartanic home studio. They were discovered after Force sent a demo-tape to Compost-head Michael Reinboth who liked the tracks and passed the demo-tape on to Fauna Flash. They were so excited about the tape that they asked Force & Paul to team up with them and do some new tracks together. But now they build up their own professional studio in Munich city and working on their first album. Force is also a DJ and passionate music lover. His friend Paul is a music student, who plays e-bass, contrabass, piano, guitar, drums and cello.
Extended Spirit - Solid Water
Beside being part of Jazzanova's producing team Axel Reinemer and Stefan Leisering also have their own project called Extended Spirit. Axel and Stefan have their roots lay in Berlin's hiphop-scene. Even though they specialised more in fusion and downbeat madness. They have done remixes and productions for hiphop-acts like Cora E. and one for Jocelyn Browns "The Voice". Beside they are the main-production unit behind percussionist Pathless and Sonar Kollektiv, Dialog Records and Jazzanova-Compost Records. Watch out for their first album scheduled for December 98.
Marshmellows - Reloaded
A duo out of Frankfurt , Mainhattan city! Little wonder, since both of them come from the US-hardcore- and punk-scene, which they are still in love with. Anyway, they are two friendly guys who know rock a party. You can be sure the club is sweating and the ale is flowing when they are standing at the 1210s. Their name is programmatic. Their style mix of mostly fat beats and funky electronics are known as big beat today. Important for these guys is that they can be super mellow but then they also hit you in the guts and then it can still get a little bit louder.
Boom Bip & DJ Osiris - Voodoo Science
Boom Bip & DJ Osiris are a new Jazz-duo from Cincinnati. They are also resident DJs at Cincinnati's only Downtempo-night "Low End Sequence". Boom Bip also programs a weekly radio show.
Nonplace Urban Field - Seismic Simmer
Nonplace Urban Field aka Bernd Friedmann is well known for his unique dub-orientated mellow beats and sublime melodies in an electronica-triphop style. Before he started Nonplace Urban Field he was the mainman behind Drome; incl. 10 releases on Toxikktrakks, Ninjatune and their subsidiary Ntone. He has recorded one 12-inch under N.U.F. for Ninjatune, one CD-Album for WigWam, two CD' under Burnt Friedmann & NuDub Players and Flanger (collaboration with Atomheart) for Ntone, 4 CDs/LPs for Incoming! and now for Sweden's fine electro label Dot. With his LPs/CDs "Raum Für Notizen" and "Golden Star" for Nürnbergs' label Incoming! he got international respect, best reviews and credibility from all sides of the electronica- and dub-scene. This track was exclusively made for FSOJ.
Calm - Running on the Sand
CALM is a project of Kiyotaka Fukagawa, also known as FARR. Through his original tracks FARR tries to discover his Brazil-jazz influences with an more or less electronic equipment. Japan has a huge input of all musical styles and is in fact a conglomeration-country of all world-music synchronized with modern technology this is what Calm is all about. The bossa-beat goes on, doesn't matter whether it is played live or by machines behind there are human beings!
compiled by Michael Reinboth
Press Clips
"'Future Sounds Of Jazz'-compilations on German label Compost Records are highly recommended in the electronic and jazzy club community, as well as by the drum & bass people. The interesting problem is, that a lot of the experimental electronica areas feel the deficit of the intellectual/spiritual elements that come from jazz. But here is the certain vibe, the certain aspects of jazz."
Magnet Magazine, USA
"...such is the power of and excellence of this latest chapter of the series that's doing more than any other to capture the moment...The Munich label has an uncanny knack of the getting the funkiest cuts from some of the most happening musicians in Europe...Compost hits the spot again."
On Magazine/Planet,UK
"...a compilation of considerable class and ambience."
Blues & Soul, UK
"Compost records are such a breath of fresh air in the field of modern dance music."
Update, UK
"...this compilation boasts the ever-evolving talents of the German scene. Future Sound' may cost you an arm and a leg here in the States, but it might just be worth it."
OTO, USA
"I would go as far as suggesting that this record could pass the Pepsi challenge: it is as good as anything coming out of the UK at the moment."
Straight No Chaser,UK
"Compost shows that German electronic music has a lot more to offer than just the harsh four-to-the-floor it was so long (in)famous for."
Jockey Slut, UK
"Munich's Compost Records has out done itself this time. New tracks of the best progressive jazz around."
Update, UK
"Another top notch album from one of the most consistently innovative labels in the world groovy eclectica."
Muzik, UK
"All in all it's a hefty piece of nu-jazzish based action. FSOJ will forwever be critically acclaimed meaning bugger sales"
DJ-Magazine, UK
"...this is a pretty inspired aural polaroid of the last few month"
Straight No Chaser, UK
Quite what any of it has got to do with jazz is beyond me, but as a chronicle of excursions beyond the stylistic permeter fences, this is much better than the most"
Wire, UK
"Feine Tracks, die nicht gleich verzweifelt das Leben aufs Spiel setzen, sondern subversiv Fröhlichkeit und Melancholie verbinden. ...Willkommen in den Neunzigern, Willkommen zu Hause. Egal, ob das nun Jazz ist oder bloß ein Begriff, der die letzte Brücke zwischen Schubladen wie Dub, TripHop, Electronica und Drum &Bass bildet. Sag einfach, du freust dich auf den nächsten Weg."
Spex, Phillip Anz, D
"Nicht nur daß der Sampler sehr abwechslungsreich zusammengestellt ist, er kommt auch ohne eine einzige Schwächeminute aus."
Soundcheck
Trotzdem, wer keine 12inches kauft und ein Mind Expanding Trip ins Clubland von heute wagen will muß die Compilation haben.
Spex
FSOJ was mentioned or listed in many compilation-charts of the year 96/97:
Wire, Straight No Chaser, On Magazine, Jockey Slut, Muzik (all UK), Jazz Thing (Germany), Remix (Japan), Disco 2000 (Spain), Acid Jazz (Italia), Traxx, Aztec Sun (France) a,o.
FSOJ 5 sound samples:
Fauna Flash - Taurus
Force & Paul - Casablanca