D*Note: "D*Note" (Virgin) Soundtrack comparisons are perhaps the most abused of all descriptions when it comes to dance albums not aimed for the dance-floor. In this case, however, the term is ideal because D*Note composer Matt Winn is also responsible for the acclaimed clubbing flick Coming Down. The third D*Note album is a perfect sonic companion for that cinematic account of a generation who have grown up to a club culture beat, veering between perfectly blissful drum & balladry and some Steve Reichshaped minimalism, which works more times than it doesn't. A track like Waiting Hopefully thrills, while Lost & Found has an abundance of jazzy ideas at its disposal to play footsy with. The fact that D*Note cannot fit in any tried and trusted pigeon-hole is perhaps the best compliment of all.
By Jim Carroll
Wyclef Jean featuring Refuge Allstars: "The Carnival" (Columbia) So what do you do when you are one-third of the biggest-selling rap act in the world and you have some time to kill between albums? While some would welcome the opportunity for a long holiday or to catch up on some domestic DIY around the mansion, The Fugees' Wyclef Jean (best know perhaps as the bloke with the mad eyes who goes "one time . . . two times") has recorded a solo album. In the normal course of things, The Carnival should command polite notices and little else but, like anything to do with the Fugees, The Carnival is not your normal solo rap album. Moving swiftly and skilfully between rhythms as diverse as calypso and reggae (both with a hip-hop taste), Wyclef Jean and his collaborators - including Lauryn Hill - create some startling tracks. Standout tracks are plentiful, but Jaspora steals it this time round for its rough yet comforting swing.
By Jim Carroll
Various Artists: "Tuff Jam, Volume 1" (Satellite) The sound of now, if you will, as speed garage (AKA raggage, underground garage or UK garage) becomes the new drum'n'bass. Finding US garage anthems too soft for post-hardcore UK audiences, various British producers and DJs simply pitched the tunes to plus-8 and added some dark and dense beats to the vocals to create a new sound. Already with one hit to its credit (Rosie Gaines's sweet Closer Than Close), a speed garage mix has become this year's must-have accessory for any dance release worth its Buzz Chart new entry. Two producers with a sizeable share of the remix market right now are Matt "Jam" Lamont and Karl "Tuff Enuff" Brown; to get a flavour of the future, try your luck with Armand Van Helden's twisted treatment of Sneaker Pimps' Spin Spin Sugar, Double 99's captivating RIP Groove or the punchy rapture of Mutiny's Bliss.
By Jim Carroll
