Mr Scruff - 'Big Chill Classics' (Big Chill) Released 18/09/06

Crate digga Andy 'Mr Scruff' Carthy is no stranger to The Big Chill having been grooving there for some ten years now. Pete Lawrence hands over the decks and muffs for Mr Scruff to offer his take on Big Chill classics, proving that there's many houses within the Big Chill mansion. With primarily a soul-jazz offering with a summer sundae lazy groove, kiddy-bag treats, tickling bpm's and a number of long, deep immersion tunes - Mr Scruff's Big Chill Classics is itself a classic in the making.

Mike Westbrook opens with 'Metropolis IX' a jazzy sonic pamper with brassy flushes of sax and slow groove, hotstepping into 'The Ousmane Kouyate Band' with 'N'Nafanta' and its gorgeous, hypnotic African hooks, a powerful piece of staccato-lite with a voice like Baaba Maal and marimba - the real deal! 'Celestial Blues' brings the conscious-jazz with "...expand your mind/ don't let it wither and die..." wake-up call from Gary Barts Ntu Troop and a Lisa Simpson-style tooting sax. Smooth soul songs and rhythms move postures to horizontal with a chipper Frenchy cocktail bar number from Nobukazu Takemura with 'Serene' and shuffle and sass. Extended Spirit's 'Illicity Pt. 1' offer some 'cool as' programming with a live band feel, and old chum Treva Whateva's 'Music's Made Of Memories' ushers wiggles with a steady batucada rhythm. Sensi proves the 'erb of choice from then on with The In Crowd and 'Back A Yard' - sunday sunblest reggie with patois, skanking rub-a-dub from Glen Brown - minimal and well unburrowed from Mr Scruff, and 'Provherbs' from Daweh Congo with song-craft, then a juxtaposition with Van's 'Moondance' sent up by Grady Tate to get you hot-step ready and up-standing for side 2.

Peeking out from behind the clouds comes a great big bowlful of tangy fruit numbers in homage to the sun - 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine' by D'Angelo a lush piece of unblemished fruit with D'A's take on the classic spartan with Fender Rhodes, feeling and mini-growls; Rick James with the big voiced soul number and lush harp - "...just getting it on/ in the sunshine..." commandeering a sing-a-long. Bossa shuffles are brought from Dom Salvador e Aboliciao and 'Hei! Voce' with Brazilian verve, and 'Kofi' from Donald Byrd jazzy with sax and flautist; with quick-step continuing for a swirl from Monacir Santos 'Off and On' and a soulful diva. A soul-folk-funk track from Odyssey delivers the maxim "...our lives are shaped by what we love..." with splendour. 'Don't Fret It' brings some back-hand drummer practice with soul-jazz from Van Linders Vs Fudge Fingas, seguing into the magnificent 'You Fly Me' from Fingathing with deep-feeling from stand-up bass, cello and gorgeous sonorous strings - rapturous! Spell-binding! Minimal funky blues hip-scat strut from G Love and Special Sauce pays homage "...we like to get groovy/ with the sounds of the old times..." with modern-classic crossover appeal, and bluesy soul from Ernesto equally tasty with 'Devil's Gotta Run' - a cracking old Binatone games module sound sample pinging and ponging, the whole a sonic extravaganza. The big band Homelife bring their uniqueness with 'Strangers' soulful and soothing, and a ten minute wind-up/wind-down from Das Goldene Zeitalter's 'A Vision' offering up a sacrifice of cosmic-jazz to the sun-gods - "...I kept my spirit with the free..."

Sunkissed with white patches to prove its not a lotion, Mr Scruff's Big Chill classics is that and more - excelling beyond the call of duty, there's a richness and variety that that would prick up the ears of many a listener. Big, Chilled and chock-full of classic and gems. Like those professional mushroom hunters who know where to look and how to come up with a fungus meal, Mr Scruff knows his onions. One to come back to again and again.