Label: Knife Edge
Country: Japan
Release Date: 2008.12.17

One of the strongest albums from Jazztronik in years — a soulful celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Ryota Nozaki’s great project — and a record that’s filled with the upbeat, positive grooves! There’s a sense of focus here that’s totally great — a mix of the dancefloor numbers that have always gotten international attention for Jazztronik, with some of the deeper strands that run through Nozaki’s compositions — hints of jazz, soundtrack, and Latin elements — swirled together beautifully with some strings, and really top-shelf production throughout! Lyrics are in English and Japanese — sung by Valerie Etienne, Robert Gallagher, Emi Meyer, and others — but the best tracks are almost the instrumental ones, as they stretch forth with a sense of mature brilliance that really shows the development of the Jazztronik sound over the years. Titles include “For You”, “Room 204″, “Hayabusa”, “Reminiscing”, “JTK”, “Click Clock”, “Black Dragon”, “LEAP”, “Real Clothes”, and “Peche Mignon”. (by dusty groove)