michael nymann - noises, sounds & sweet airs (1995)
i was turned on to the music of michael nymann through the films of peter greenaway. in particular "propero's books" - although he also scored greenaway's "the cook the thief his wife & her lover," "drowining by numbers," "a zed & two noughts" and "the draughtsman's contract." this cd "noises..." is for an operatic-ballad based on shakespeare's "the tempest" which was entitled "la princesse de milan" and choreographed by karine saporta. you may note that "prospero's books" was also based on "the tempest" however the scores are not the same.

Get it today: Michael Nyman "Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs"

tom ze - the hips of tradition (brazil 5 "the return of tom ze") (1992)
thank you david byrne - for bring tom ze to our attention. thank you arto lyndsay - for remixing this masterpiece. thank you roberto lazzarine - for producing this releaseon the luaka bop which features tom ze at his best. opening with "ogodo, ano 2000" a jammin riff and percussion and voices. the album keeps hammering the brazilian rhythms home with the laid back island sounding "sem a letra A" the quirky "flipermana" and the haunting "lua-gira-sol." each time you listen to a tome ze recording you will hear something you never hear before - a dog bark, a bell, a percussion hit, a scream, a mumbling voice, a guitar lick. he is a crazy cat.

various - the next step (1997)
great comp featuring artists like jimpster, cujo and spaceways. had a friend working for nija tune who sent this my way. good introduction to artists on instinct and shadow records. ambient, dub, electronica grooves.

peter tosh - equal rights (1977)
plenty of classic reggae on this tosh offering including "get up, stand up" "downpresser" and "equal rights." cover features tosh a la che guevara.

bob marley - survival (1979)
a familiar voice talking about the troubles in this world. s o many great tracks on this disc including "so much trouble..." "ambush in the night" "wake up and live" along with "uprising" and "exodus" one of my favorite marley releases.

blue nile - a walk across the rooftops (1983)
while this recording dates back twenty odd years there is still a freshness. i have been looking for this on cd for sometime. akin to kate bush, talk talk (rites of spring era), peter gabriel. sparse arrangements. striking vocals. great for rainy days.

aqualung - stange and beautiful (2005)
piano driven rock oddities. in the vein of coldplay and radiohead. lush arrangements with strings. easy to listen to while working.

ely guerra - lotofire (1999)
this release from mexican singer ely guerra has been in and out of rotation in my cd player. she has since released "sweet & sour, hot & spicy" (2004) and has a new release "teatro metropolitan" coming out in december (2006). i'm not sure what it is that drew me to this release. it was something i initially picked up at the local library and it grew on me. good variation. good energy. great beats. great to work to. More on ely at: http://www.elyguerra.com/

bajofondotangoclub and carlos libedinsky
modern tango on the brain. i created a compilation cd I made with thes guys along with carlos libedinsky and others. really fantastic materials crossing electronic with tango. how to describe? elements of hip hop. understated vocals. borrowed beats. south american rhythms from argentina and uruguay. for more about bajofondotangoclub visit: http://www.bajofondotangoclub.com/

gotan project - inspiracion expiracion (2004)
this cd is a fantastic offering of remixed versions of classic tango as well as gotan originals. dedicated to those who inspired the gotan guys you'll find many familiar names in tango. for a heavier dose of modern tango check out gotan project "la revancha del tango." this offering was lodged in my cd player for a long time. i'm excited about theri newly release "lunatico" their first studio album in a while. from what I am listening to on their site this is pretty amazing. think bebel gilberto meets nick cave meets tom waits meets astor piazolla. check out the video for "different" on their website: http://www.gotanproject.com/

Get this disc: Gotan Project "Inspiracion-Espiracion Remix"

massive attack - mezzanine (1998)
mezzanine never strays too far from the ear buzz zone. great for evoking ideas and creating images. great for working. plenty of deep, ambient, bug-driven grooves. throw in liz frazier's voice. like an old friend this recording is. nice to be listening to this evening.