Soul & Nu-Jazz
bordersj2 | Boston | 05/23/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I dig this group. I got into Fertile Ground mostly because of a few random compilations where they had some neat work. The best of those compilations was Patrick Forge's PF01 of a few years ago, which featured the Oneness of Two mix of "Let the Wind Blow". But Faze Action's "Pure Braziliance" also used their CD as a fantastic kick-off.
This is a solid compilation of some of their works remixed. The first remix to "Spiritual War" is pretty cool and the Oneness of Two remix of "Illumination" is also solid. But to be honest, I got this purely for the "Let the Wind Blow" full unmixed remixed tracks.... meaning I just wanted the tracks without being mixed into a set in CD format. The Gacciman remix has a pretty sweet New York sort of vibe to it. Its gentle and not as beat heavy as the other mixes on this cd. But there's nothing quite like the Oneness of Two remake to the track. Talk about a track that takes me back! Solid beat, hint of jazz, soulful voice and a thumpin' "hey lets hit the night" vibe. "Peace & Love" is also a great track with some cool latin touches to it. And finally, I love "Take Me Higher". The WaiWan remix is a solid one - definitely different from the jazzed take on Saint Germain Des Pres Cafe vol III. But WaiWan is one of the masters of remakes, as is Jazztronic and the Bugz. Check out what he did to Banda Favela's "Samba De Ile".
Be warned though that this is only six of their tracks redone and not all tracks had the same vibe as "Let The Wind Blow". I didn't dig a few of the alternative takes; especially "The Moment" redone by Seiji and Agent K's remake, which is shocking because I've become a pretty big Bugz in the Attic fan. So I'd only really recommend it if you're very interested in this group. Also if you do dig their remakes, DEFINITELY check out Patrick Forge's "PF01" and "PF02" along with any of Gilles Petersons "GP" series and Phil Asher's PA series. You'll probably also really like "Bargrooves: Espace Prive" and the Paris Saint Germain Des Pres Cafe series."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1