As clear a statement about enlightened music listening at the start of the Century would be hard to put into words, but Fila Brazillia's selection of tracks on this first in a new series of compilations does the job admirably.
Blending everything from John Barry to Kelis, by way of The Beta Band, Prince Alla and the Infesticons, a band who have been notably 'unobtrusive' in their own musical presence have here created a perfect reflection of the rich musical culture offered by this diverse present moment in time. Unhampered by the notions of Hoxton cool that often drag down other worthy selections, Fila Brazillia simply slap it all together to great effect.
Kicking things of with John Barry's strangely haunting Eastern tinged score for the 70s TV show The Persuaders - you remember, Roger Moore and Tony Curtis running around in slick suits don't you? - the selection is steered through Homelife's ethereal 'Firefly' to collide head on with the leftist hip hop of Mike Ladd's Infesticons project. Eminem this ain't.
Slightly obscure late seventies rootsman Prince Alla should prove something of a revelation to all but the dustiest crate-digging reggae fans - his celebratory 'Bucket Bottom' being one of the album's highlights - even if Brian Eno's 'Regiment', taken from the pioneering 'Life In The Bush Of Ghosts' album, is a little too much for others.
Not a problem. 'Cause next we're straight into the Beta Band's inspired 'It's Not Too Beautiful'. A fantastically skewed creation recalling the ghosts of Pink Floyd, the Stone Roses and John Barry - sampling the film score mastermind's 'Theme From The Black Hole' - yet managing to keep its feet on the ground. The track remains a startlingly unique piece of music and, apparently, the most played CD on Fila Brazillia's tour bus last summer.
Charged with creating a muzak version of a classic for inclusion in the compilation, Fila Brazillia join a long line that includes Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Marvin Gaye by turning their hand to a mutual childhood favourite, Nat King Cole's 'Nature Boy'. And so we get a flute-led rendition that, thankfully, bears no resemblance to lift music whatsoever.
Planned as a consistent feature of the 'Another Planet' compilations, the commissioning of a classic cover version by the guest compilers is an ingenious way of pulling together the strings of their musical history in a contemporary production. It also sets in stone the philosophy that appears to be at work here.
The fact that this compilation series is being released on Azuli Records, better known for commercially safe house releases, provides an encouraging reflection on the current climate. It's also devised by the people behind the 'Back To Mine' series that saw the likes of Groove Armada, Danny Tenaglia and Faithless all digging through the part of their collection marked 'smoky late night selection'. Let's hope that they have the vision to avoid such obvious choices with the 'Another Late Night' series and instead follow Fila Brazillia's lead. 'Another Late Night: The Beta Band', now there's a mouth-watering suggestion…
