Jazzanova - Let Your Heart Be Free

The six-man Berlin-based DJ/producer team Jazzanova helped define 21st Century electronic soul through its 2002 full-length "In Between" and the essential collection "Remixes, 1997-2000." However, to grasp the full breadth of the Jazzanova esthetic -- everything from U.S. hip-hop to Japanese nu-jazz to UK broken beat -- one needs to hear the guys' transcendent DJ sets. Now they've made it easy: no need to jet around the globe or dig through the Internet for a Jazzanova mixtape when you can pick up the new "... Mixing" on Jazzanova's own Sonar Kollektiv label. This is no "Global Underground" marathon of generic "boom-boom-boom-boom" dance music; this is unabashed creativity behind the decks, showcasing serious mixing skills, curatorial consistency and a host of talent from the Sonar Kollektiv family.

Start with the unreleased DJ Jazzy Jeff version of Jill Scott's "A Long Walk," progress through a bubbling set of boogie-esque house (including a Jazzanova cover of Patrice Rushen's "Let Your Heart Be Free"), throw in a couple of new remixes of cuts from "In Between," and end on a haunting downtempo note with Philly hip-hop queen Bahamadia and Norwegian jazzers Bugge Wesseltoft and Sidsel Endresen. Throw this mix on at your next party and freak out in style.