ZEN CD: a retrospective (ZENCD85)

text

zen overload.

the whole set comprises of :

zen cd : 2 cd
zen rmx : 2 cd of remixes
zen tv dvd : 1 double density dvd with 35 videos plus extras.

this is large. very large.

anyone who has any interest in leftfield dance music over the last 12 or so years must have a ninjatune release somewhere amongst their collection.

amazingly this campaign is the first time the label has ever done a full retrospective of their greatest hits, umm - so what was xen cuts 3 cd set then ? all that aside .. these compilations are still worthy of space on anyones shelf.

when ninjatune started i was originally wary of their releases, at the time i was mainly interested in instrumental hip-hop, and mo'wax filled that hole perfectly. any ninjatune stuff i heard always came over as too serious/jazz/self indulgent based and so i stayed clear, but through sheer diversity and single minded approach to quality, the label are now firmly established and provide a vital link to sounds that would otherwise fall by the wayside, and, have found their way into my collection far more in recent years as several acts have refined their style and come into a golden period (herbaliser, solid steel compilations especially for me). this then comes as a welcome insight into other areas of the labels sounds .. but doesn't seem to have included any of the labels sub-label output (no big dada, no n-tone - but i suspect thats the point)

consequently this set comprises of the labels big hitters of recent times - what no chocolate weasel ?

in other words, the tracks that most folks will know and may have even heard on the radio .. so we get the hits from mr scruff, coldcut, cinematic orchestra, dj food etc etc .. in fact the list is so damn fine i recommend you take a trip over to the labels excellent website and get the full tracklisting, if that doesn't get you frog marching down to your local megabore then nothing will.

so does this compilation work ?

well for me its the best and the worst of the label all wrapped up in one gorgeous package. yes there are the big overly muso jazzy bits-n-bobs that put me off, but, as these are single tracks and not a whole album they are far more enjoyable. i have subsequently realised that i now need more of the labels releases in order to fill my soul with more sensuous aural pleasure. how can anyone not swoon to the epicness of 'all that you give' by cinematic orchestra, and 'something wicked' by the herbaliser, or feel all fine-n-funky with a big smile to the uptempo fun of 'sweetsmoke' by mr scruff, and mellow to the ambience of funki porcini 'the long road' ( a personal fave ..).

too much. too much. loving every minute of it.

where things are probably more interesting for the ninjatune diehards is the remix set. these provide a tidy collection for those who dont have the time/budget to collect the lovely 12" in the week of release and just want a full 2 hours of deep house grooves, jazz riffs set to hip-hop beats, and all round general weirdness .. there are some stunning tracks. with the likes of ashley beedle, luke vibert, cornelius, squarepusher etc all adding their trademark sonic extras to the breaks and loops. special stuff. even with all the flutes and bongos and harps.

and there's more ..

the dvd collects a whole bunch of the labels videos. 35 in total. can't accuse ninjatune of being tight can you ? all this pleasure on one shiny disc, for the record, the label likes to tell us that this dvd is double capacity of normal dvd releases.

having seen most of the videos i can say that the use of video jerky cutups and old newsreels can become tiresome, but when these low budget promos are set within the high art of blockheads 'insomniac olympics', and the breathtaking computer grafx overload of amon tobins 'verbal' (how come no amon tobin on the remix set ??), the chucklesome cosgrove hall animated 'sweetsmoke', (who are skalpel .. i know .. they are funny ! watch the video and see ..), the gorillaz style computer animation of the flute overdose that is bonobo 'pick up', the strange surreal terry gilliam style animation of jaga jazzist. then the presence of the odd lo-fi promo is not as bad as originally thought.

if you watch the dvd in the order that ninjatune have put them together then highlights come thick and fast, as do the chilled out grooves. however, if you want to control the order of viewing then the navigation is simple and dead easy .. and as far as i can tell there are a minimum of extras (hexstatic has done a 16 minute video mashup if thats your bag) . but when you get 35 videos that cover many aspects of promo vids who's complaining .. i certainly aint.

a serious contender for the years best compilation.