dork magazine.

WD: As we wind down to the end of another great year there are a few things that are bubblin’ and cannot go without notice. Check out some of the latest things that are Worth Diggin’.

The Roots - HOME GROWN! The Beginners Guide to Understanding The Roots VOL ONE & TWO (Geffen)

Forget category’s The Roots are the hardest working group out there PERIOD. Their releases to this date as well as their numerous collaboration and side projects give them the right to hold this title. Most djs and music lovers I know have Roots treats that they have to carry with them in their crate, ipod, or mix cd. So we knew it was only a matter of time as to when a greatest hits compilation was coming. Well wait no further as the fellas have hit us with two! HOME GROWN! The Beginners Guide to Understanding The Roots is an audio history of a diverse, progressive musical machine that has and will continue to impact the way people listen to good music. All the tracks were hand selected by Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. They are a brilliant mix of rare remixes and never before released material that shows the groups true diverse talents and taste. The other brilliant part of this history lesson is the liner notes that accompany every Roots release, which have become legendary and well sought after. The liner notes written by ?uestlove give his own take and each track he selected and some insight into the group during the recording or release of the track. If you are just discovering The Roots or a long time fan pick theses up it’s a great introduction.

Jniero Jarel presents Beat Journey (Label Who)

So my man my mellow JJ has been keeping it busy as usual. Just because he released Three Piece Puzzle domestically with Ropeadope and his Label Who imprint don’t think he’s gonna relax. He’s got plenty more where that came from. His next release strictly on Label Who is Beat Journey. No hidden agenda with the title…this is project is a tight excursions into some of Jniero’s beats. If you have kept up with his own projects, remixes and guest appearances you know Jniero is an artist that can’t be tied down to one genre. Beat Journey is no exception and a great representation of where he is at musically. Covering various styles like jazz, hip hop, brazilian grooves, stutta step and broken beat, Jniero brings the heat on this excursion. I predict that this will be a must have for anyone who appreciates good music and the art of beat making.

Inside Scandinavia Vol. 2 – Various (Raw Fusion)

Following the critical success of Vol. 1, Raw Fusion Recordings are now proud to present Vol. 2 in the “Inside Scandinavia” compilation series. This time around we have an even stronger line-up put together by Raw Fusion label boss Mad Mats, with loads of exclusive and unreleased tracks from the hottest and most in-demand Scandinavian artists and producers. As I have come to expect from Raw Fusion, the styles are diverse, ranging from cool jazz to sizzling latin, melodic nu soul, jazzy hip-hop, fierce funk and soulful house, and yet unified by a fresh feel that is distinctly Scandinavian.

The compilation starts off with the whimsical cascading electronica of Espen Home’s Colour Away. The Povo Remix of Fertile Ground’s Another Day is a standout track. Soulful-esque female vocals feature alongside jazz piano. Another jazz inspired track is Jukka Eskola’s 1974, which features a beautiful saxophone solo. Both Todd Terje and Povo provide catchy nujazz tracks.

The album takes a more Latin-inspired path with the bossa track Nelson, from Teddy Rok. 12th Floor’s Salsa 313 is (not surprisingly) a salsa track, very uptempo with the 313 of the title referring to a sample of a Los Hermanos classic on UR. The sounds of the Latin world are also found on A Bossa Eletrica’s Skindo Le-Le (S.U.M.O. Rebounce). Meanwhile, Goi from the Boddy Huges Experience also has a world music feel to it, but this time gypsy influenced, the combination of folk and electronic music reminding me of what Coda have done here in Australia.

Other genres to be found in the melting pot include hip-hop (Salem’s musically adventurous Face It), R&B (Runaway from Oscar Sharp featuring Melo on vocals) and funk (the very groovy Baddest Mutha and Rasmus Faber’s old school sounding Get Over Here). The compilation also has some more chilled out songs, notably the two nusoul tracks from Examples and Up Hygh.

As well as being a journey into a little known part of the world’s music scene, Inside Scandinavia 2 is also a great compilation of soul-inspired electronic music.

John Robinson – The Leak Edition Vol. 1

John Robinson aka Lil Sci has been on his grind. One of the most highly anticipated street level mix-cd to come out in a minute, The Leak Edition Vol. 1 is a great representation of what John Robinson has been up to…and this isn't even his official album! Beats from MF Doom, Madlib, Danger Mouse, Count Bass D, ID 4Windz, Ta'Raach, J. Rawls, Ammon Contact, Locsmif, and more...as a bonus he has bits of his appearances on Benji B’s / 1xtra accompanied by a freestyle. I am really hard on my critiques of hip hop as of late, but I must admit that this release is one that should not go overlooked. I’ve been a fan of his work with Scienz of Life, Sol Uprising, Dwight Trible and the Life Force Trio, and Lone Catalyst but his upcoming album with MF Doom is on my highly anticipated list for 2006.

Fusicology

Since 2003, Fusicology.com has specialized in strategic lifestyle, event and music marketing and promotion for the conscious urban community. The founder is Toronto-based party hustler Asya Shein. Ms. Shein has created a well-respected entity of promoting arts, culture and have a damn good time doing it too.

Based in trend setting New York and Los Angeles, Fusicology.com uses online based PR and newsletters, in addition to street promo teams to directly reach their worldwide audience. Using their diverse methods, Fusicology.com has built a strong base of tastemakers in major U.S. markets that is growing rapidly every day. Specializing in producing music and film release parties, public and corporate events and working with brands to reach target audiences through placement and promotion, Fusicology.com gets the job done.

Corporate America has taken notice and has come knocking at her door with cross-promotion and sponsorship projects. Companies include Scion, Akademiks, Puma, Lucky Brand, Complex Magazine and Vapors, to name but a few. “We get a needs analysis from them and find out what they want exactly, then we put together the event from the ground up, we do it all. We can even bring in a celebrity element if need be,” she says referring to celebrities such as CSI’s Gary Dourdan, Ananda Lewis and Mos Def who have made appearances at her parties.

Currently, Fusicology.com features events in the New York and Los Angeles markets in an online magazine format. We are planning launches in Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Toronto (in that order). Not far in the future, the team will roll out a European market launch starting with London, England.