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CD Reviews by Rob Faust VARIOUS ARTISTS Talkin’ Inside the Beat Talkin’ Loud GILLES PETERSON Worldwide Talkin’ Loud · 10 years after the debut of this groundbreaking label, it still has something to say. To help celebrate the 10th anniversary of Talkin’ Loud, label co-founder, DJ extraordinaire and jazzhed Gilles Peterson has set in motion a series of releases that serve to amplify the important role it has played in helping create and define the organic side of the beat. While initially noted for its foray into acid jazz and soul, Talkin’ Loud has grown to incorporate jungle and the more experimental side of the groove. Label artists like Krust, Roni Size and 4Hero have helped set the pace for others to follow. Both CDs – a double in the case of Worldwide – showcase the depth that Talkin’ Loud is able to achieve without having to co-opt its sound for more radio/dancefloor play. Talkin’ Inside the Beat gravitates around the jazzier end of the label’s B-sides. Roni Size’s "Heroes" and "Watching Windows" are two stellar examples of how far the label has come since its inception, but also thrown in for good measure are two tracks from Krust and one from 4Hero which reiterate the plot – organic beat music that is as adept at cutting its teeth with a jazz riff as it is with helping define its future. Worldwide goes further afield, mining tracks from a variety of disciplines: hip hop, jazz standards, fusion, Kraut jazz and, of course, jungle – they’re all tracks that Peterson has featured on his BBC Radio One show. There’s contributions from future soultress Jill Scott as well as Sarah Vaughan, Pepe Bradock, Rotary Connection and John Martyn. The result makes you want to cry over the pathetic state of our national radio, which rebroadcasts Jann Arden or garage band X concerts ad nauseam. On top of that, Worldwide confirms that Peterson is one of the few DJs left who can fuse the past to the present without having to resort to clichés. Both Talkin’ and Worldwide are probative and loving tributes to the great potential that beat music has for crossing decades and genres, and breaking down the academic barriers of musical segregation, making the comedown that much more graceful and easy. 5/5 5/5

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