OUTSIDE Vinyl & CDs

Review: First released in 1995, Outside's second album The Rough And The Smooth marked a major leap for UK big beat and bigger brain Matt Cooper, who at 22 years old wrote, produced, mixed and engineered this second of six eventual LPs for Dorado. Between dub, jungle, hip hop, Latinate rhythms and modal jazz, Cooper played keys and drums, with help from top names like Jhelisa, Imaani, Greg Osby, and Cleveland Watkiss. From the intricate steppers funk of 'Journeyman' parts 1 and 2, through to the Nu Yorican pulse of 'The 29/8 Steps', and the lush violin-driven jungle on 'To Forgive But Not Forget', it's an unforgettable record, with Cooper unperturbed by its recent time out of the public ear (perhaps for sheer faith in his music's longevity).