NOPE23 Vinyl & CDs

Review: Master beat juggler Jaguar Skills takes us to The Savage Planet, his new album on NOPE23. The revered deck technician and proud craftsman of bulky breakbeats welcome us in with a big, celebratory tune filled with funky flutes and chest-beat grandiosity. Then comes a range of vocal beats, with plenty of cinematic references and catchy hooks. 'The Theme From Space Patrol' is all big chords and funky bass, 'Mr Dudikoff's Announcement' has prickly drumming and is wrought with tension thanks to the myriad vocal and TV samples and 'There's Six Ways 2 Kill A Louce' is a 60s funk tune reworked with modern drums.

Review: Everyone's favourite masked hero Jaguar Skills doesn't do things by halves so when he decided to celebrate 70s cinema and write his own soundtrack, he went IN. Working with musicians who've played with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Lala Schifrin and Tony Allen, 'The Man In The Jaguar Mask' is the ultimate homage to the art of movie scores. Expect all your favourite scenes... the instant attention-span grabbing high funk opening sequence ('The Prisoner Escapes'), the creepy just-before-the-action-kicks-off flute flurries ('Protocol'), the all important car chase ('Black Belt') and the epic crescendo ('The Freeman') All composed and produced using classic scoring techniques, this is Jaguar Skills at his most ambitious and musically articulate. Essential on vinyl.