V/A - Hydeout Production: Second Collection 2xLP

Label: Hydeout Production

The closest a simple collection of songs can get to being a classic album.  The first and most notable difference between this collection and past releases, is that not only does Nujabes (aka Jun Seba) give the Hydeout Collection crew more room to shape the tracks, he isn’t even the producer for a number of tracks. Both Emancipator and Uyama Hiroto are given the limelight and allowed space to craft entire songs on their own. One track is even a remix of a Daisuke Kojima track, with Jun simply shaping the song to fit his bill. This could be considered a risky move, because whilst Nujabes has always been an effort heavy on collaboration, cutting himself out of entire songs is a bit excessive, right? Yet here, it pays off tenfold, adding spice to the album without affecting the core of what makes his music so appealing. Addictive horns, gorgeous string sections, jazz odysseys; they’re all still here, and all entrance just as easily.