V.A.(LONDON STREET SOUL) / LONDON STREET SOUL 1988-2009: 21 YEARS OF / CD

Paul Weller, The Brand New Heavies, Leftfield, The JTQ, Mica Paris, The Young Disciples, Alison Limerick, Max Beesley, Moloko and members of Jamiroquai are just some of the artists that turn up on this celebration of the 21st Birthday of one of the most influential independent labels of the 1990s and beyond. "London Street Soul" is a look at the heavily soul influenced output of Ed Piller and Gilles Peterson's creation. Once Peterson left in 1989 Piller's modernist vision embraced a gritty mix of soul, beats and retro influences learned in clubs such as Talking Loud at Dingwalls, but that at its height not only encompassed world-wide hits, but also ownership of London's Blue Note nightclub - declared by Time Out in 2000 to be the club of the Millennium.

The music on this compilation tells the story of the label from its earliest hits such as the beat-laden 'I'm The One' by D Influence and the Brand New Heavies' 'Never Stop' - here in the chart-bothering David Morales 7" mix - through to its recent top 40 hit by Andy Lewis and Paul Weller and on into this year's great hope Twisted Tongue. Along the way we come across the very first production by Leftfied, Sandals' 'Profound Gas' which we give you in a previously unreleased 7" mix. Also here are a largely forgotten performance by Brit-soul diva Mica Paris in a wonderful duet with Mr Exe and most of the Young Disciple hooked up Max Beesley in the Subteranneans. Cloud Nine were Mark Brydon's project immediately before the chart-topping Moloko, that fell apart when a sampling problem drove them apart.

The great Acid Jazz acts are all here, The JTQ with Alison Limerick on the modern soul classic 'Love Will Keep Us Together', Mother Earth with a Brendan Lynch radio mix of 'Jesse', and there are also several lesser-known gems that shine through such as the wonderful 'Lovesick' by the Nightrains, the jazzy soul of Pure Wildness and the Sun Ra space soul of the Emperor's New Clothes. Also worth noting is the folk-funk on Jinrai who marked the start of a rebirth of the label in 2001.

The booklet is packed full of rare photographs from the label's archive and an in-depth interview with Ed Piller, as he talks through the tracks on the album. It is the first of a three volume series that will follow with "London Street Beats" and culminate with 'London Street Jazz'.