Jazz Brakes, Vol. 5

by John BushBreaks records aren't meant for the same audience that buys most music (there's a reason they're called DJ tools), but when they're done well, they have a degree of interest for dedicated fans. In the early days of Coldcut's Ninja Tune label, a series of breaks records appeared under the moniker DJ Food -- later a serious interest for associates PC and Strictly Kev but then a freeform collective also including Coldcut's Jonathan More and Matt Black. The Jazz Brakes series are among the best of breaks records, which puts them just on the right side of listenable. The foursome plunder a variety of slightly chilled jazz and soul breaks, even grabbing the notorious Turtles riff that got De La Soul into hot water. Here lies the template for breezy, uncomplicated trip-hop (evinced by the early work of Thievery Corporation, Fila Brazillia, and many others).