A new compilation from Ninja Tune - You Don’t Know: Ninja Cuts - is filled with 50 tunes that map the sonic territory the label has explored during it’s 2 decades in the biz and adds sonar imagery of what lies ahead. The 3 CD set features tracks all the way 1998 reppin for the label’s early days (Mike Ladd’s rare classic “Blah Blah”) and big hits from every year since plus 9 tunes slated for release later this year! (Yet-to-be-dropped tunes like John Matthias’ fragile and ethereal “Evermore”, The Bug’s toxic dancehall slayer “Poison Dart”, and Pop Levi’s superb, princely “Dita Dimone”…) To celebrate such an amazing audio history, the Ninja Tune extended family is hosting a 3-room banger at Electrowerkz this month that features many of the artists on the 3CD collection!
Don’t Wait! Get Yr Ninjas Tuned Now!
It took 18+ years to make, but this album will be ready for worldwide rewinds starting March 11th. There are 2 ways to cop some before mid-March:
Right now, UK’s The Independent is streaming and giving away 10 tracks from the comp that may surprise you. These 10 tracks (by the likes of Pop Levi, Bonobo, The Cinematic Orchestra and others) are pure luscious indie rock and tranquil experimental sounds akin to Sigur Ros or Coldplay plus Wiley’s Big Dada anthem “50/50″. Best of all, if you like any of those 10 tracks, you can download them individually for free!
If you are anywhere near London, or can get to it on 15th February, you would be mad to miss Ninja Tune’s triple-decker record release bash. It would make a good boot camp for Bang Face Weekender… See this post for deets:
The Bug, Ghislain Poirier, Plastician & More At Ninja Tune Record Release Party 15th February 2008
You Don’t Know: Ninja Cuts Album Details
The comp features 50 songs culled from 3 labels that together make the Ninja Tune family (Ninja Tune, Big Dada and Counter), including huge hits by Coldcut, Roots Manuva, Modeselektor, Ghislain Poirier, Kid Koala, The Bug, Spank Rock, Amon Tobin, The Herbaliser, Diplo, Jaga, Wiley, DJ Shadow, TTC and more and more and more!!
The complete 3 disc tracklist:
Disc 1
Ghislain Poirier - Blazin’ (Modeselektor Remix)
Roots Manuva - Seat Yourself (feat. Ricky Ranking)
Bonobo - Nightlite (feat Bajka - zero dB Reconstruction)
Daedelus - Fair Weather Friends
Mr Scruff + Quantic - Donkey Ride
Pop Levi - Dita Dimoné
The Herbaliser - Gadget Funk
Spank Rock - Bump (Switch remix)
The Heavy - Coleen
Diplo - Epistemology Suite 3: Don’t Fall
King Geedorah - Next Levels
Fink - Pretty Little Thing
The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home (Radio Version)
Amon Tobin - Bloodstone
John Matthias - Evermore (demo)
Disc 2
Roots Manuva - Chin High (Manuvadelics version)
Wiley - No Qualms (Re-vox feat Chipmunk, JME & Skepta)
Hexstatic - Distorted Minds (feat. Juice Aleem - zero DB remix)
The Qemists - Drop Audio (feat. ID)
NMS - Brave New World
Mike Ladd - Blah Blah
DJ Shadow - Bring Madlib Up
The Cinematic Orchestra - Rites Of Spring (Live at The Barbican)
Max & Harvey - Thieves
cLOUDDEAD - Physics Of A Unicycle
The Bug - Poison Dart
Coldcut - Just For The Kick (Original version)
Coldcut - Walk A Mile In My Shoes (Tiga mix edit)
Pest - Pat Pong (Solid Groove mix)
TTC - Travailler (Orgasmic remix)
TheDeathSet - Around the World
Yppah - Again With The Subtitles
Disc 3
DJ Kentaro - Enter The Newground
Coldcut - Atomic Moog (The Qemists remix)
RJD2 - True Confessions
Kid Koala - Slew Test 2
DJ Kentaro - Free (feat. Spank Rock - Armani XXXChange Remix)
Ty - Wait a Minute (Dwele Remix)
Homelife - Seedpod
One Self - Fear The Labour
The Cinematic Orchestra - Breathe (Susumu Yokota remix)
Loka - Beginningless
Bonobo - Hatoa
Ammoncontact - Infinity of Rhythm Instrumental
The Long Lost - The Art Of Kissing
Fog - Melted Crayons
Blockhead - Sunday Seance
Jaga - Swedenborgske Rom
Bigg Jus - Say Goodbye
What does Ninja Tune have to say about this heroic achievement?
Where to start? Anyone who thinks they know what to expect from a Ninja Tune compilation is advised to head straight for CD2, track 16, where Baltimore’s The Death Set deliver electro-pop-punk of pure brattish joyfulness. Or the Bug’s “Poison Dart” – harsh dubstep dancehall that’s had FWD bubbling for the last few months. Or check DJ Kentaro’s riotous collaboration with Spank Rock, “Free”. Or the fuzzyfelt-bahia of Long Lost’s “The Art of Kissing”, a folk project by Daedelus. Or the blissful quiescent power of Jaga’s “Swedenborgske Rom”. Or Finks “Pretty Little Thing”. Or…
Some other names you will be expecting. Roots Manuva offers up a couple of rarities on the utterly ill “Seat Yourself” and a version of “Chin High” that’s more Joy Division than J Dilla. The Cinematic Orchestra turn up with the radio version of their scintillating “To Build A Home” plus a new track “Rites of Spring” recorded live at the Barbican in London and a fantastic remix from Susumu Yokota. One of the UK’s greatest musical mavericks and pioneer of grime Wiley is on board. Ninja founders Coldcut give early versions and re-rubs from 2006’s “Sound Mirrors” album. Kid Koala destroys the music business single-handed (double-handed?) on “Slew Test 2”. Mr Scruff and Quantic go riding and take us on a bumpy “Donkey Ride”, a brand new track. An unavailable track “Epistemology Suite” by Diplo from a very early deleted 12″ is present, Then there’s a heap of remixers and contributors that run from Modeselektor, DJ Shadow, Tiga, RJD2 and the mighty Switch. But even that doesn’t get close.
Ninja Tune Links
NinjaTune.net pre-order page
UK’s The Independent website
What Do You Think? ↓
1 The Bug, Ghislain, Plastician +More Live Like You Don’t Know In London // Feb 5, 2008 at 14:12
[...] DON’T KNOW: NINJA CUTS - one floor for each CD in the monster compilation! (There’s a whole post about the Ninja Tune compilation too, so scope that [...]