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Such is the rude health Ninja find themselves in that they can release a triple CD compilation of fifty tracks to showcase their current roster - with hardly any of them having seen the light of day on the format before. It therefore acts as something of a reintroduction to the label, updating their approach on electronic and rap music.
The sheer variety of the music on show is almost bewildering but is undoubtedly intoxicating - and the best thing to do is simply press play and get your hands dirty. You'll soon be taken by seasoned acts Roots Manuva and Mr Scruff, showing you around their gaff with characteristic grittiness and humour, the latter adding the expected touch of cheek to his new track Donkey Ride.
It's always good to hear some familiar voices, but this compilation scores highly in feeding what might have been over comfortable through the mixing desk. Two exceptions to this are worth noting, in the acoustic asides of Fink's Pretty Little Thing, and the yearning vocals of the Cinematic Orchestra's To Build A Home. Neither need redressing, but when placed together highlight the label's dipping in the waters of more conventional song-based material.
Turns out this complements the weirder sounds extremely well. Homelife, for instance, won't be reaching out over coffee tables any time soon, but the ecstatic chants that underpin Seedpod are beautifully mysterious. The huge, booming beats of Two Fingers, meanwhile, occupy another room in the club altogether, a venue complemented by the hip hop based sounds of RJD2, Wiley and Spank Rock.
The new signings acquit themselves well too, with The Death Set's Around The World particularly striking listening. The Heavy's Coleen joins this in showcasing what looks like exciting times ahead on the new Counter imprint.
Meanwhile among the familiar are the 70s detective drama of The Herbaliser's Gadget Funk, the stark beauty of Blockhead's Sunday Séance and the remarkable cumulative power of Jaga's Swedenborgske Rom, the development of its small cell carrying all before it.
Spare some time, too, for the humour of Kid Koala, who promises "an invention that's gonna change the music business", the irresistible funk of Pop Levi and a classy remix from Tiga of Walk A Mile In My Shoes.
The last track, of course, being by Ninja label heads Coldcut, who can be staunchly proud of their imprint's continued ability to evolve. You Don't Know finds them bringing past, present and future together for a celebratory party - and will surely introduce its listener to new acts and directions.
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