Summer 1988 and as Acid House raged across the UK pockets of resistance began springing up delicated to a very different beat. Inspired by Hip-Hop, Jazz and a wealth of Soul and Funk recordings stretching back to the 60's America, young musicians breathed life into old sounds, recorded new ones and set about spreading their message worldwide. Soul Jazz Sessions celebrates those bands, producers, and DJ's who took the next step into the studio and produced some dancefloor magic in the process.

British DJ duo Coldcut helped pioneer the art of sampling in pop and dance music during the 1980s, and have remained on the forefront of music technology for the entirety of their career. The duo translated the freewheeling spirit of pirate radio onto wax with innovative records such as 1987's Say Kids, What Time Is It? and their seminal remix of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full," mashing together a cornucopia of breakbeats, musical hooks, and samples from children's television shows and movies, among a multitude of other sources. The duo achieved chart success through collaborations with artists such as Lisa Stansfield, Junior Reid, and Yazz, but their vision was clearly much broader than the scope of the major-label music machine, so they established Ninja Tune in order to maintain creative freedom…

The marriage of jazz and electronica has, too often, produced bland and lackadaisical offspring. But the United Future Organization manages to bring together elements of both, along with traces of club music and "rare groove," and create something that is both elegant and rhythmically propulsive, not to mention structurally interesting. Their latest album is an excellent example of what they can do at their best. On "Tres Amigos" Cuban percussion, horns, and piano are goosed along by a thick, bouncy bassline; "Flying Saucer" blends disco rhythm guitar with jazzy horns and a gorgeous vocal courtesy of Dee Dee Bridgewater; "Dans Ce Desert" is a surprisingly funky 6/8 workout with flamenco castanets, electric piano, and French vocals.

Dutch smooth jazz saxophonist Candy Dulfer's debut album, 1990's Saxuality, made a splash both critically and commercially upon its release and helped propel her to global stardom. The daughter of saxophonist Hans Dulfer, Candy Dulfer had performed since she was an adolescent and by her early twenties was opening for Madonna and Prince…