Various Artists
Ninja Tune XX Limited Edition Box Set
The legendary umbrella of sounds that is Ninja Tune is turning 20 this year; which means a massive compilation is totally in order. When the track list for this beast of a box set (6 x CD, 6 x 7-inch vinyl, a book, downloads…) was set out to the wild a few months back, few were prepared for the scope of promised productions and remixes from label artists and appreciative producers like Roots Manuva, The Bug, Autechre, Flying Lotus, Diplo, Eskmo and dozens more. And with the final product now in hand, it turns out to be even better than expected; with exclusive unreleased items from the vault of Ninja Tune’s back catalog and special remixes that were made specifically for this comp ilation. So strap in those headphones, because it’s going to take a lot of time and a healthy musical palette to absorb it all.
XX packs so much into one place that it’s actually difficult to grasp what’s exclusive and what’s not at first glance; but with tracks longing for release like Dorian Concept’s “Her Tears Taste Like Pears” and Shuttle’s “Lion,” the cuts surrounding them find welcome homes—whether they be referencing the past, present or future. Amongst all this music, audible distinctions come from a remix of Fink by UK garage and hip-hop producer El-B (not to be confused with El-P) whose rarely releases new music, and a brilliant tune from Floating Points Ensemble, “Post Suite,” which shows off the orchestral extension of the already boisterous sounds of Sam Shepard. Zomby adds himself to the mix with “The Forest,” a percussive post-funky tune that arpeggiates its naturally dark surroundings. And of course Coldcut and Toddla T are always solid with their contributions, as well as an appearance by New Jersey’s Todd Edwards remixing Spank Rock, out of all people.
Trekking through this massive amounts of music media is sure to take a load of time, but everything is in its rightful place. The Ninja Tune have always known how to take care of the audiophile, music obsessive, label lovers, fanboys in all of us. While it may be a bit much to take out wallet-wise, it’s a lot to take in music-wise, Ninja Tune XX is an unbelievably good purchase. Don’t wait to get your hands on this box o’ gold.
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