Jazzy drum & bass--don't you just hate the connotations? It's music for coffee tables, right? LTJ Bukem would certainly disagree. As a groundbreaking DJ, inspirational musician and breakbeat raconteur, he can certainly lay claim to popularising the sunnier end of drum'n'bass, yet one listen to this extraordinary cross-pollination of grooves shows just how far you can push the envelope.

Across his Journey Inwards Bukem transports the listener through lush passages of Herbie Hancock-inspired jazz-fusion, blue-eyed soul and head-nodding hip-hop without a moment's hesitation. "Deserted Vaults" fairly oozes b-boy class--an exotic cocktail of tough beats and smoky jazz-noir that comes on like a junior Cypress Hill, while "Inner Guidance", with its shimmering guitars and 60s go-go vibe is playboy funk for the dance generation. The last track, "Feel What You Feel" is a funky house tune complete with vocoders which attempts to out-groove Chicago masters like Larry Heard and manages to move both your head and feet. Drum'n'bass, in all its myriad forms, still prevails though. From the sax'n'beat sparkle of "Watercolours" through to the pared-down tribalism of "Viewpoint", the rushing breaks and bud-friendly ambience are ice-box cool. All hail the blunted boy wonder, this is absolutely fantastic.

Paul Tierney