Kinetic Records
2000
Journey Inwards
About This Album
Ten years on from the beginning of his mixing career, and following the release of literally dozens of compilations focusing on tracks and producers from his Good Looking/Looking Good empire, LTJ Bukem finally released an album of his own. As any listener who's heard a single from any label headed by Bukem will probably be able to guess, his focus here is not quite standard drum'n'bass, but a set of earthy breaks inspired by the smoother end of '70s jazz and fusion. Compared to the other jungle pioneers who've recorded expansive double-disc albums (4 Hero, Roni Size, Goldie), Bukem's is most similar in concept and sound to 4 Hero's Two Pages, an organic LP with midtempo breakbeats and earthy workouts for instrumentalists (not programmers). Even more than 4 Hero, however, Bukem's focus on non-commercial, non-vocal productions is both confident and exemplary. Though it's been easy (and perhaps, necessary) to fault Bukem in the past for aping his influences, Journey Inwards makes it practically impossible -- especially in the context of these productions, so beautiful, so detailed, so precisely imagined they sound as though they've come straight from Heaven's recording studio.
Track List

Disc 1 (try tracks 1,3,4 and 7)

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Disc 2 (try tracks 2,3 and 5)

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