VA - After Hours 2: Last Call (1995)

Another episode of the After Hours compilation series pits the world of acid jazz enthusiasts against a world of music collectors that probably should know better. The slow jazz-funk of 8UP or Black Forest is here for those unusually interested while the tiresome 9 Lazy 9 tries their very best to keep the blood pumping in this deathly boring CD. Luckily, there are also quite a few tracks that realize the difference between a rut and a groove. Both "Lobster" by Red Snapper and "Dark" by After Dark fuse a fascinating blend of (admittedly) new age electronics with an affecting glide of abstractions. Not to mention DJ Cam's effortless "Mad Blunted Jazz" trying to take up the slack made by even the worst of acid jazz's earnest criminals. For what it's worth, After Hours, Vol. 2: Last Call accurately lays out the scene's highs and lows in one package, successfully collecting a wildly inconsistent -- and often outright testing -- subgenre. -- Dean Carlson