Nightmares on Wax...

Dope producer from the UK, aka DJ EASE (Experimental Sample Expert), one of the first artists released on Warp Records.






NightmaresOnWax.com/blog
Nightmares on Wax on Lala.com

Norwegian Jazztronica...

These guys have been around since 1994 putting out dope albums:

www.jagajazzist.com
Jaga on Wiki

I found them by perusing the Ninja Tune artist line-up on Lala.com (which has proven to be great resource for my musical research). I started listening to the 1995 album "Animal Chin" and really was vibing on it. Some of the electronica-esque farting drum noises get a little out there, but they are very unique and creative, and the live instruments bring it back home for me. Only skipped one track (turns out it was another producer's remix of the "Lithuania" track featured below) and I will definitely be checking more of their discography. Here's a taste of the eclectic and diverse sounds they come up with, from what I could find on the 'Tube. If you like it, check out more on the Lala links above.

Carry on, Karuan...

Austrian producer/musician Karuan was born in Vienna in 1976 to Kurdish parents. His second album, Pop Arif, is described as "Unique Urban Oriental Soul," and is blowing it up in Greece and Austria. It is a self-described an homage to Kurdish music, and although some of it gets kind of bubblegum for my tastes, there are definitely some stand-outs. And he's he's on his website flexing a Fender Telecaster guitar in the desert, so I gotta give it up...

Slow Train Soul...

Slow Train Soul is a musical duo out of London self-classified as a "soulful mix of Nu Jazz and Electronica, uptempo downtempo, twilight tales, urban realities and great escapes." It is comprised of Lady-Z on vocals and Morten Varano on production. His beats are dope, and she has a cool raspy voice.

They have two albums out, the first one being Illegal Cargo, released in 2004:





The most recent album is Santimanitay, released in 2006:



Click the picture below to visit their official site for more info.
(Note - music starts automatically):



Once again, thanks to Stephane Pompougnac for the put-on. He has featured them on the Hotel Costes series a few times:

Flamenco Chill...

Chambao is a flamenco-electronica group from Málaga, Spain. It's like a cross between Gipsy Kings and Sweetback. She has a cool voice, and they make pretty chill, laid-back music to help pass the work day.

Chambao's Official Website