21/08/26
Launched in 1995, the Future Sounds of Jazz series stands as one of the most enduring and influential compilation franchises in European electronic music. Curated from the outset by Michael Reinboth, founder of Munich's Compost Records, each volume has served as a finely calibrated snapshot of the intersection between jazz sensibility, downtempo electronics, and leftfield club culture. After a five-year hiatus following Future Sounds of Jazz Vol. 11, Vol. 12 arrived in 2012 as a deeply considered return — one that consciously looked back to the aesthetic roots of the series while embracing a new generation of producers from across the globe.
Spread across three vinyl records, this twelfth edition draws on a richly diverse international cast: veterans of the Compost orbit sit alongside emerging voices from Japan, Australia, the UK, and beyond. The mood throughout recalls the unhurried, melodically rich atmosphere of the earliest FSOJ volumes — organic textures, jazz-inflected harmonics, and a warm, analogue sensibility that resists the harder edges of contemporary club music. Highlights include Der Dritte Raum's hypnotic Swing Bop (Acid Pauli's Kosmik Remix), Bibi Tanga's Afro-tinged Be Africa (Beg To Differ Mix), Dave Aju And The Sol Percussion Ensemble's percussive Vibra, and the exclusive Santos cut La Mediana — all woven together with the curatorial instinct that has made this series a benchmark of the genre.
Tracklist
LP 1
A1. Der Dritte Raum – Swing Bop (Acid Pauli's Kosmik Remix) (7:59)
A2. Wareika – Jazz Shaman (6:22)
B1. Deep Space Orchestra – Sir Shina (6:59)
B2. Eden – Uncountable Doors (A Green Meadow Remix) (8:15)
LP 2
C1. Santos – La Mediana (9:16) [Exclusive]
C2. The Glimmer Twins presents The Disko Drunkards – Snatch (4:55)
D1. Bibi Tanga – Be Africa (Beg To Differ Mix) (9:33)
D2. Ragout De Lapin – Ginger Vibes (Short Version) (5:42) [Exclusive]
LP 3
E1. Letherette – In July Focus (2:24)
E2. Lo Tide – Yello Brick (4:10)
E3. Sepalcure – Fleur (4:50)
E4. Laszlo – NRV (4:16)
F1. Dave Aju And The Sol Percussion Ensemble – Vibra (8:11)
F2. [Additional track — see label for full details]