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DJ Amir takes another deep dive into the back catalogue of Detroit's legendary Strata Records to curate a 2nd volume in his Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit compilations. Whereas volume one took in the soulful edge of the Strata canon this volume, as Amir says, 'leans into the label's groovier, funkier edges whilst still celebrating its bold, avant-garde spirit.'

DJ Amir's relationship to the Strata label has resulted in the release of the long lost Charles Mingus live 'Jazz in Detroit' box set released on BBE Music along with re-issues from The Lyman Woodard Organisation and re-imaginings of Strata's genre defying music by Berlin based DJ and producer collective, Jazzanova as well as remixes from Kai Alce, Wajeed, Henrik Schwarz, re.decay and DJ Amir himself and, of course, volume one of The Sound of Detroit.

Featuring music from The Soulmates, Fito Foster, Keith Boone & Janice Coombs and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet amongst others, The Sound of Detroit volume 2 absolutely exemplifies the importance of Strata Records in the history of innovative Black music as well as its place in the cultural landscape of Detroit as a powerhouse city for art and music.  — (via Label)

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When a DJ pays tribute to the Detroit sound, one’s first thought is usually techno: the Belleville Three, Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Carl Craig, K-Hand. Raw machine music without unnecessary ballast, forcing the city’s rich musical heritage into a steady pulse. With DJ Amir, things are different. He tends instead to mix more organic styles, drawing directly on that very heritage – his sets include funk, disco, soul and jazz, for instance. Which makes him exactly the right person to curate a series called The Sound of Detroit.

Where elsewhere that phrase is exhausted by booking a few mates on to a line-up to grind through one soulless techno set after another, Amir has done his homework – specifically, a deep dive into the back catalogue of Detroit’s legendary Strata label. The independent label existed in the 1970s and was, Wikipedia tells us, a musical response to the race riots of 1967. The 14 tracks on this compilation sketch a varied picture of Strata’s jazz competence: Maulawi’s "Naima" sets aggressive caesuras through recurring horn motifs, while in between a bustling harmony overflows with creativity. Ron English’s "Ultima Linda" swells and recedes, shifting through its tempo changes between gravitas and seductive lightness. There are proper songs here too, such as the crooning "I’m Really Gonna Miss You" by The Soulmates, which draws its dynamism from cleverly arranged multilingualism, or the magnificent soul ballad "Let Me Be The One" by Keith Boone and Janice Coombs. This is not a historical document, but a listening pleasure. — (via HHV Mag)

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Label: Strata Records // BBE // 180 Proof Records
Format: 3 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Released: 2026
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style: Jazz-Funk, Soul-Jazz, Spiritual Jazz, Funk

File under: Jazz Compilations
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