Various

The second instalment of what Brighton, UK has to offer is just what you would expect from the tiny up-and-coming Tru Thoughts label. With heavyweights such as Bonobo, Jon Kennedy and Quantic gracing us with their presence, you’re assured to be taken for a roller coaster dream ride as these brilliant producers offer a small dose of what they’re made of. Jon Kennedy’s "Smith vs. Smith” is a gorgeous piece of work with a lush violin fitting so well with an large-sounding drum loop that echoes through your ears. Remixes appear in the form of Mr. Scruff completely doubling if not tripling the speed of Bonobo’s "Terrapin” and making it a breakbeat fury with very little evidence of the original. With the larger names dropping projects with new labels now, When Shapes Join Together 2 can also be used as a window that gives one a taste of what Tru Thoughts have up their sleeves. Flevans’s "Into the Morning” is an uplifting hip-hop instrumental with cute jazz horns and big band samples that will surely make you move, reminiscent of older Mr. Scruff. "Dayton Bumps” is a funky slice of ska-inspired beats that roll nicely with stabs on the organ keys and trumpet loops. When Shapes Join Together 2 is a good dose of what talent Tru Thoughts has been brewing quietly in the past few years, and judging by the promising numbers by the lesser-known artists, we have the inside track on who will be making waves in the future.