Fort Knox Recordings is a pretty awesome little label. It was founded by the guys who bring you music as Fort Knox Five, Thunderball, and a few other names, and they jumped into the endeavor knowing that 100% quality is the only way to get things done. Mostly, Fort Knox is a 12" vinyl single house. Every so often though, they release a full-length, and they even do it on CD sometimes. One such full-length release was the 2006 compilation The New Gold Standard. It showcased the labels current and future talents, and it was in fact pure gold. The Gold Standard series highlight the labels current roster of talent. The second in that series is now out, but how do you maintain such a high standard of quality? Or more importantly, did they?

1. Fort Knox Five "What Make Ya Dance (feat. Rootz)"
2. Nappy Riddem "Rastar"
3. Fort Knox Five "Shift"
4. Fort Knox Five "The Sax Pusher"
5. Empresarios "Sabor Tropical"
6. Fort Knox Five "Bhangra Panch"
7. See-I "How Could You (Rodney Hunter Remix)"
8. International Velvet "Sitargazer"
9. See-I "Homegrown"
10. International Velvet "Sundown"
11. Speedy Consuela "On Our Way"
12. Empresarios "Cumbia"
13. Speedy Consuela "Number One Fan"
14. Liftoff "Marshmeadows"
15. Nappy Riddem "One World Sovereignty"

To begin, I gave the first New Gold Standard compilation a listen. I wanted a frame of reference, not only to compare the quality of each gold, but to see how far the label and its artists have come over the past three years. The exercise reminded me that I really need to revisit past releases a lot more often.

Fort Knox Five are of course represented in strength on both compilations, but there are immediately notable changes in their sound on New Gold Standard 2. The first FK5 track is "What Make Ya Dance" and it really shows you where they are right now. The sound is a perfect blend of funk, reggae, and the breakbeat sound the band are almost inseparably known for. When I say perfect, I mean it in the way that they have perfectly mastered each style, and mastered the way that they blend them all into a seamless, single groove. Though the formula isn't really new to Fort Knox Five, what is new is the increase in production skill. Try thinking of it like a professionally tailored and pressed version of a familiar suit. It just leaves a stronger impression.

See-I have two tracks on here and they are poles apart from each other in sound. "How Could You" has been remixed here by Rodney Hunter into an amazing dancefloor killer. It has a bit of a faster pace than the original, but maintains its spirit perfectly. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks from 2009. Really. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to it and still love it. "Homegrown" is heavy. It's very heavy with guitar and very much outside of what you may expect to hear from See-I. There are funky breaks, but it shares a lot more in common with rock than reggae.

Empresarios is a somewhat new act to make its name extend beyond the DC borders. Among the bands five members is Javier Miranda. Javier has been at the center of DC's music scene for a while now, touring with Thievery Corporation, contributing to Thomas Blondet's work on Rhythm & Culture, as well as the work of Farid, Desmond Williams, and Federico Aubele. He also provides live percussion at a number of events going down around DC. Eighteenth Street Lounge is probably the most notable one for those of us outside any intimate involvement in DC's club scene. There are two tracks from Empresarios on this compilation and they are both incredible Latin jams. I only wish "Sabor Tropical" was a little longer.

International Velvet is a side-project more-or-less spurred off Fort Knox Five, that is led by the guitar and sitar rocking Rob Myers. This band is a bit of a DC talent soup though, being comprised of Rex Riddem, Rootz (of See-I), Mustafa Akbar, and Hash Vyas (touring bassist for Thievery Corporation and others). The tracks here, "Sitargazer" and a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" are heavy sitar-driven funk cuts. It's the prevalence put on the sitar that really differentiates International Velvet's sound from that of Fort Knox Five's heady funk. The drums are dialed down, and the 60s and early 70s psychedelia is dialed up to 11.

Nappy Riddem also has a couple tracks on here. You may not have heard much about this collective, even though the name has been kicking around for a couple years. In terms of its members, Nappy Riddem is a lot like the other acts on this compilation. It's a collection of some of DCs funkiest talents, from Rob Myers, Mustafa Akbar, Asheru, Hashish Vyas, and Andy Fahs, to Frank Mitchell, Ralph Real, and half of Riddem's namesake, Rex Riddem. Their sound on "Rastar" is like a mash of heavy 70s soul-funk and Fort Knox Five with a skank rhythm base. Rastar is the bands second released single. On "One World Sovereignty" they take on a more reggae based sound, but don't drop the thick, funk vocals, even though a few more backing singers are brought into the chorus. This is one for Best Seven and soul-reggae fans out there. Really nice.

Speedy Consuela makes a comeback with two tracks, and each is dripping with beautifully estrogenized funky triphop goodness. In purely old school terms, you'd have to take a band like Hooverphonic and wake them up with funky breakbeats, horns, and guitar. You just can't help but see this music in visions of psychedelic lounge scenes, where everyone is dancing and looking impossibly hip. If you're a fan of bands with that sort of funky spy sound, like Bitter:Sweet, Hooverphonic, or others, you really need to check out Speedy Consuela.

Liftoff has one song on this edition of New Gold Standard, "Marshmeadows", and it's purely for the headz. The beat is lazy, laid back and sure to make you nod, while the instrumentation glides on a current of understated funkiness. It's a deep track that will really wrap around you when you just stop everything and listen to it, allowing yourself to float away on the journey in your head that it requires you take.

Bottom line: Like the first New Gold Standard, volume 2 does not disappoint.

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