Leaf Compilation

AMG Review of Leaf Compilation

Kingsley Marshall
All Music Guide

Collating the finest moments from Tony Morley's Leaf imprint into a single mix was unlikely to be an easy task, though few could be more qualified than one of the label's highest-selling discoveries. Susumo Yokota found himself chosen to pluck 23 tracks from an enviably broad back catalog, reflecting the eclecticism of a label where funk collides with electro, hip-hop with prog rock, and echno with folk by keeping away from any single theme. As such, this segued journey through the schizophrenic mind of one of the U.K.'s brightest independents sees heavy-hitters Four Tet and the Sons of Silence sharing space with respected newcomers Manitoba and Gorodisch and the luscious outer reaches of the imprint explored via tracks from Rob Ellis, Rothko, and Eardrum. An ideal introduction to a superb label.