Let me lead this post off by saying that if Ubiquity Records were a girl I’d be sending her flowers and poetry that professed my undying love and unassailable adoration for her everyday. Really, when has a label so consistently pummeled the market with so many excellent and can’t miss releases? Seriously, try and answer that. Anyways, the latest to hit my desk is Radio Citizen’s Berlin Serengeti, a pastiche of Soul Jazz, Hip Hop, Grooves, and Afro-Cuban breaks. It follows the trend–like Loka, James Hardway, and Quantic–of constructing songs that emulate live sessions and seeing as I am a sucker for anything that remotely approximates modal Jazz with a dash of Afro-Cuban rhythms I’m all over this release.

The opening track, “The Hop” is a bit of an anomaly as it introduces the album cloaked in Downtempo breaks: compressed drum patterns, a growling organ pacing about, light vocals from Bajaka give it a human element. It is a solid track but is deceptive as the remaining album slips into a moody and atmospheric Jazz breaks like the slippery “Mondlicht” which floats on patters of crash cymbals, soft reed and organ chords, and a bass line that slides down the arrangement. Tracks like that make Berlin Serengeti perfect for listening when you are trying to shake the effects of slumber, whether it is pulling you in or you are pushing it away the music is a perfect companion for the contemplative, quiet, and solitary moments.

Bajaka is a welcome addition as her smooth voice is reminiscent of an Eartha Kitt as she swallows her vowels with a splash of scotch and lime, warm yet slightly tart. She pairs well with the crackling breaks on “Everything” and the rubbery Dub and Bossa leaning “El Cielo” where the production seems to be channeling both Thievery Corporation and Tosca at once. For pacing, her five appearances are sprinkled throughout the entirety of the album as welcome islands to survey the album’s scope.

As we slip deeper into Autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere you can do no better than slipping on your headphones and shuffling through the leaves in the late evening to “Berlin Serengeti”. Check out Radio Citizen at Myspace, grab the 3hive freebie, or read more about the group over that Ubiquity’s website, and, as always, eMusic has the album.