Artful Dodger

Artful Dodger is a classic example of a great band who arrived at the wrong time - in this case, they were caught in the mid-'70s crossroads, between the power pop of the Raspberries and the crunching rock of Cheap Trick, whose producer Jack Douglas helmed Artful Dodger's debut as well as Honor Among Thieves, their excellent second album. Sonically, Artful Dodger falls between the Raspberries and Cheap Trick - they have guitars and jangle and melodies that evoke the Beatles - but to call them pop almost seems dismissive, to ignore that Honor Among Thieves is a heavy rock & roll record, an album where the power chords outweigh the power pop…

Ministry of Sound’s Throwback series once again returns, this time with Throwback Ayia Napa, an album celebrating 20 years of enduring classics synonymous with the scene during the 90s and early 2000s. This 3CD collection takes you on a comprehensive journey through the sounds of UK Garage, Funky, Bassline and Grime; with back to back classics from Craig David, DJ Luck & MC Neat, Lonyo, Artful Dodger, M.J. Cole, Lonyo, So Solid Crew, Skepta, Crazy Cousinz, Donae’o, Wideboys and many, many more. This is 3CDs of strictly Napa classics. Ministry of Sound presents, Throwback Ayia Napa.

In his 2000 debut album, Craig David merges smooth-soul crooning with a cascade of glistening keyboards, circling guitars, and sophisticated rhythms. Displaying a healthy marriage of current R&B vocal stylings and U.K. club/dance fused beats, David's music skillfully evades feeling robotic and cold, while still sounding pristine and immaculate. As an artist who is in his late teens, he conjures up a personal and revealing work that delves into both his mature sound and youthful attitude. Co-writing and co-producing with Mark Hill of the British garage act the Artful Dodger, David wraps his scorching-cool vocals around a mellow attack of keyboards and drums, while distinctly focusing on romance, relationships, and clubbing.