Editing Ninja Tune (section)

===2000–2010===
In 2000, Ninja Tune celebrated its first decade of music with ''Xen Cuts'', a three CD, 6 x LP box set that provided a collection of their artists.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hybrid Magazine|date=28 January 2000}}</ref> Mark Richardson with Pitchfork called the effort a "mostly downtempo affair."<ref name="Richardson">{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Various Artists: Xen Cuts |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1947-xen-cuts/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=22 January 2024}}</ref> It featured the likes of [[Latyrx]] (Lyrics Born and Lateef), [[The Herbaliser]], [[Kid Koala]] and [[Luke Vibert]], Clifford Gilberto, [[Amon Tobin]] and [[Funki Porcini]].

Also in 2000, [[Kid Koala]] released ''[[Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (album)|Carpal Tunnel Syndrome]]'', "a playfully arranged montage of quirky sound bites, rhythmic scratching, and fluid hip hop beats."<ref name="Nowinski">{{cite magazine |last1=Nowinski |first1=Amanda |title=Kid Koala delivers old-school set on Ninja Tune |magazine=Billboard |date=27 November 1999 |volume=111 |issue=48 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gggEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Kid+Koala+delivers+old-school+set+on+Ninja+Tune%22&pg=PA45 |access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref> Deriving sample material from both comedy albums and sound effects records, and jazz and funk vinyl, the release received much critical success. It was called "brilliant" and "humorous" in the book ''Minority Report: An Alternative History of English-language Arts in Quebec.''{{sfn|Ackerman|2011|p=130}} {{citation needed|date=February 2024}} Kid Koala cut two further highly acclaimed albums for Ninja, 2003's ''[[Some of My Best Friends Are DJs]]'' and 2006's ''[[Your Mom's Favorite DJ]]''.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In 2001, [[Roots Manuva]] delivered his second album, ''[[Run Come Save Me]]'', which was deemed one of the albums of the year by ''[[The Independent]].'' Similarly, [[Mojo (magazine)|''Mojo'']] described it as "not just a landmark UK hip hop album, but a landmark hip hop album period". The album charted at number 33 in the UK Charts.<ref>{{cite news|magazine=Billboard|title=Billboard|date=27 October 2001}}</ref> "Witness (1 Hope)", the first single off the album, charted at No. 45 and was declared by [[AllMusic]] as being "the best British rap single since [[Tricky (musician)|Tricky]]'s 'Aftermath'."<ref>{{cite book|last=Bush|first=John|title=All Music}}</ref> ''Run Come Save Me'' won a nomination for the 2002 [[Mercury Music Award]], and was called by ''[[The Times]]'' "Too maverick, too brilliantly original a talent to be tethered by mere genre or geography." {{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

Also in 2001 Cornwall's [[Luke Vibert]] joined Ninja Tune. Growing up amongst contemporaries [[Aphex Twin]] and [[Tom Middleton]]/[[Global Communication]], Vibert had made a name for himself in experimental electronica, though his name has always been hard to pin down: he operates under several different aliases. With the moniker [[Wagon Christ]], Vibert released ''[[Musipal]]'' on Ninja, which ''[[NME]]'' called "an intriguing procession of cheeky collages."<ref>{{cite book|title=NME|date=3 April 2001}}</ref>

[[Mr. Scruff]]'s second album on Ninja Tune, ''[[Trouser Jazz]]'', was released on 9 September 2002. It charted at 29 on the UK Chart.

In 2003, Simon Green, a.k.a. [[Bonobo (musician)|Bonobo]], released his first proper Ninja album, ''[[Dial 'M' for Monkey (album)|Dial 'M' for Monkey]]'', a subliminally seductive collection of atmospheric instrumentals.<ref>{{cite book|title=Pop Matters|date=31 July 2003}}</ref> A live version of Bonobo soon took to the road, which seeped into the production of 2006's ''[[Days to Come (album)|Days to Come]],'' an album that blurs the line between a programmed and live sound<ref>{{cite book|title=Prefix Mag|date=5 March 2008}}</ref> and created "a daydream vibe embedded within its moodiness."<ref name="Velanche">{{cite web |author1=Velanche |title=Bonobo Days To Come |url=https://xlr8r.com/reviews/days-to-come/ |website=XLR8R |access-date=22 January 2024 |date=1 January 2007}}</ref>

Blurring lines further, [[Coldcut]] collaborated with American [[video mashup]] artist TV Sheriff in 2004 to produce their cut-up entitled ''Revolution USA''. The tactical-media project (coordinated with Canadian art duo NomIg) followed on from the UK version and extended the premise "into an open access participatory project," according to author Graham Meikle.{{sfn|Meikle|2008|p=370}} Through the multimedia political art project, over 12 gigabytes of footage from the last 40 years of US politics were made accessible to download, allowing participants to create a cut-up over a Coldcut beat.<ref>{{cite book|title=Portwax|year=2004}}</ref> Coldcut also collaborated with TV Sheriff and NomIg to produce two audiovisual pieces "World of Evil" (2004) and "Revolution '08" (2008), both composed of footage from the United States presidential elections of respective years. The music used was composed by Coldcut, with "Revolution '08" featuring a remix by [[The Qemists]].

[[Roots Manuva]] climbed back into the limelight at the beginning of 2005, with his deft<ref>{{cite news|title=CITATION: The Guardian|date=27 January 2005}}</ref> album ''[[Awfully Deep]]''. His third album, which reached number 24 in the UK Charts,<ref>{{cite web|title=Roots Manuva – Awfully Deep|url=http://acharts.us/album/16797|publisher=Acharts.us|access-date=27 May 2014}}</ref> was celebrated by critics for his growth as an artist, with ''[[NME]]'' calling it "a set of immense maturity that never rubs your nose in its thematic complexity, compositional innovation, and thunderous thump-beats."<ref>{{cite book|title=NME|date=29 January 2005}}</ref>

[[The Cinematic Orchestra]] scored a new soundtrack, [[Man with a Movie Camera (The Cinematic Orchestra album)|Man with a Movie Camera]], for a screening of the visionary 1929 Russian [[Silent film|silent]] feature, ''[[Man with a Movie Camera]]'', for the 2000 Portuguese Film Festival [[Fantasporto]]. The following year it was performed at the opening gala of Portugal's year as [[European Capital of Culture]] in Porto in front of 3000 people. The material written for this film score laid the groundwork for what would be The Cinematic Orchestra's second full-length, ''[[Every Day (album)|Every Day]]'', released in May 2002, and one of Ninja's best-selling albums. Roots Manuva featured on the track "All Things to All Men", which later soundtracked the final scenes of the 2006 movie ''[[Kidulthood]]''. The Cinematic Orchestra's albums grew increasingly ambitious over the years,<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Signal to Noise|title=Signal to Noise|year=2007|issue=s 44–47}}</ref> with 2007's ''[[Ma Fleur]]'' album marking a move away from beats, and embracing folk influences. The album was based on the work of photographer Maya Hayuk (who commissioned 11 pictures based on three short stories recounting the journey from birth to death), and conceived by Swinscoe as the premise for the score of an imaginary film.<ref>{{cite book|title=CMJ New Music Monthly|date=May 2007}}</ref> Album track "To Build a Home" became one of Ninja's top tracks of all time (with its fan video clocking up nearly 9 million plays), and track "TBAH" features vocals from [[Patrick Watson (musician)|Patrick Watson]], which became the band's most successful song.

Following Jason Swinscoe's vocal appreciation of [[Jaga Jazzist]]'s 2001 album ''[[A Livingroom Hush]]'', the Norwegian jazz band signed to Ninja Tune to re-release ''A Livingroom Hush'' in 2002, followed by ''The Stix'' later that year, and their fourth album ''What We Must'' in 2005.

Coldcut returned with the single "Everything Is Under Control" at the end of 2005, featuring [[Jon Spencer]] (of [[Jon Spencer Blues Explosion]]) and [[Mike Ladd]]. It was followed in 2006 by their fifth studio album ''[[Sound Mirrors]]'', which was quoted as being "one of the most vital and imaginative records Jon More and Matt Black have ever made",<ref name="Mojo">{{cite book|title=Mojo|year=2006}}</ref> and saw the duo "continue, impressively, to find new ways to present political statements through a gamut of pristine electronics and breakbeats."<ref>{{cite book|title=Future Music|year=2007}}</ref> The fascinating array of guest vocalists<ref name="Mojo"/> included [[Soweto Kinch]], [[Annette Peacock]], [[Amiri Baraka]], and [[Saul Williams]].

Ninja connected with L.A. filmmaker and photographer B+, who had filmed ''Keepintime: Talking Drums Whispering Vinyl'', a short movie documenting a meeting between jazz/funk drummers [[Paul Humphrey (American musician)|Paul Humphrey]] and [[James Gadson]], and a bunch of turntablists who now scratched and sampled their breakbeats, including [[DJ Shadow]], [[Cut Chemist]] and the [[Beat Junkies]]. This project snowballed into a live concert featuring the drum duo jamming along with the turntablists – and included extra guests [[Madlib]] and [[Jurassic 5|DJ Numark]]. In 2005, Ninja released ''Keep in Time: A Live Recording'', a CD/DVD package that included remixes from [[King Britt]], [[Oh No (musician)|Oh No]], [[J Rocc]], and AmmonContact.

Back in London, having previously scored a place with his college band E.V.A. on the 1996 Ninja 12" ''One Track Mind'', Fin Greenall subsequently signed to the label as a solo artist, under the name [[Fink (singer)|Fink]]. First releasing ''Fresh Produce'' – an atmospheric set of [[downtempo]] [[instrumental hip hop]] tracks – on sister label [[Ntone]] in 2000, it was 2006's ''[[Biscuits for Breakfast]]'' album that set Fink officially on Ninja Tune. And it set him far apart from the rest of the label, going his way to becoming a full-blown, guitar-picking singer-songwriter.<ref name="All Music">{{cite book |title=All Music}}</ref> Two subsequent full-lengths – 2007's ''[[Distance and Time]]'' and 2009's ''[[Sort of Revolution]]'' (which featured song-writing collaborations with [[John Legend]]) have seen Fink further develop this new sound.

On the topic of sound, noise manipulator [[Amon Tobin]] came back around at the beginning of 2007 with ''[[Foley Room]]'', his sixth studio album, and a long player that was called his "darkest work yet."<ref>{{cite book|title=AV Club|year=2007}}</ref> Tobin was inspired by the work of [[Foley (filmmaking)|Foley artists]]: a Foley room is where the sound effects are recorded for films; Foley artists use their imagination and ingenuity to make the right noise for the situation they are presented with. Amon and a team of assistants headed out into the streets with high-sensitivity microphones and recorded found sounds from tigers roaring to cats eating rats, from wasps to falling chickpeas, kitchen utensils to motorbikes to water dripping from a tap. Added to this were the sounds of [[The Kronos Quartet]], Stefan Schneider (of [[To Rococo Rot]]), and Sarah Pagé, Tobin traveling from Foley rooms in Montreal to San Francisco to Seattle and back as he collected them (the CD release is accompanied by a short DVD, ''Foley Room: Found Footage'', documenting the recording process).

[[Kevin Martin (British musician)|Kevin Martin]] began developing his sound further as The Bug, after other projects such as GOD, Techno Animal, Ice, and Curse of the Golden Vampire. The Bug's second album in 2003, ''Pressure'', demonstrated a fully formed aesthetic – stark spaces, gleefully subsonic bass<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Wire|title=The Wire|year=2008|volume= 293–298}}</ref>  – holding collaborations with vocalists such as Toastie Taylor, Wayne Lonesome and [[Daddy Freddy]]. 2008's ''London Zoo'', meanwhile, was The Bug's third album – and first for Ninja Tune. Recorded over three years with its maker living in his studio, without a kitchen or shower, the album included collaborations with Warrior Queen, [[Tippa Irie]], [[Burial (musician)|Burial]], [[Kode9]] collaborator Spaceape, and even singer-toaster Ricky Ranking showing up on three tracks.<ref name="Patrin">{{cite web |last1=Patrin |first1=Nate |title=The Bug: London Zoo |date=30 July 2008 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12000-london-zoo/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=26 January 2024}}</ref> Erik Martiny said it is a "multivocal, spoken-sung, collaborative album."{{sfn|Martiny|2011|p=135}} It appeared in many outlets' "best of 2008" lists.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The year 2008 launched Ninja Tune's ''You Don't Know'', their sixth official label sampler, and, like its predecessors, contained high-quality picks from their major releases, with select remixes and a few rarities. While 2007's ''Well Deep'' multimedia package shed light on [[Big Dada]], Ninja Cuts drew a healthy cross-section from all three Ninja-associated labels.<ref>{{cite book|title=Pop Matters|date=3 April 2008}}</ref>

2008 also marked [[Daedelus (musician)|Daedelus]]' first official Ninja album, ''[[Love to Make Music To]]'', after his previous albums ''[[Exquisite Corpse (album)|Exquisite Corpse]]'' and ''[[Denies the Day's Demise]]'' had been licensed by Ninja Tune. The album showcased the L.A. artist's diverse nature and his skills as a multi-instrumentalist<ref>{{cite news|title=BBC|year=2008}}</ref> as well as his engrossing stylistic shifts.<ref>{{cite book|title=Spin|date=14 July 2008}}</ref> Additionally that year (a year after their 2007 ''Stompbox'' 12"), [[The Qemists]] released their debut album, ''Join the Q.'' All Music Guide, at the time, said that the group had constructed "some of the most energetic breakbeats of the late 2000s."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Qemists - Join the Q Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/join-the-q-mw0000800377 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref> The vinyl version of the album came as four super-heavy platters, weighing nearly a kilogram.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In 2008, an international group of party organizers, activists, and artists – including Coldcut – received a grant from the Intelligent Energy Department of the European Union, to create a project that promoted intelligent energy and environmental awareness to the youth of Europe. The result was ''Energy Union'', a piece of VJ cinema, a political campaign, a music tour, a party, an art exhibition, and social media hub. ''Energy Union'' toured 12 EU countries throughout 2009 and 2010, completing 24 events in total. Coldcut created the ''Energy Union'' show for the tour, a one-hour Audio/Visual montage on the theme of Intelligent Energy. In presenting new ideas for climate, environmental, and energy communication strategies, the ''Energy Union'' tour was well received, and reached a widespread audience in cities across the UK, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain, and the Czech Republic.<small>missing reference</small>

[[Speech Debelle]]'s debut album, 2009's ''[[Speech Therapy (album)|Speech Therapy]]'', finally scored [[Big Dada]] a [[Mercury Prize]], after prior nominations for [[Roots Manuva]]'s ''[[Run Come Save Me]]'' and [[Ty (rapper)|Ty]]'s ''[[Upwards (album)|Upwards]]''. With the album, [[NME]] called her: "one to seriously watch."<ref>{{cite book|title=NME|date=27 May 2009}}</ref>