On the surface, the new compilation CDs from TVP Records and the Dover Brick House would appear to have little in common. TVP’s “Groove Lounge” primarily features soul, jazz and hip-hop songs, while the Brick House’s live disc consists mainly of hard rock, punk and rockabilly tunes.

But both albums showcase the wealth, talent and diversity of the Seacoast music scene, and both will help raise money for charitable causes. Also, each recording is the first volume in a planned series of Seacoast compilations. The minds behind both albums hope to spread their sounds to a wider audience.

“Groove Lounge: Volume 1”
Local label TVP Records released its first compilation CD, “Flush,” back in 2008, and producer Scott Ruffner has been plotting a follow-up ever since. With “Groove Lounge,” he has woven together 14 original tracks that seamlessly flow between downtempo, soul, electro, jazz, hip-hop, funk and other connected genres.

“I came up with the idea of having it be all original music and all regional artists, but pieced together in a way that it’s fluid,” said Ruffner, also known by his stage name of “Sir Buck.”

The resulting mix offers near-equal doses of chill ambient grooves and danceable upbeat rhythms. Some feature fast-paced rapping and soulful singing, while others are entirely instrumental, bringing to bear a range of musical talents and styles.

The album is the result of numerous collaborations between local artists and producers, with vocalists and instrumentalists adding new layers to the tracks. Some of the beats are entirely original, while others feature vintage samples.

“It really did turn into a total mash-up,” Ruffner said.

A number of players appear on several tracks, like multi-instrumentalist Nick Mainella and guitarist Seth Weete. There’s also work by familiar locals like B.Cap, Josh Watkinson and Eric Klaxton. The final track, “Breakaway,” features Ingrid Chavez, who has worked with Prince, Lenny Kravitz and Madonna.

The Seacoast’s DJ culture is a largely untapped resource, filled with inventive producers and artists who are passionate about creating beats but have struggled to find local venues that cater to their style. Ruffner hopes to change that. He plans to feed the compilation’s tracks into an online playlist and eventually establish on online radio station that features all regional artists from the local beat-making scene. He’s also scheming future compilation CDs that will range in scope and style.

The first volume is available online through CD Baby or at the Water Monkey in Portsmouth. The artists will also perform tracks from the CD live on Saturday, July 21, at Woodman Park in Dover during the second annual Hoopla Festival, which will raise money for the Seymour Osman Community Center. The event will also feature a basketball tournament and fashion show.

“Live at the Dover Brick House: Volume 1”

The 12 tracks on this compilation were recorded live over a period of more than two years on the second floor of the Brick House in downtown Dover. The earliest recording comes from the final performance of former Seacoast rock band Death and Taxes in September 2010, and the most recent is from a show by current Boston-area rock band Dressed for the Occasion in January 2012.

All the songs were recorded by Brick House sound engineer Al Patch, who often records live shows at the venue. Admiring the large collection of recordings they had compiled, Patch and Brick House co-owner Bob Bough began reaching out to bands for permission to include their tracks on a compilation CD. Their goal, Blough said, was to build exposure for both the acts and the business.

“We wanted to put out a compilation to promote the local music scene ... just kind of showing what we do at the Brick House,” Blough said.

Though mostly in the rock vein, the disc features a good deal of variety, from the heavy rock of DoVer to the exultant blues of The Chad Hollister Band, the vintage pop of the Geoff Useless Band to the acoustic folk of Reverend Todd Seeley, the alt-country of Whiskey Kill to the rockabilly of Sasquatch and the Sick-a-Billys.

The CD also features tracks by Swamp Yankee, A Minor Revolution, Angry Johnny and the Killbillies, and Museum of Science, who offer an entirely different flavor with their hilarious hip-hop parody “Granite State Gangster.”

“We didn’t want to just stick to one style of music, we wanted to showcase the variety of music that does happen,” Blough said.

In honor of a friend who died of cancer more than a year ago, Blough and Patch decided to donate all proceeds from the album to the American Cancer Society. The CD is currently only available at the Brick House for $6, although it may soon be distributed at a few other locations in downtown Dover. Blough hopes to put out a second volume of live tracks in the not-too-distant future.