Review: France's faves Battle Weapons deliver two heady new edits, only for those ready. On the A comes an ingenious, probably never-done-before, almost laughably why-hasn't-anyone-else-ever-thought-of-this-until-now breakbeat rendition of Peter Bjorn & John's 'The Young Folks'. To be frank, they've not done much besides beef up the backbeat a little, but a simple sprucing up is sometimes all a tune needs. On the flip comes a phattened version of 'Forgot About Dre' mashed up with the Azzido Da Bass UK garage classic 'Dooms Night', also produced to hilariously, surreally arresting effect.
Review: Two more battle weapons handpicked from the eponymous UK armoury. Label motto ("You want this party started, right?!") and A-cut refrain ("la-di-da-di, we like to party"), converge in perfect sync here on this latest 7": the obverse samples Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick's 1985 mover, peppering slight but bright brasses over a punctuated beat mix. 'Tambou' on the B-side honours a historic canonical Swizz Beatz crunk bit with a re-edit of 'Tambourine', produced and released in 2006 for blase partystarter Eve.
Review: Teddy Powell and Zee Desmondes are The Jack Moves, a contemporary disco and hip hop outfit who here link with unknown newbies The People Of Newark and Larry Hamm for this tidy new 7" on Star Creature. 'Horror Games' has a squelchy synth bass line that carries the loose drum work and bustling methane of background vocals and found sounds. A lead singer takes charge up top as various chatting crowds play out in the background. It's a busy tune that also comes as an instrumental for those who prefer the focus to be on the well crafted drums and bass.
Review: Prolific Philly rap eccentric Lynx 196.9 teams up for a first-time collaboration with the un-knock-downable legend Kool Keith for an incendiary new mini-album, 'Bandoleros', a concept piece intended as a modern spaghetti Western soundtrack. The rat-helmeted wordsmith and the surrealist vigilante prove an unsurprisingly wicked combo, as both emcees glide suavely over boom-bap centrepieces sampled from various spaghetti film sources, while detailing the blueprints of their various forthcoming jailbreaks.
Review: After releasing two 10" and 12" records in 2019 and 2020, Paris-based punk-jazz duo La Recre are back to complete their EP trilogy with this fresh 45 rpm. '137' brings together the worlds of jazz and electronica with shimmering, skyward and celestial synths bringing mysticism to shimmering jazz drums and warped synths. 'La Lune' is another intense and cinematic sound with spoken words from a spacecraft launch adding grandeur to the cascading melodies and ever-evolving beats.
Review: Lady Wray delivers a powerful two-sider here as she hooks up with Grammy-nominated producer Leon Michels of Clairo and El Michels Affair for another single as they put the final touches to her upcoming album. The A-side, 'Be A Witness,' features Nicole's soaring vocals gliding over deep drum machines and Nick Movshon's funky bass which makes it a smooth mid-tempo groove about destined love and good vibes. On the flip, 'Best For Us' explores love, commitment and perseverance with lush synths and harmonies floating over Homer Steinweiss' tight drumming. They provide the perfect setting for Lady Wray's standout voice and get us excited for the full length.
Piece Of Me (feat Ghostface Killah - remix) (4:34)
Joy & Pain (Pete Rock remix) (4:30)
Review: Lady Wray's Piece of Me is a second sizzling album of superb soul. It marked something of a homecoming for the artist as she debuted on this label back in 2016 and found her leaning towards her usual soul and r&b as well as more hip-hop influences than ever: classic boom-bap drums and chunky bass hist loud and proud and for that reason the originals are ripe for remixing as they are here. Two legends of the game in Pete Rock and Ghostface Killah step up and bring their own signature sound and dusty drum beats to make for a crucial little 7".
Review: Primetime smooth soul on the long-awaited 7" release of the fourth collaborative work between Lagheads and HIMI, 'Dance'. With impeccable production scooping out a thick copse of luscious basses, watery chorused electrics and glittering twinkles, the track is difficult to compare to any other; HIMI's vocals are fay as they are nimble, sounding sultrily pucklike over the sheer sonic city-soul fabric that is the instrumental piece. The B-side hears a remix by Hikaru Arata of WONK!A fame and fleshes out the latent weight of the track for a jazzier hip-hop version.
Review: Two fresh remixes of East Coast hip-hop classics by Large Combo acolytes Suckaside and Big Mac, hitting twicely as hard as a tandem-charge. First up is Suckaside with an improved remix of Ghostface Killah, Jadakiss and Comp's 'Run', which originates from Ghostface's Hidden Darts 2 mixtape from 2003; Suckaside underlays the track with a fresh instrumental composed of the Rocky Balboa theme tune, to unsurprisingly rousing, sumo-flooring effect. Then there's Big Mac with what sounds like a woofing Wu-Tang remix (of an otherwise obscure track), sacrificing the double bass stretchings of the original for a much harder rendition.
Review: This is the debut release by the French duo Last Bongo In Paris, also known as Cleon & Jazzy Pidjay. Both are DJs and producers with a background in Latin funk and jazz-funk, and these influences more than strongly shine on 'Green Season', a release whose priority is heavy breakbeats backed by a whismical, live-instrumental flavour. The title track swims and sways through meandering kazoos and psychedelically-filtered falsettos, while the B-side brings up the flip with yet three more incredible live-but-edited-in-post numbers, plus a really weird, never-heard-before 'Bonus Scratch'.
Review: Communique Records has been digging deep into the annals of house history and secured the right to reissue this little gem from Ralph Laurenn. His Proper Etuquette EP landed first back in 1997 on the sub-label Party Rock and sits right on the verge of deep house and tech house. 'Right Direction' has fizzing, pixelated and sugary chords over snappy drums. 'Clover' is more loose and fast then 'Hear Me Out' offers a beautiful downtempo excursion into noodling jazz melodies. 'The Touch Of Skin' carries on the old school hip-hop vibes with a dusty broken beat viber for late-night get-togethers.
Review: Lawson Jr'Music is based in Montreal in Canada and is a drummer, singer and music composer who has played all over the world since a young age. He brings a distinctive Afro vibe to his take on hip hop as demonstrated by this masterful new cut on BSide/Lawson Entertainment. 'Let It Go' is defined by its screwy bass down low and the echoing hits up top. Aside from that I'd an empty but atmospheric cut with yearning vocals and melancholic chords. The flispide instrumental allows the slick production to shine.
Review: Jarrod Lawson's latest release pairs his soulful stylings with the dynamic vocals of Raquel Rodriguez in 'Next Move,' a nostalgic yet fresh r&b slow jam. Channeling the feel of classic 90s ballads, the track explores a charged intrigue between two strangers with a blend of innocence and allure. Years in the making, this collaboration reveals each artist's strengths, weaving a groove that feels timeless. Released via Dome Records, 'Next Move' is set to be a highlight of this year, merging retro influences with contemporary energy.
Review: The Leonhart Brass Band, the latest project from trumpeter Michael Leonhart, was born out of the 2020 lockdown, an inventive response to the halt of his 18-piece orchestra performances at NYC's Jazz Standard. Stripped down to a brass-heavy ensemble that could perform outdoors without amplification, Leonhart took inspiration from classic brass bands like Dirty Dozen and Rebirth, blending in hip-hop and funk influences to create a unique sound. The opening track, 'Jabbar', is a tribute to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball icon with a rich jazz background. Centred on an infectious bass riff in C minor, Leonhart's trumpet and Jason Marshall's bass saxophone deliver bold, brassy solos, conjuring the vitality and strength of the track's namesake. Another standout is 'The Iceman', a nod to George Gervin, the basketball great known for his unflappable demeanour on the court. The brass section splits into two distinct groups, creating counterpoint melodies that mirror Gervin's grace and intensity. Stuart Bogie's baritone sax solo, complete with tape echo, adds an unexpected texture, grounding the track in a deep, funky groove. With members from Antibalas, the Dap-Kings, and Red Baraat, the Leonhart Brass Band fuses tight musicianship with an exhilarating energy that carries the weight of New Orleans tradition, while forging its own path in the modern jazz and funk worlds.
Review: After the success of Lextended, the mysterious Lex Wolf is back with a second volume of sweet edits of classic dance tracks. Highlights include the clean edit of Smokin' Gang's hip-house classic 'Just Rock', a Latin house remix of the classic 'Conceicao' and a huge mix of the legendary banger 'House Music' at Eddie Amador. All these edits succeed in focusing in on the grooves while keeping the soul and energy of the original. True and proper edits, primed to reign on the dancefloor.
Smokey Robinson's Hands (feat Planet Asia - Theory Hazit remix) (4:10)
Rainy Nights (feat Roc Marciano - Theory Hazit remix) (4:10)
Review: Libretto recently unveiled his sixth album, Rusty Bladez, with Seattle icon Vitamin D handling production and lending verses of his own. From the cover featuring his inmate ID, the album delves into Libretto's reflections on his time in the Federal Penitentiary system and finds him vividly recounting his experiences pre and post-incarceration. Vitamin D's masterful production strikes a balance between sombre tones and infectious grooves, and now two of the best cuts from the 17-track full length are pressed up here onto a crucial 7" that provide a cinematic journey crafted by two West Coast veterans.
Review: Kiss Klassics is keeping all you party DJs supplied with the best tackle once more here as this time they spotlight a trio of standout tracks from Montero Lamar Hill aka Lil Nas X's debut LP. Montero came back in 2021 and these cuts haven't been available on wax before now. There is the celebratory pomp and hefty distorted low end of 'Industry Baby' as well as the more deep sounds of 'Montero' with its strings, finger clicks and Afro-tinged beats, then the high-speed party pomp of 'That's What I Want' with its epic chorus and summer festival feel.
Review: This six-track EP, crated between the late 'Cloud rap' icon and producer Nedarb Nagrom, is a miraculous refind and repress. The EP originally dropped in 2016 during the early wave of Peep's rise to the broth cream of the etherground emo rap and SoundCloud scene. Peep was still in the thick of lo-fi, punk and emo experimentations, and fellow traveller Nedarb had already been a frequent collaborator. The Katy Perry song referenced in the title is a red herring, as these tracks are original internet artefacts through and through, bearing none of the same pop sensibilities; they're loose and aerated, packing slipshod 808s and drawly hooks from the pink-haired icon.
Review: Two UK Battle Weapons fresh from the guys over at the eponymous edits label. On the A, we’re hit with a new one by a frankenstein whom we can only guess, by syllogistic intuition, is an invention of the label - LL Smooth K, with ‘Fix Up The Seed’, a rope-burning mashup incorporating acapella verses from Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Fix Up, Look Sharp’. Then there’s DJ Snatch’s version of Gregory Porter’s bluesy ‘Liquid Spirit’ on the B, a surprisingly pacy curveball compared to the cutthroat injunctions of the A.
Review: The inaugural reals on Word To The Wise from Mah'Mood sold out in quick time. It was a super way to kick off the label and now the second EP six or so months later is just as good. It's a deep house exploration from Sebastiao Loopes that opens with a languid groove and some freeform synth work. The energy is pent up and the bass bulbous. The grocers cut from from easy characterisation after that with the downbeat and stonier sounds of 'Clouds' and lurching beat structures of 'Dancehall Private Party' before closer 'Strictly Bouncin' rounds out on a lazy and swaggering groove that slowly lifts you off your feet.
Review: Launched in 2015, the aptly-named 'Limited White Label' are an outfit whose output focuses solely on, you guessed it, limited white labels. But they're a far cry from the usual styles released in the format; instead, these lot focus on ethereal, classical, jazzy and international dance sounds. This latest EP by the world's most coveted and mysterious artist, Unknown Artist, reworks two unnamed hip-hop motifs, as well as a swing-band-house rendition of 'I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)', a classic ditty from The Jungle Book.
Review: As they often like to do, Swiss label Burning Soul are dropping this one as this standard black 7" but also on these pages you will find a limited edition cream version. Either way the tunes are worthy of your attention from Luana. A-side jam 'Buckle Up' rides a judders mid tempo broken beat with funky bass and stepping synth sequences next to more pixelated cosmic keys. The r&b vocal is sleazy and seductive. On the flip is a trick with plenty of attitude from the vocal which is delivered with seance, control and determination. These are two standout cuts that blur the lines between genres to come up with something entirely new.
Review: James Massiah and Lord Tusk team up for the fine Accidental Meetings label it this is actually their first official release together after years of collaboration in various forms. This highly anticipated project showcases their chemistry and creative synergy across one fresh new cut. 'Open Up' is a dense sound with dubby low ends but raw metallic drums and swirling pads next to the stream of conscious vocals. The record is mastered by Beau at Ten Eight Seven Mastering, ensuring a polished, high-quality sound and it comes in limited pressings with a more cavernous and melon-twisting version on the flip.
Review: Howard Stevens kicks off his own label with a new tune featuring Lewis Parker two make for a heavyweight combination of London artists. It emcees in many different forms but thermion mix is a hard hitting bit of throwback boom bap. Its raw hip hop with big horns and elastic bass beneath those neck-snapping hits. The verses deliver extra attitude and edge while musing on street life. The rocked-out b-boy vibes continue through a Scratchapella, instrumental and combination of both that is finely called a 'Scratchapella.'
Luniz - "I Got 5 On It" (feat Michael Marshall) (4:17)
Review: The Street Knowledge "45 series" appears to have been set up to educate heads on original 1990s hip-hop jams, or at the very least deliver fresh pressings of some seriously classic cuts. This inaugural release begins with Warren G and Nate Dogg's 1994 heater "Regulate", a deep and seductive number that makes great use of samples from Michael McDonald's teary blue-eyed soul classic "I Keep Forgetting". Flip to the B-side and you'll find Luniz 1995 hit "I Got 5 On It", a cut that's been bitten, reworked and re-made umpteen times in the 24 years that have passed since it was first released. As this reissue proves, the Oakland duo's original version is still streets ahead of the rest.
Review: Lil Yachty and James Blake's Bad Cameo showcases their fearless creativity, blending Yachty's dynamic vocals with Blake's signature production. Tracks like 'Missing Man' and 'Transport Me' shine with captivating depth, while 'Red Carpet' offers a soulful, gospel-infused highlight. The album's experimental nature, especially on tracks like 'Save the Savior' and 'Midnight', reflects the duo's bold approach, pushing boundaries with each song. Even in its unexpected turns, Bad Cameo remains an exciting exploration of sound. Available on limited magenta vinyl, this release is a fresh, innovative take from two artists unafraid to try something new.
Review: Polish producer Latarnik and American vocalist Anthony Mills collide on this new album for Polish label Astigmatic to explore lo-fi hip-hop, soul, dub and experimental electronics. Mills's falsetto vocal brings great Neo-soul warmth to Crack Rock with emotionally charged tones soaring over the production which ranges from sugary and 80s-tinged disco and boogie on 'Crack' to deep, seductive and gooey on 'Passive Lover' which is a more romantic sound. Latarnik's work is often minimal yet immersive which creates space for Mills' voice to shine and is delivered in equal parts spoken word, chant and soulful croon. The hypnotic, slow-burning soundscapes that result are both intimate and confrontational, ready to make you dance but also often just to feel. Unapologetically raw and deeply human, this one lingers long after the final track ends.
Review: Hardcore Philly rappers Da Buze Bruvaz, aka Him-LO and Clever One, have been coming up strong on their Grilchy Party label in the past couple of years. A lot of their work has been with Lord Beatjitzu, who once again mans the buttons on this vinyl pressing of the CDr release, complete with kung-fu movie iconography emblazoned on the cover and some hard as nails beats to back up the drunken, lyrical devastation from the duo on the mic. This record serves as a companion piece to the Bruce Li album the three-strong team have got coming in tandem with this joint, so cop both and get yourself up on the real deal coming straight out of Philly.
On Point (feat Predominance & cuts By Phoeniks) (2:50)
Keep It Jazzy (feat vsteeze) (3:46)
Wonderful Thing (feat Tab One) (3:21)
Young Dreamers (interlude) (2:59)
Sempre Sonhando (feat Kamau) (2:39)
Flowers (feat Awon) (3:13)
Beautiful Day (4:17)
Chill & Relax (feat Rain Bisou) (3:25)
Humanity (2:56)
Believe (feat Hvmble) (3:20)
Review: Kid Abstrakt represents the timely and true 90s jazz-rap sound in the present day, consciously carrying on the legacy of the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and The Pharcyde. Still Dreaming is his latest album in collaboration with beatmaker Leo Low Pass: it's a 12-piece, feature-packed gem full of warm lo-fi-isms and reminiscences. To further help introduce you to Abstrakt's world, memory and nostalgia is central to the project; the highlight 'Young Dreamers' opens with hm revisiting the same playground in which he used to play as a child, now treating it as a fitting backdrop over which he can rap. Ultimately, jazz, lo-fi and boom-bap all collide on this album for a heavy dose of ear-injectable post-90s nostalgia.
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