Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: The dream team Dogger & Mindstate return to TNQ wax with this hearty package of soulful, hip-hop-influenced D&B flavours that was originally unleashed digitally last summer. Representing both their pathways into this music, from north to south, the duo recruit the likes of London's Verbz and Manchester's Sleazy F Baby to vocal and narrate their delicate, subtle but ultimately heavyweight rhythms. From the deep jazz of 'Different Roads' to the symphonic dynamics of 'From The Concrete', this is one of the hardest hitting and emotional records Dogger and Mindstate have made so far.

Review: German Ivan Ave is a core member of the flourishing contemporary beat scene and has put out a coupe of crucial record on labels like Berlin's Jakarta. Now he branches out to Norway's Mutual Intentions with a crisp new EP, Mid Season, on 10". It showcases the dexterity of his voice which goes from offering up classic bloom bap era par's to more stylised Prince-esque deliveries on 'Mid' and downbeat, almost mumble rap styles on 'Names.' Four instrumental versions of the originals are included on the flip and will be sweet in the club, but you can't beat the vocals.

Review: A Very Spidey Christmas was first released only on digital platforms back in 2018. It entails five of the Christmas tunes that were first recorded for the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. There is the lovely holiday song 'Spidey-Bells (A Hero's Lament)' by Chris Pine, who is also behind the festive 'Up On The House Top'. Other cast members such as Shameik Moore appear on 'Joy To The World', with Jake Johnson doing a fine turn on 'Deck The Halls' and Jorma Taccone on 'The Night Before Christmas 1967'. These are fun tunes with plenty of warming festive cheer on crystal clear vinyl 10" picture disc that is going to send collectors wild.

Review: For a project that has taken thirty years it would be totally inadequate to call the formation of Hypocritical Beatdown a lockdown-project. There's a deep history and psychology in these records by Violators Of The English Language and their spin-off groups Magnets (Rap Group) and ProVerbs, that combines stage-fright, loss, pride, creative-schizophrenia, racial inequality, surrealism, personal politics, brotherhood, artistic-constipation, better judgment, love, anti-love, soul searching and much more.

The one remaining untapped energy source here is perhaps FEAR, refreshing when used correctly, but never imposter syndrome. As maligned and mutated as this British Hip-Hop might appear to be, it could not be more pure. Each member of all of the Hypocritical Beatdown crew were committed to this cause as soon as the doors opened. They rapped on stages before they had even tasted beer or lost their virginity and the curse had already taken hold in the years when these youngsters still had to be back home before dark and it has never left their bloodstreams.

That's why this record NEEDED to be made. Completed, recorded, exorcised, committed to vinyl, rotated and liberated. Not unlike the VHS tape in a well known Japanese horror film, every listened copy, complete with its broken beats, old-school sensibilities and Marmite Mancunian accents, adds to the mystic circle... breaks the dream... some people might even like it. If you were given a chance to go back and meet your teenage self, wouldn't you?