Trad Vibe レコード& CD

Review: Those who've followed the career of French producer Moar will confirm that his hip-hop productions have always been rooted in "boom-bap", that head-nodding, toe-tapping variation of East Coast rap music that first rose to prominence during the style's "golden era" of the late '80s and early '90s. It makes sense, then, that his latest full-length is a celebration of his love of the style which draws on cuts and collaborations made (and sometimes released digitally) at various points over the course of his 16-year career. It's a highly enjoyable set all told, with plenty of killer cuts, jazzy instrumentals and vocal workouts that benefit greatly from the contributions of such rap talents as Guilty Simpson, Aima The Dreamer, Disraeli and Raashan Ahmed.

Review: Moar is a French Beatmaker who'se made beats since 1995, opting for a 'traditional vibe' of digging & sampling wax, complemented with all-in-one sets using an MPC or SP. Of course, tradition is one of the few ways we stay grounded to our roots; artists like Moar ensure that we don't go insane with experimentation and tradition-breaking. That being said, this beat collection from 2002-2006 is remarkably experimental in sound, showing that Moar's 'trad' ideology is more focused on the process rather than the end result. A diggers' delight, for the few turntablists out there still keeping the tradition alive.

Review: Coming to Trad Vibe, French music production duo Boar & The Badlibs impress us to no end with their 7" singles, of which their latest 'Bossa Nova Rico Suave' now becomes a part. The track is a clean nuevo-bossa-nova exercise, underlaid by a pumping backbeat making it equally as worthy of an eclectic hip-hop or downtempo mix. We're sure the nominal pun on 'Madlib' isn't without its inspirations. The King Most remix on the flip side is just as neat, drawing on samba while pinning down a bustlingly percussive groove.