A weekly examination of our favorite current and forthcoming albums, compilations, and singles.

Bot’Ox
“Babylon By Car/Tragedy Symphony”
Death From Abroad
Release Date: Out Now

We’ve already given a nod to this single on xlr8r.com, but any track that’s been on constant repeat in the web office for three days straight deserves a spot in the Top 10. Parisian producers Cosmo Vitelli and Julien Briffaz join forces once again as Bot’Ox, and pack two sides of a 12″ with sinister disco beats, choppy vocals, and enough live instruments to put the London Philharmonic to shame.

Various Artists
Badd Santa: A Stones Throw Records Xmas
Stones Throw
Release Date: Out now, available at select locations.

For this year’s Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah present, Stones Throw is giving you a lesson in vintage hip-hop. Peanut Butter Wolf has compiled a boatload of vinyl gems and thrown them on a CD that, while pretty exclusive, is well worth hunting for. Legends like James Brown and Cocoa Tea share the bill with Baron Zen and James Pants, and tracks by The Soul Saints Orchestra, Georgia Ann Muldrow, and Vince Guaraldi make this a present for both hardcore hip-hop fans and the less-acquainted.

Jeremy Jay
“Alpha Rhythm”
K Records
Release Date: TBA

XLR8R TV producer Kerry McLaughlin tipped us to this hot new track from the K Records stable. From his MySpace page, kid looks about 12–but Jeremy Jay’s got all the hip-pop swagger of Ian Svenonius and The dBs rolled into that 12-year-old body. Okay, so he’s probably 22, but still… Think C.O.C.O. + The Make-Up and love this ’60s-guitar-pop track like your weekend depended on it. KT

Cadence Weapon
After Party Babies
Anti-/Epitaph
Release Date: March 4, 2008

The follow-up to his 2006 debut, Breaking Kayfabe, finds Roland Pemberton in fine form, mashing hip-hop, grime, electro, and other forms of dance music together, then topping them off with a full platter of witty lyrics. To rap with intelligence about Limewire, Friendster, and “hip-hop hipsters” takes a lot of talent, and Pemberton delivers throughout. Like a finely made film, this is the kind of album you can play for months on end and still find new intricacies with each listen.

Steve Reid Ensemble
Daxaar
Domino
Release Date: February 5, 2008

In the spirit of spontaneity, Bronx-born drummer and former Black Panther Steve Reid, joined by Kieren Hebden and keyboardist Boris Netsvetaev, traveled to Africa last January to jam with the locals, and though this isn’t a new practice (see Nomadic Wax’s entire catalog), Daxaar is probably the most original result to come of this activity. Named after an earlier spelling of Senegalese city Dakar, the album showcases a huge sampling of tribal drums, and the kind of improv jazz that would make Thelonius Monk proud. A refreshing–and uplifting–change of pace from Africa.

Caroline
Murmurs Mixes
Temporary Residence
Release Date: January 8, 2008. iTunes Exclusive

Murmurs Mixes is the perfect soundtrack for easing gracefully into a busy day. Temporary Residence enlisted the likes of Lullatone, Adreas Bjørck, and others to remix tracks from Caroline Lufkin’s synth-saturated debut album, and the result is a variety of takes on her brand of dream-pop. Brightest Feathers has the standout track here, remixing “Sunrise” into a collage of snipped vocals and soaring strings that rise epically before crashing into a melancholy piano solo. Download this.

School of Language
Sea from Shore
Thrill Jockey
Release Date: February 2008

We’re still confused as to whether or not Field Music has disbanded entirely, but until such things are sorted out, we can enjoy the music of member David Brewis, who has taken the last few months to piece together the debut album under his School of Language moniker. A cut-and-paste album this most certainly is, with vocal snippets and dozens of guitar sounds layered into tracks that range from experimental rock to meandering guitar ballads fit for a smoky Midwestern bar.

Various Artists
Causes 1
Waxploitation
Release Date: Out now. Order here.

This compilation has been out for a little while now, but since last week kicked off Waxploitation’s fourth charity auction for Darfur, the label’s Causes 1 disc deserves a little more attention. Bypass the Bloc Party, Travis, and Shins tracks, and get straight to an exclusive live Animal Collective track, a remix of Cornelius’ “Wataridori,” and contributions from Thievery Corporation, Teargas & Plateglass, and The Black Keys. Of course, you, as an upstanding individual, should just suck it up and download the whole thing, as 100% of the comp’s proceeds go towards non-profits aiding victims of the Darfur crisis.

Neon Neon
Stainless Style
Lex
Release Date: February 2008

What’s better than an album from Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys? Try a collaboration between Rhys and L.A.-based producer Boom Bip. Stainless Style finds these two gents working under their Neon Neon moniker and getting in touch with their ’80s sensibilities. Synths crash and soar and vocoders abound, but it’s Bip’s production and Rhys’ always-unpredictable vocals, not to mention an appearance from Spank Rock’s Naeem, that keep this album from being just another ’80s rip-off. Oh, and the entire concept of the album is based on the life of John DeLorean, whose DMC-12 “time machine” was made immortal in Back to the Future.

Various
We are Punks Volume Two
Datapunk
Release Date: January 22, 2008

Volume One of Datapunk’s We are Punks series was a hit. Volume Two should send fans through the roof, as label boss Anthony Rother, along with Matthias Gustke, pulls two discs of tracks together that further spread the gospel of techno-electro. The fully mixed compilation features both unreleased material and some of Datapunk’s best tracks from the last several months, with much-welcomed appearances from Miss Kittin, The Hacker, Gregor Tresher, and more.

Photo of Gruff Rhys by Paul O’Valle.

Controversial cockney emcee Beezy (think: a more street-sounding The Streets), whose saucy vocal dubplates for N-Type and others have raised eyebrows, is offering his new A Day In The Life album for free. “All I ask is that you give me the time to actually sit there and listen,” wrote Beezy recently on Dubstepforum. His next album, Lost In Translation, also drops soon.

Bristol’s H.E.N.C.H. crew producer Whiteboi (pictured, far left) is also offering a clutch of new tunes for free download, on his MySpace page. And speaking of H.E.N.C.H.–San Francisco producers Juju and Djunya will welcome Bristol’s Komonazmuk to their NarcoHz night at Underground SF on Friday, December 14. East London club Cargo hosts Dubstep Mashup on December 12, which will feature BBC’s Mary-Anne Hobbs, Hyperdub’s Kode, Rinse FM’s DJ Distance, plus guests.

This past Saturday, December 8, Big Apple Records held its Christmas party at the Hidden bar in Vauxhall, London. The insane lineup included sets in the main room from Benga and Hatcha, Mala and Coki, Hijak and Loefah, N-Type and Walsh, with Crazy D and Sgt Pokes on the mic. Meanwhile, the Roots of Dubstep room featured no less than Ghost veteran El B, Horsepower’s Benny Ill, Oris Jay (a.k.a. DQ1), and Menta. Fucking mental session!

Burial’s new album, Untrue, only out since late-November, sold 80 copies in one week at Amoeba Music in San Francisco. The album is also selling well across Europe, through the HMV chain and online shops Boomkat and Juno. The album reached number seven on BBC 1’s dance charts.

N-Type and Benga’s excellent three-hour Rinse FM DJ set is available for free download and features all the latest dubplates. Meanwhile, Skream (pictured above, middle) has mixed the new Rinse Volume 2 CD, which features his cuts “Murderer,” “Oit,” “Kum Ere Sun,” and “Refuel,” plus tunes from Rusko, Benga, and Kode 9.

Respected Reinforced Records artist Collin Lindo–a.k.a. Alpha-Omega and Nubian Mindz–has posted several new dubstep tracks (check the Dark Minds folder) on his Virb site. Preview a bunch of these at GetDarker, including The Others’ “Africa VIP,” NRG’s “Green Smoke,” and Zomby’s “Spliff Dub (Pirate Soundsystem Rmx).”

Hotflush label presents Boxcutter’s new “Philly” single, Nyabingi’s “Bionicle,” and Scuba’s “Outmost,” all of which are out now. In January, expect Jazzsteppa’s “Jakin” 12”. Scuba’s first album, titled A Mutual Antipathy, is out March 9, 2008, on CD and vinyl. So Cal-based producer Vaccine’s debut should drop in the late spring.

In the shops now:
Headhunter’s “Locus Lotus” EP on Tempa. Get it at Dubplate.net.

Texas producer Parson’s “Ghostliner: DJ Distance Remix” on Dubline.

H.E.N.C.H.-man Jakes’ “3kout” on Hench.

Cotti Versus Kromestar’s “Mozart 3000” on Bassface.

Coming soon:
“Swing Dat Skirt” Dub on LV and Chef’s Ringo imprint.

Cotti‘s “Calm Down,“ featuring Doctor, on -30.

Quest & Silkie’s four-track EP on Deep Medi.

Recommended radio shows:
Warehouse Meditation with Whistla on SubFM

N-Type’s Sub Sundays on RinseFM.

Also check various cool programming on DubSquare, Streamizm, and DubstepFM.

South London-based experimental dubstep artist Burial is rising in mainstream dance charts as his groundbreaking sophomore album, Untrue, continues to win new fans. The album is now ranked above Dizzee Rascal, Simian Mobile Disco, and Justice on the BBC weekly electronic music charts. Untrue has media critics, bloggers, and others abuzz, and is expected to be on year-end “best of” charts, from the Village Voice to the London Guardian. The album receives a 92-out-of-100 points rating from the review-compiling Metacritic web portal.

Corpsey, a poster to Dubstepforum, writes, “No way this album’s not going to blow. My mates who aren’t into dubstep [and] garage at all think it’s great. Guess it’s the vocals that grab people.” This comment sums up the general momentum behind Untrue, an album that’s well worth the hype. It consists of haunted garage and soul vocal snippets that swim in an Aphex or Boards of Canada-style melodic swirl. Some tracks are decidedly bleak and meditative, while others hint at rays of hope in the distance.

Burial is interviewed in new issue of respected music publication The Wire, which features no direct photos of the notoriously press-shy producer. All of the artist’s back catalog is available on producer Kode 9’s Hyperdub imprint, and includes a number of singles, along with his self-titled debut album.