Texas beat-wrangler Skyler McGlothlin steps outside his experimental mode as Nautilis (Planet Mu) to re-up for another full-length instrumental hip-hop outing on Florida‘s Merck imprint. Eclectic, crate-dug rhythms and samples get the dirty MPC work-over as the impeccably selected raw material-ranging from sensual and obscure jazz snippets to Gregorian chants to spacey mid-‘70s god-knows-what-gets nailed down with some good old Jetta-pumpin‘ beats. MC-ready, Lit rolls with a superb, repetitive flow while sustaining a cerebral quality that makes for a rich living room experience as well. Add a beanbag chair and a Dutch, and you got yourself a Sunday afternoon.
Troubled Soul Ghost Writer Series 1 EP
A collaboration between Belfast‘s Troubled Soul and Seattle‘s B Boy Genre has been threatening for some time now. So long that B Boy Genre has since split, with some members forming the shit-hot Giant Panda crew. As always, TS‘s trademark beats are streets ahead of his contemporaries while the upbeat boom bap of MCs Chikaramanga, Newmann, Maanumental, and Wose displays a versatility and lyrical depth that is quite breathtaking.
Sadat X Experience & Education
As part of Brand Nubian, Sadat laced his rhymes with enough grime to satisfy the street as well as the Zulu Nation. On this joint, he writes music for folks who grew up listening to Brand Nubian. The 9-to-5-ers and the 25-to-lifers will appreciate his testimony to survival on the DJ Spinna-produced “God is Back.” With help from Diamond D (“The Great Diamond D”) and Vin the Chin (“Back to New York”), Sadat reveals the gritty soul that‘s the core of Big Apple hip-hop. Overall, this everyman MC proves, as he says on “Have a Good Life”, that he “can still kick a mean 16.”
Steve Bug The Smackman EP
Lots of Pokerflat records are in my record case as I‘m a big fan of Martin Lindsey‘s tunes. This time label boss Steve Bug has produced a cool and grooving two-tracker that underlines the high quality of the deep house label. “Mad Ass” and “Smack” will rule the dancefloors.
Herbert Boese Charger
Herbert Boese is the man behind the Jaktronik imprint and resident jock of the legendary Harpune Club in Dusseldorf. The fact that he‘s a good friend of mine is not why I chose this record. This track is simply massive. “Charger” is a mixture of phat bass and Detroit-ish strings that makes people scream.
DJ Fex Beautiful
Fex has made the January release on my Systematic imprint and I‘m very proud of this record, as there are not so many of this kind on the market. Beautiful” is a pretty electro-esque groover with a nice female laugh sample that modulates so much that you can‘t recognize it anymore. For me, Fex is one of the upcoming producers in 2006.
Dopamine Harsh
Dopamine has been one to watch over the last year (his last release on TCR being a prime example). Claiming that “Hip-hop is folk music,” the track powers along but keeps the funk intact. On the B-side, Dopamine hooks up with label honcho Klaus “Heavyweight” Hill for a tougher heads-down affair. Highly recommended.
Hyper We Control
Taken from the forthcoming album, “We Control” is an explosive mash-up of beats, bass, synth-like guitars, and an all-consuming punk attitude. On the flip, Future Funk Squad techs it up and darkens it out with his signature sound. This rocks.
Metric & Rogers This Is Hip-Hop
The latest release from Koma & Bones‘ imprint ups the ante with a peak-time groover of massive proportions. A vocoded vocal sits on a solid track with a b-line that just gets under your skin, takes control of your limbs and hurls you to the dancefloor. Oh yeah, and have I mentioned the breakdown?
Grand Torino 76 The Funk
Brazilian carnival vibes rule the ultra-percussive and sexually provocative “Kinky Girl,” a track that should see some clothing fly off on the dancefloor. Exactly what I would expect from a pair of French house producers: Mr. Fuzz and Julien Leroux. But the key tune here is “Soulmachine,” where funky guitars and scat-jazz vocals dip in out of sweet Rhodes keys and spacey breakdowns. A summer single to warm up winter.
