The fact that UK hip-hop still struggles to find a Stateside audience clearly hasn’t deterred Skitz, arguably England’s illest producer. Alongside partner Mickle, Skitz has launched the Titan Sounds imprint, and The Introduction is all that it promises to be. Featuring label mainstays Skeme, Big P and the Extremists, alongside cameos from Brit-hop heavies Rodney P, Fallacy and Est’elle, this proper yardcore bashment has most US underground shit beat hands down.
Various The Disco-Tech Of DJ Coscom
If one website is to be believed, there are currently 27,000 “known” DJs in the world. While many merely follow fashion, the most memorable are those that not only demolish dance floors consistently, but those whose mixes stand solid outside the realms of a club. DJ Cosmo is one such DJ. She shuns fads for a more visceral approach to her craft. And what a craftswoman she is! No wonder she’s garnered mad props from legendary DJs like David Mancuso and Fran?ois Kevorkian. For a taste of what this Bitches Brew alum is capable of, just one spin of the eclectic treat that is The Disco-tech of… will confirm exactly why… and her real name’s not Lisa, to boot!
Ben Mono Dual
Dual is an impressive debut from Teutonic producer Ben Mono on the superb Compost imprint. His name may sound like a dodgy infection, but once you get past the faint whiff of pretension, Dual is a chilled, sophisticated excursion through nu-jazz, broken beat and electro-infused funk. While all the tracks will elicit enthusiastic nods of approval, Mono is at his best when he simply lets the groove do the talking. His complex polyrhythms and stark melodies express his musical manifesto more eloquently than mere words ever could. Mono ist sehr gut!
Various Drop the Debt (Annulons La Dette)
Imagine living in an impoverished environment, having little access to basic human needs. Obviously, despotic governments, bad policies and civil war are to blame; so, too, are the actions of the West and the loans they give to countries that can barely afford to make even the interest payments. According to the UN, each fiscal year, the world’s poorest countries spend a significant amount of their annual budgets on debt repayment, money desperately needed for education and health care. Drop the Debt aims to increase awareness of this great injustice, and implores the West to cancel the debt. With global music powerhouses such as Cape Verde’s Cesaria Evora, Brazil’s Chico Cesar, Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi, Cameroon’s Sally Nyolo and Venezuela’s Soledad Bravo giving voice to debt relief, the cause has an even better chance of being heard.
Disc O Lypso
Inevitably, the old shit still gets in our heads. This double-12 compilation captures a wonderful, original and obscure fusion of late-’70s disco with early-’80s studio mechanics in songs that are equal parts deep disco, calypso, dub and funk, all from the West Indies, Caribbean and Africa. Between Casual T’s “Hands Off” and Billie Cole’s “Extra Carefully,” this’ll take you to a strange and intriguing place.
VHS Or BETA Solid gold (Joshua Remix)
Joshua never disappoints. Iz lays down another slab of butta deep-house with his signature bumpin’ basslines, this time with a slicked-out, warm groove. We definitely rocked this one at the summer jams-it’s got that mad outdoor vibe that makes you want to keep shakin’ your booty.
Alexi Delano Right before You (Brennan Green/Jesper Dahlback RMXS)
Courtsquare brings their best stuff to date. Alexi’s original works smooth chords the way he always does it…deeeeeeeep. Brennan Green’s mix sweetly consummates his 303 love affair with African rhythms, showing you why he’s one to watch. Dahlback’s cut pushes the track’s warm vocal with a gritty analog synth groove that’ll absolutely kill floors. This one will stay in our boxes and will rock the most discriminating leftfield floors as well as the main room.
Various Bongo Expressions Volume 2
And you thought Thievery Corporation was the best music for looking at commercials. Up until the release of Bongo Express Vol. 2, that is. Despite quality producers (Nuspirit Helsinki) and remixers (Atjazz), many of the tracks simply sound…well, flat. A compilation replete with the dastardly retro-futuristic furniture liner notes of so many “mood music” comps of late, Bongo Express features all the samba-swapping samples necessary for those Chanel-clad poolside martini parties. Lounge, anyone?
Future Funk Squad New: Bpm 2
Volume two of the NEW:BPM series offers a solid anthology of nu-skool breaks from En:vision artists. Seamlessly mixed by Future Funk Squad’s Glen Nicholls, this double-CD features many of his own tracks and remixes, with a good chunk of exclusive tracks to tease DJs that will never get their hands on them. The first CD has a bouncier feel, while the second delves into much edgier territory, dominated by dirty basslines and subtler effects. Overall, the mix is like moving from sipping a martini in a swanky nightclub to gripping a water bottle in your sweaty hand on the packed dancefloor over the course of a couple of hours.
0 Beginner’s Luck
Mathew Dear (False), revered as one of the most innovative minimal tech-house producers, is unwinding some of the best “dirt glitch funk” around. These two subtle and refined trax exude a concentration and dedication worthy of keeping our pulses on +6, +7 and + 8.
