Hidden Riddim At Juno Download

Review: However many new directions dance music goes in, there will always be a place for simple-but-effective bootleg mash-ups of familiar grooves and hip-hop acapellas. To be fair to the Booty Fruit camp, they do it better than most, offering reworks that balance dancefloor playability with a tasteful approach to production. There's a distinct hip-hop feel throughout, with Roast Beatz's harmonica-laden Beasties booty "Hick Stick" and Livingstone & Conosis' bumpin' "Tuna Salad" - a Charli 2na rework - standing out. Check also the head-nodding disco-skank of El Bomba and Hidden Riddim's "Miss Discoflex".

Review: The second in Booty Fruit's "Proper Produce" series sees four new funk-propelled mash ups hitting the virtual shelves this week. Among the highlights, Beastie Boys fans will certainly appreciate El Bomba & Hidden Riddim's "Dr Fluteski", which uses the same sample source as the NYC legends' "Flute Loop", while The Allergies give Blueboy's "Remember Me" an '80s soul rerub.

Review: Trading in some quite brilliant bass-hop beats, UK duo Hidden Riddim mark their debut release for Cast-A-Blast with the huge "Now You Know The Name" - sampling from Mark B & Blade's "The Unknown" and generally warping everything in front of them to create a funky yet bass-driven slow 'n' squelchy beauty. Basement Freaks does a radical job on the remix front, converting it into a boogie-inspired nu-funker, while another HR original, "Cornflakes" - a clever rearrangement of The Meters' "Just Kissed My Baby" - gets a breaks rerub by Johnny Pluse.

Review: Super slow-mo squelch vibes ahoy as Mr Riddim hooks up with Conticyte and Born Ina Barn for some bouncy bass-hop fun. The slick and slippery wobbler bassline does most of the chatting, leaving time for Mr Ina Barn to fire equally smart lyrics over the top. A little slower than Riddim's previous, this is a real strutter. Remix-wise New Zealand ghetto funker DJ Alias beefs up the beats and warps the bassline for a cute take on the original. Both are eminently playable: expect major booty shakery.

Review: There's something decidedly old skool about this breezer stepper from the Riddim Fruit camp. Boasting a weary but emotion-rich vocal, twinkling melodies, rubbery double bass and retro-futurist two-step beats, the original version of "Step By Step" sits somewhere between the jazzier end of two-step, broken beat and dubstep. It should go down well with those who enjoy the musically developed productions of, say, Maddslinky. The Pulsar remix, meanwhile, adds some heavier bass and a fluid dubstep shuffle, while retaining the original's autumnal beauty.