Hip Hop/R&B Juno Download

FEATURED RELEASES

Maintaining their place as a leading force in experimentally laced club and drum & bass music, Ivy Lab continue their run of form with another mind expanding double-drop. Delivering something both up-and-downbeat across each track here, "Nasdaq" goes large with its vamped synths, pulsations of dub and stuttered rhythms adding to a groove pushed along by walls of distortion, gushing white noise and a sidewinding melody. "Novy" on the other hand opts for cinematic drone and thumping two step bass that thins out into something percussive, industrial and ultimately epic. With lost R&B vocals to boot, this is huge.

Datkid / Skinzmann

Sleepless In Pinhoe Split Prophets

As always with the Split Prophets imprint, we see them bring us a slice of the unexpected as they welcome Datkid & Skinzmann onboard with the highly anticipated full length drop of 'Sleepless In Pinhoe'. With Skinzmann providing a serious display of instrumental mastery, Datkid is allowed to run riot across fourteen powerful originals. The first thing to note about this album is the level of quality spread among both the solo performances and the collaborations, which just so happen to include Wyatt Earp, Axel Holy, Wishmaster Confusion, Manlikemally, R.B & Mash. There is so much variation in this project sonically, from the eerie and wonky waves of 'Sunday' and demonic harmonies of 'Never Ever' to the more west coast influenced vibes of 'T Way & M Ways' and classic UK rap sounds of 'The Lost Track'. It's a powerful producer / MC combination, with our favourites including the haunted sounding melodic switches of 'Stress' and anthem-like arrangement of 'No More Fun & Games'. Tidy work!

Dj Format

Devil's Workshop Project Blue Book

Next up from the Project Blue Book squad, we see them welcome DJ Format into the fold for a weighty album project by the name of 'Devil's Workshop'. It's wholly difficult to find a genre bracket into which we can slot this, as the full tracklisting sees us sweep around soul, jazz and hip hop in infinite different combinations. The musicality of the project is the immediate standout, with the constantly shifting arrangements of tracks such as 'The Peace' and 'Disaster Time', exploring orchestral twists and groovy drum breaks with so much swagger. The project is definitely one that needs to be taken in as a long play, but our initial standouts would have to include the super smooth xylophone chimes and breathy drums of 'The Curse', alongside the chopped & screwed drum designs of 'Warm Dust', adding even more coolness to this super smooth collection.

X-ray Ted / Various

Funk N' Beats, Vol 8 (Curated By X-Ray Ted) Bomb Strikes

Following fine outings from Fort Knox Five, the Allergies, Smoove and Marc Hype, amongst others, Bomb Strikes' reliable Funk N' Beats compilation series returns with rising star X-Ray Ted at the controls. In keeping with the series' heavyweight, funk-fuelled style, the Bristol-based DJ and beat-maker has gathered together a killer collection of soul, hip-hop and funk club cuts, with a smattering of more laidback numbers to keep things fresh. Highlights are plentiful throughout, with our picks including the boom-bap brilliance is Aldo Vanucci's tidy remix of 'All Down' by Mr Doris and D-Funk, the dancefloor jazz heaviness of Nostalgia 77's 'Changes', the cut-and-paste craziness of Double Dee & Steinski's 'Jazz' and the disco-funk masterclass that is X-Ray Ted's own 'Party Time'.

The Allergies

Lean On You Jalapeno

Bristol duo The Allergies continue to hint at a future album release with this two-track digital 7", Lean On You. Featuring bespoke lyrics from Dynamite MC in its lead cut, it's a track that subtly touches on Southern rap as it does rock and Gorillaz-styled funk or Cypress Hill-styled hip hop. Venturing further down a looped-up blues and rootsy funk tip in "Working On Me", lyrics are swapped for classic vocal samples, brass horns, big beat loops and clever funky drummer motifs. Spicy hot.

Various

A Family Affair First Word

Contemporary jazz label outta the UK, First Word, brings us a compilation highlighting a select group of artists, groups and collaborations the label has works with and supports, taking in broken beat, hip hop, jazz and R&B to spoken word and soul. Highlights from its UK roster include tracks by Darkhouse Family, Kaidi Tatham and Sarah Williams White to a streak of US artists in 14KT (and that Tall Black Guy remix) to Muhsinah, Stro Elliot & James Poyser. Special mentions go to Melbourne songstress Allysha Joy, New Zealand jazz drummer Myele Manzanza and Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda! French act Souleance turn out some playful latin breaks in "Mont Maudit" with some classy disco coming outta Don Leisure's "Egg Yolk Bun". Full flavoured First Word selections.