You know when you see emcees from back in the day still trying to rep. it like they once did, despite the beer belly and it all seems a bit sad? Well it’s pleasing to see that no such fate has befallen Smif-N-Wessun’s General Steele. No, it has not for Steele pretty much – er – steals the limelight in a lean and mean feature in VVS Verbal’s new video Grind over a straight-up gutter boom-bap beat
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VVS VERBAL feat. GENERAL STEELE: Grind
VARIOUS: Fabyl: Arrival
Rating: 
A new wave of big beat seems to have been lurking in the wings ever since the first wave of big beat and in recent years the likes of Rory Hoy and Pulpfusion have been resolutely flying the flag for old school uptempo breakbeat music that doesn’t bass wobble like a Weeble. Joining them in 2018 is producer to the stars, Nick Faber, a man who knows a thing or two about big
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LIVING COLOUR: Plastic People (Vinyl 7″)
And now for a Living Colour 45. Yay – dreads, loud 80s funk rock riffs and dayglow cycling lycra – what could possibly go wrong? No, not that Living Colour. This is all about Tony Kalangis’ band not Vernon Reid’s. Kalangis’ outfit being a seventies funk crew who were not averse to knocking out chugging clavinet n horns-driven business such as Plastic People – now given a welcome 7″ repress
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DJ ROAST BEATZ: 5 Week Mash-up EP + ‘Let It Go’ feat. MYS DIGGI & ELLA MAE SUAREF
Consider yourself about to be fully apprised of all the details of Dj Roast Beatz’ 5 Week Mash-up as the time nears for the arrival of Let It Go (featuring Mys Diggi and Ella Suaref) – the debut release on the man’s new label Cuttin’ It Fine Records. To allay your fears for Mr Beatz’ health, let’s clarify right now that the ‘mash-up’ in
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RAMMELLZEE vs. K ROB: Beat Bop repress (Vinyl 12″)
Back at the dawn of hip-hop, heads thought nothing of dropping ten minute tracks with no clearly-defined verse/ chorus structure and such an animal was the Jean-Michel Basquiat-financed, Rammellzee and K Rob-featuring early psychedelic hip-hop epic, Beat Bop, which first appeared in 1983. Distinctive for its vocals which are periodically drenched in reverb (and for fading out
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SON OF SAM feat. MASTA ACE & LARGE PROFESSOR: Come A Long Way (Vinyl 7″)
Son Of Sam – haven’t they come a long way eh? Haven’t they done well? They’ve gone from all those original hip-hop instrumentals that got shelved for a few years, to hooking up with a slew of emcees from the cream of the underground (old and new) who still practise the art of rhyme and then finally dropping album Cinder Hill last year and before you know it, it’s all been appearances
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ASIAN HAWK: Shining (Video)
Stand by to be wowed once more by the turntable soul antics of former UK DMC champion, Asian Hawk with new track Shining. What?! Hotels built on Native American burial grounds, the thing in Room 237 and evil twins with fringes? Whoahh their, soldier! I said Shining not The Shining. This is an altogether more uplifting affair as Hawk’s voice soars on an updraft of scratch-drenched neo
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LUCKY BROWN & THE S.G.’s : ‘Bout To Blow/ Saints & Beggars (Vinyl 7″)
New Tramp original 45 alert as Lucky Brown makes one of his occasional appearances on the label (in the company of the S.G.’s) with some low-down funky action. A-side ‘Bout To Blow is a stank-ass, horns-led instrumental soul stew about as raw as they make it which builds slowly from guitar chanks, adds in the bass and drums and finally keys and horns. B-side Saints & Beggars
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THE FAITHFUL BROTHERS: Crossroads Of Love/ One More Time (Vinyl 7″)
It’s not just Daytoner keeping the faith with neo-northern soul cuts this year it seems, for here is an offshoot project of Israeli soul boys Men Of North Country, The Faithful Brothers (a.k.a men of northern soul country – see what I did there?), with a 45 in the classic mould – soul stormer on the one side, soul ballad on the flip. The soul stormer is titled Crossroads Of Love and finds Tel Aviv’s
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EL MICHELS AFFAIR: Unathi b/w Zaharila (vinyl 7″)
Rating: El Michels Affair certainly haven’t fallen asleep basking in the glory of last year’s excellent Return To The 37th Chamber and here’s two magnificent reasons why on either side of a fresh new 45 entitled Unathi and Zaharila. Hmm – sounds a bit Bollywood. Damn straight! At least Bollywood funky that is – as they draw on the vocal talents of Piya Malik from label mates
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