Now I know this blog is dedicated to experimental electronic beats, but with this in mind I think there’s always a bit of room for a bit of decent hip hop here since it all stems from hip hop, loops and beats in the purest sense.
 
Now while American commercial club rap has been taking a machete to Hip Hop for a good while now, UK and Aussie Hip Hoppers and producers seem to have always kept the soul and spirit of Hip Hop alive since the early 90s. Which is where this amazing new album I stumbled across on the book of face comes into it. It’s not that often I hear hip hop these days that knocks me back, but a duo from the small isolated city of Perth, Australia Coin & Taku have brought back the soul, funk and word play that got me into hip hop from the beginning, pure simple and beautiful. Be warned you’ll be thinking summer couldn’t be here sooner after listening to this bad boy. On the Free DL, enjoy.
 

Just had to share this one with you quickly! I came across Dapayk Solo’s latest track on Mo’s Ferry, and I was instantly drawn in by it’s loose, jazzy swing and loungey vocals. Joining a catalogue of the more obscure leanings from this imprint house, this one digs a deep groove. You can catch his whole album through the “buy” function on Dapayk’s soundcloud below. Support the funk, much Love ! x
 
Dapayk solo – Back To Me (feat. Camara & Jon Hester) – Album Version by dapayk

With digital midi controllers and CDJs becoming the norm in the DJ world and Technics officially stating that there stopping the mass production of their iconic turntables you’d think record stores would be all boarded up by now but as the “Diggin’ for wax” crew prove there ha never been a better time to go hunting for some dusty gems. With less turntables on the market that’s got to mean people are trading in their bundles of wax to move on over to the digital side leaving plenty more hidden treasures to find in your local bargin bin!
 
Below is the first installment of an exciting new series thought up by a collective of DJs based in London and Sydney. Basically the concept a £20 budget, one afternoon “diggin’ for wax” and a one hour mixtape to share with the world.
 
Check out their blog here for the full story on their mixes and for your general dose of vinyl culture. Also I’ve been told to keep an ear out for their next dancefloor banger mixtape out soon!! But for Volume 001 you can expect a relaxing mix of classic and obscure hip hop, funk and soul. Enjoy
…continue reading Diggin’ for wax

To celebrate 20 years of Ninja Tune over the past 2 weeks Ninja have been giving away free tracks from an all star showcase of their signed artists, and you still have times to get your hands on the remaining 7 tracks at Ninja Tune XX . Black Dog Publishing have also just released a paperback in their Unlimited Labels series named “Ninja Tune: 20 Years of Beats & Pieces” with a London exhibition to compliment it showing off the last 20 years of paintings, posters, cover art, 3D models, LPs and promotional art some never before seen outside Ninja Tune’s office space.
 
The Herbaliser – Something Wicked (Roots Manuva’s Haunted House Dub Mix)
 
 

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…continue reading Ninja Tuning

This thursday at Cargo sees the long awaited launch party for UK hip hop’s new up and coming star Mowgli. With the often quick and choppy flow we’ve come to expect from the UK hip hop heavyweights, Mowgli’s debut album “93″ covers 76 minutes in total with something on there for anyone with a taste for hip hoppin’. …continue reading Mow… Mow…

I’m not going to dwell on Flying Lotus for too long, as everyone probably already knows just how interesting and varied his productions are and has no doubt seen him live at some point in the last few years, if not I highly recommend checking out his shows.

…continue reading A Decade of Cali beats