A label already considered seminal, and one arguably responsible for the revival of UK hip-hop, High Focus Records seem to have a secret formula for producing and delivering flawless diamonds some kind of urban African warlord. The stream of incredible tunes label founder Fliptrix has been dropping in the run up to the release of his third album, Third Eye of the Storm, has been ridiculous and you should be grabbing a copy as soon as it sees fresh air. The video for ‘Wylin Out’ went up a few days ago, ‘Land of the Lost’ and ‘Mind Travelling’ were posted before that, and now “Earth’s Axis” has been thrown upon us. It feels like I was thirsty for a coke and instead of getting one from the shop, the “Holidays are coming” lorry turned up with an unlimited supply.
This is the part where I usually continue writing witty stuff and you crease up and throw money at your screen, but there’s no time for that. There’s too much music to listen to. Get on it!
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Rumoured to be part of a forthcoming EP on Hypercolour, ‘Eva Mendes’ is another huge look from the brilliant mind of London’s Mosca. I’m convinced he named it after Ms Mendes on the off-chance that she’d somehow get to hear it and think “Wow, Mosca’s a genius. I absolutely must meet him and satisfy his every need.” Of course, if she did say that, she’d be bloody right. Plus, you can’t really blame Mosca for trying, Training Day made me want to quit my life and hang on Eva’s back full-time like a baby koala.
Due to drop in May, this is going to be reason your Grandad tweaks his knee at the old folks’ village hall bash. Those pensioners sure know how to get down.
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Having just spent five hours on public transport and the rest of the day battling the London hate machine, the tranquil vibes of ‘Lights’ from Midlands two — possibly-soon-to-be-three — piece Atlas have calmed me right down. Treading a delicate line between melancholy and optimism, delayed details of guitar combine with twinkling elements of synth to produce a contemplative and ornate tune. Soft vocals from Emily Harris further serve to complement the subtle complexities of the beat and add an ardent touch to an already emotionally loaded track.
I’d be surprised, not to mention disappointed, if we didn’t see any full releases from these guys sometime soon. Listen/download below.
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Considering the fact that his name is an amalgamation of Kaluha, Koala and Klonoa, it’s kind of fitting that Kiev’s Koloah produces smooth tunes evocative of dream-travelling escapism (although I don’t know where the koala element comes in). Billed as a collection of “deep stompers”, Love EP progresses from the powerful and rhythmically percussive vibes of ‘In the Beginnin’ through to the mellow stylings of ‘Love’ with effortless charm. The music is as pleasing as the name “Koloah” is to read out loud [in various different hokey foreign accents] and, as is customary with Cut releases, the artwork is beautiful too.
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It’s been a while since I immersed myself in the idiosyncratic pleasures of Guido. Even though he launched his new label, State of Joy, at the start of the year, his inaugural single kind of passed me by and I didn’t really get involved. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice though and as soon as I caught of a whiff of ‘Afrika’, I was all over it like appreciative gravy. I’m going to heap praise on it too, not only because of guilt, but also because of the fact that it’s genuinely brilliant. With every producer and his/her drum machine switching up to some kind of genreless high ground, it’s nice to hear an artist offering something consistent with their previous output.
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Out now on Black Butter records, Alphaville EP is the latest offering from one of my favourite producers of the moment, Kidnap Kid. Comprising three tunes: ‘Vehl’, ‘Lazarus Taxon’ and ‘Be More’, it lies somewhere between house, 2-step and extraterrestrial melodica, filling my ears with sumptuous imagination fuel. Also, having accidentally just watched a program on Sky Living for 10 minutes, the EP’s power to uplift may have just saved me from committing suicide. There was a walrus of a woman critiquing someone’s wedding…and…the hypocrisy…I just don’t want to talk about it.
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