Daybreak is a new EP from Mecca:83. Created in 24 hours – which it probably gives the record the name – the record is available either as a free download or for a ‘name your price’ fee via Mecca’s Bandcamp with all donations going to UK charity Mind.

Daybreak is lush, instrumental piece and a throwback to Manchester’s golden era of Grand Central, Aim et al. And I mean throwback in the best possible way.

Anyway check it out and donate a few pieces of silver to a very worthy cause.

New year = passport to new sounds. Associated Minds have announced some UK Exports - a thing Dave C in Number 10 can only dream of at present.

Produced UK DMC finalist DJ Killer Tomato & Associate Mind Mayor, UK Exports reps the UK scene past and present and includes choice tracks by Paul White and Tranquil, Kidkanevil and Willo Wispa, Sonnyjim, Jehst, P.L.O. & Ralph Rip Shit, Mystro, Ramson Badbones and Wizard and Cappo.

Checkit on the way to work.

Much is made of the East Coast/ West Coast rivalry in the hip-hop world, with Southern rap coming into its own in recent years.
The same cannot really be said for the UK. Aside from London, Bristol and maybe Birmingham, hip-hop hotbeds are few and far between. Which makes the rise of beat maker Handbook all the more extraordinary.

Based in ye olde city of York, he has been devoting his time to producing beats in the jazzy vein of Madlib et al, his geographical stumbling block not proving to quell his thirst for electronic experimentation. With buzz gradually building around his Soundcloud and in the process of organizing a DIY tour of America, he has managed to find time to put together an atmospheric mix for Bonafide, one that includes several of his own cuts interwoven amongst staple classics such as Little Brother’s ‘Sincerely Yours’ and finishing with Slum Village’s‘Reunion.’

Apollo Brown & Hassan Mackey – Volume
Handbook – Want More
Little Brother – Sincerely Yours
LAKIM – The Chokehold
Handbook – Herald
Handbook – Girl Stay
Handbook – Signature
King Geedorah – Fastlane
Handbook – Enlightenment
Handbook – Today
Handbook – Please Me
Slum Village – Reunion

If you’re travelling home for Christmas and looking for some new tunage or just are looking for an aural escape from the annual family get together these little free MP3 nuggets might what you’re after.

First Word Records have released an LP handcrafted for your listening pleasure. Running to 12 tracks, Two Syllables Six Volume Six features label stalwarts Souleance, Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra, Kidkanevil, Homecut, Lotek & Amenta and is well worth getting on the D/L. For those travelling home for Christmas but don’t fancy listening to Chris Rea – most of our readership I’d hope – then Neon Neon can sate your music x travelling needs with their comback track entitled Wheels. Released by the lovely folk at Lex, it’s good to see Gruff and Boom Bip back behind the wheel of their DeLorean.

And last but not least, if you’re after some serious hours of new musical experiences, then why not cop the entire back catalogue of Bonafide Beats. Over the past 12 months we’ve had contributions from Vast Aire, Handbook, MC Sole, Ugly Duckling, Mexicans With Guns, Stay + , Mike-L and Lopez, purveyors of ambitious, experiemental, exciting and progressive musical styles. Maybe, just maybe, the best present you’ll find under the digital Christmas tree this year.

On the same day Paul White drops Rapping With Paul White – The Remix EP as a free download from his bandcamp page and to stream below – in a first for the producer, the record includes a trio of sample-free tracks on which Paul plays drums and synths – we are also pleased to present an interview with the south London based beat maker who tells us his top five rap albums of all time, his eclectic working methods and explains why he nearly always includes his full name in the title of his albums.

What is often overlooked and underestimated in much of present day electronic music is its deep-seated influence and growth from hip-hop. Let’s be thankful for Paul White then who, with Rapping with Paul White, has produced an album that unashamedly harks back to the glory days of hip-hop. Enlisting a range of rappers ranging from American big boy Guilty Simpson to UK underground darling Jehst, White showcases a high quality study in beat production not dissimilar to Clams Casino. But what I prefer about White’s LP is its candidness.

It’s not trying to be something it’s not, that much is clear from the album’s title, not biting off more than it can chew, simply revelling in the beats and the rhymes that go with it. It is an uncomplicated master class and celebration that takes pride in its love for early 90s hip-hop. Revivalism has never felt so fresh.

What made you want to switch from the more prog/ psych-rock sound on Paul White & The Purple Brain to this more future funk/ break beat sound?

It wasn’t like I was going out to consciously do one thing then switch to the other – I try and do lots of different things all the time.  It worked out well doing The Purple Brain project, that was great fun just using one source material. Rapping With was a mix of other things I try and do, some of the beats on Rapping… are actually older than those on Purple Brain….

Explain the decision behind having a poem read by folk singer Nancy Elizabeth on the new album?

I had this weird little track, and one day Alex at One-Handed suggested Nancy do something with it.  Me and Nancy had already met and talked about doing something, so we found that poem and it worked out well.  I just had to use the take with her laughing because it always made me laugh every time I heard it! 

I like the idea of listeners being surprised too, not expecting what to come along! It’s all about fun – music to me is all about free creativity with no boundaries!

How did you decide on the various American and British MC’s for Rapping with Paul White?

Well I obviously wanted Guilty on there after doing the Ancient Treasure track with him from the Purple Brain album.  The hook up on that track came through Egon at Now Again, then through Guilty I met House Shoes, even though we’d spoken a little before.  That created the Danny Brown and Marv Won connection, then we found Homeboy Sandman and Moe Pope who were both dope too. Obviously I also wanted some UK rappers on there too, which lead me to Tranqill and Jehst.  It’s an honour to have all these people on my album, it was a lot of fun I was getting up really early everyday to work on it!

How did you get Guilty Simpson on board the album?

Apart from doing the track with him on the Purple Brain, Alex at One-Handed – who also works for Stones Throw – hit him up as he’d been sending him beats after he heard The Strange Dreams album and liked it. So we sent him a load of tracks and he picked from them. It’s amazing to get to work with Guilty.  There’s more coming soon hopefully…

What are you top five rap records of all time?

We’ll five rap albums i grew up on were:

Blacksheep – A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
Old Dirty Bastard – Return To The 36 Chambers
Pete Rock – Soul Survivour
The Pharcyde – Labcabincalifornia
Group Home – Living Proof

Why do you always include your name in all of your album titles?

I’ve never really thought about it!  There’s “Sounds From The Skylight”, which is an exception.  I suppose with the idea of using such a regular name, my normal real name, it’s worked out funny seeing it in a new strange context.  I’s not an ego thing it’s a funny jokes thing!

How do you feel about being called the ‘21st century DJ Shadow’?

Well I grew up listening to him, I used to love his stuff and listen to it a lot, so he’s definitely been an influence and inspiration for sure. I’m honoured I suppose, but also would like to be thought of as myself first and foremost!

What is it you prefer about creating one long sound arc as opposed to just one track at a time?

I don’t prefer it, I like doing it all – I just like creating an experience, a journey, a world you can just go off into!

What with Wayne (Francis) who plays with United Vibrations, Henry (Keen) from Soundspecies and Mo Kolours (Joseph Deenmamode), would you say that there a scene developing in south east London?

For sure!  It’s cooking up gradually!  It’s weird – it feels like there’s suddenly lots of creative people in Peckham.  I just moved into a place with Henry from Soundspecies who I’ve known for about 6 years now through a music college we both worked at, also Wayne from United Vibrations.  I also live with a guy called Robbie who’s an amazing jazz piano player, my mates Mo Kolours and Tightface live down the road, and through all of us we know another load of musicians.  It’s crazy, people just need to start hooking up, its gradually happening I think.

Lev Harris

Paul White and One-Handed Music label mate Mo Kolours play live at London’s Camp on 11th November – click here for more info.

In preparation for the release of Ugly Duckling’s fifth full length album, Moving at Breakneck Speed, the group have embarked on an extensive UK tour and have been good enough to deliver an exclusive mix for our Bonafide Beats series.

Ugly Duckling – Young Einstein, Andy Cooper and Dizzy Dustbin – have never been ones to take themselves too seriously. With their over sized ‘doockie’ gold rope chains and baggy attire it could be said the group were a proto-Goldie Looking Chain, except The Long Beach natives have actually made some pretty good tunes (indie-rap classic A Little Samba comes to mind among others).

Eschewing the gangsta rap style that dominated the local landscape when they first got started back in the early 90s UD have stuck to their guns, releasing good time vibes hip-hop over serious digger samples and scratches courtesy of DJ Young Einstein.

Their Bonafide Beats selection is no different, encapsulating the global feel that comes with a hectic touring schedule. Andy ‘Cat’ Cooper hosts and Einstein cooks up a mix featuring obscure Japanese funk-punk, smouldering Brazilian soul, Biz Markie, DJ Prince Ice, Del The Funky Homosapien and Michael Jackson. As you can expect there’s no tracklist with this one.

UK Tour Dates

SAT 08th OCT – BATH MOLES
SUN 09th OCT – SWINDON VIC
MON 10th OCT – PORTMOUTH HIGHLIGHT
TUE 11th OCT – HIGH WYCOMBE WAMA
WED 12th OCT – EXETER CAVERN
THURS 13TH OCT – PLYMOUTH RIDE CAFÉ
FRI 14TH OCT – LONDON JAZZ CAFÉ
SAT 15TH OCT – BRIGHTON HAUNT
SUN 16TH OCT – SOUTHHAMPTON ORANGE ROOMS
TUE 18TH OCT – HASTINGS BRASS MONKEY
WED 19TH OCT – NORWICH ARTS CENTRE
THURS 20TH OCT – OXFORD BILLINGDON
FRI 21ST OCT – BRISTOL BLOWPOP BIRTHDAY @ IN MOTION
SAT 22ND OCT – CARDIFF SWN FESTIVAL
SUN 23RD OCT – BIRMINGHAM RAINBOW
MON 24TH OCT – STRATFORD UPON AVON COX YARD
TUE 25TH OCT – YORK FIBBERS
WED 26TH OCT – LEEDS HIFI
THURS 27TH OCT – MANCHESTER SOUND CONTROL
FRI 28TH OCT – GLASGOW KING TUTS
SAT 29TH OCT – BLACKPOOL TAVERN
SUN 30TH OCT – LIVERPOOL KAZIMIER
MON 31ST OCT – EDINBURGH SNEAKY PETES
TUE 1ST NOV – SHEFFIELD TUESDAY CLUB
WED 2ND NOV – NOTTINGHAM BODEGA
THURS 3RD NOV – GALWAY ROISIN DUBH [IRELAND]
FRI 4TH NOV – DUBLIN CRAWDADDY [IRELAND]

If you were going to dial up someone to make a funk mix, chances are Dante Carfagna would be near the top of your list. Thankfully in 2005 Andrew Meza and BTS Radio managed to get through on a phone line that was constantly engaged as Carfagna held court with the likes of Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow. Sit back and enjoy as one of the world’s leading authorities on rare groove thumbs through his collection of 45s and presents the (Get)Downers Mix.

Ok, this mix has been with us for a couple of weeks now and it’s been on heavy rotation. The man behind the wheels of steel is Keor Meteor, the 26 year old Parisian beatmaker who is gaining a steady following due to his generous output on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Making beats since 2005, the funky Frenchman has not only adopted some of the soul-slicing style of Madlib, Dilla and Premo but also their prolific release rate. Encompassing seven free EP releases this year, he has also found time to produce the Classique album with Yamio263 and Dennis Dove as well as winning a national remix competition for French MC Youssoupha.

He has just released his 8th EP The 8th Library via his Bandcamp page. Feel free to support with a donation. You can also grab his other free EPs here too.

Despite modern techniques, Keor is stoically committed to golden era production and has no interest in moving beyond gorgeous jazz and soul samples and infectious spoken-word hooks. In a good way. It’s boom bap for 2011 and beyond.

1. Tony Mc Kopfnick & Dj Fable – Listen Close
2. Stikz – Peach
3. Keor Meteor – Gardening Tips
4. Double Life – Godfather Don
5. Semiologist – Moonlight
6. Proflogik – Keter
7. AL_PD – Slops 404
8. Aether – Alack the day
9. Drana.L – Meddling BP
10. Keor Meteor – Countin Cabbage
11. Tesla Electricity – The Hybrid Tactics
12. Broke – Third Time the charm
13. Tired Eyes – Knox
14. Keor Meteor – Big Lee
15. Phorsus – Wrist Strength
16. Juj – Dont Hate on Tech Decks 1.2
17. B.Lewis – Good Riddance

This week’s Monday MP3 Grab is brought to you by Bonafide magazine issue 01 interviewee DJ Woody. DJ Woody has been a mainstay of the UK hip-hop scene for years and his Technicolour Tape Vol 1 is a piece of rare craftsmanship and well worth getting on the D/L.

Several indie labels have suffered over the past week so Label Lov Vol III is a timely pick-me-up reminding us why we love music produced and driven by genuine passion. Vol III of this excellent series includes Bonafide favourites Paul White, Mo Kolours, The Stepkids and Bonafide regular Kidkanevil.