The Stepkids
The Stepkids
Stones Throw

I’ve had this album for less than 48 hours. I’ve played it five times. It’s very, very, very good.

…Read More.

Filed under: Funk, Reviews, Soul by J.G.
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Atmosphere
The Family Sign
Rhymesayers

Six studio albums and several more E.P.s in is an impressive feat for any band but you’d get long odds indeed on an independent rap group from the Midwest surviving and thriving for this long. Like distance runners, Ant and Slug have settled into a measured pace and played to their strengths on latest album The Family Sign. …Read More.

Filed under: Hip-hop, Reviews by P.A.
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Various
True Soul Vol 1 and 2
Now Again

Ever since the now mythical Chains and Black Exhaust compilation piqued my interest at the turn of the millennium, I have been a habitual consumer of the output of Memphix, Now Again, Mochilla and the other connected labels and acts that specialise in this genre. Chains and Black Exhaust proved an elusive prize. Every so often I’d read a tit-bit about it on a forum or in a knowing review. It’d be on my radar, whetting my appetite but then would prove impossible to find and it’d disappear down the Wanted List and I’d forget about it. I finally nailed it a year or so ago and, with all it’s Hendrix-esque, un-fettered lushness, I was engrossed.

The point of these ramblings? That there is a whole other world of good stuff out there which aforementioned labels have an un-canny habit of unearthing, dusting down and preserving for future generations. And you, dear reader, should be making the most of this.

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Filed under: Reviews, Soul, Uncategorized by J.G.
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Thundercat
The Golden Age of Apocalypse
Braindfeeder

Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, has had a prolific few years, appearing as bassist on a number of significant projects –  Flying Lotus’ Cosmogramma and Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah  Part Two (Return of the Ankh) being two of the most notable. …Read More.

Filed under: Bass, Electronic, Hip-hop, Jazz, Reviews by D.K.
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Charles ‘Packy’ Axton.
Late Late Party: 1965-67
Light in the Attic Records

A new one from Light in the Attic is a collection of recordings from 1965-’67 either written by and including or just plain including hard and heavy sax player Charles ‘Packy’ Axton.

This guy had all the hallmarks of musical royalty – played with Steve Cropper and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn (of Booker T and the MGs ) and his mum and uncle co-founded Stax Records. So why has only a the privileged few heard of him?

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Filed under: Reviews by J.G.
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Street Fonts: Graffiti Alphabets from Around the World
Claudia Walde
Thames & Hudson

Claudia Walde (or MadC as she is known in graffiti circles) spent over two years collecting alphabets by 154 artists from 30 different countries. Each artist was briefed to design their own version of the 26 letters of the latin alphabet. …Read More.

Filed under: Book Reviews, Graffiti, Reviews, Street Art by P.A.
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Necro DeathMort
Music of Bleak Origin
Distraction Records

It is a classic move, the use of a double tautology to signal the requisite capacity for irony required to assume metal’s patently ridiculous iconography. In fact it’s not dissimilar to calling yourself ‘Cash Money’, and shows the mixture of both distance and – pardon the pun – investure required to simultaneously be part of a genre, while also pointing towards its inherently juvenile concerns. A two-piece, who in 2009 garnered some hype as a sort of electronic doom-metal cross-over act with their debut release This Beat is Necrotronic, Necro DeathMort have accrued a degree of coinage as a band that revel in a form of genre transformation.

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Filed under: Reviews by J.G.
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Pusha T
My God Decon
Decon

Pusha T’s debut solo single comes following a number of reputation-bolstering appearances on the work of others, the most notable of which being his vocals on Kayne West’s ‘Runaway’ from last year’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. There’s an understandable amount of anticipation following Pusha’s release, which acts as a preview for his forthcoming EP, due later this year. As one half of Clipse, Pusha’s voice is not an unfamiliar one, and his performance on ‘My God’ more hardened veteran than young buck making his début.

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Filed under: Reviews by J.G.
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Filed under: Reviews by J.G.
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Mount Kimbie
Carbonated EP
Hot Flush

What with the restless and ever-changing soundscape of the underground electronic scene, it comes as no surprise that Mount Kimbie have taken a step back from the all-too illusory world of hype, and given themselves some time before plotting a follow up to their critically lauded LP Crooks and Lovers. This measured approach, something that reveals itself in the music that the duo produces, has culminated in the release of their Carbonated EP. …Read More.

Filed under: Bass, dubstep, Electronic, Reviews by D.K.
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