zuli’s new offering trigger finger is a game of shadowy atmospheres and unquiet spirits. it functions as a spacial and temporal compactor, using sampling and field recordings to reconstruct reality’s dissonance, while at the same time reverse its own introspective character into bass weight and outworked tension. a kind of extremization of zuli’s own roots as a beatmaker for the cairo rap scene, tinged with the clandestine and delirious urbanism of grime and jungle, and fronted by the necessity to face its own dark side. but the dark and crusty sonic palette does not limit the possibility for the tracks to display various layers of emotional content.

soul jazz records’ new boombox 3 continues the story of the first rap records to be put onto vinyl. it is a jam-packed collection of original independent ‘old-school’ hip-hop, created with just one thing in mind – to get this party jumping! this soul jazz records album is released on heavyweight triple vinyl (+ download code) with full notes.

the french in the 80s were not faint-hearted: as some threw themselves heart and soul into music or business, others wouldnt mind going bottomless to get themselves noticed. while bernard tapie soon realized his own fortune was rather to be found in business, many music-loving dreamers already imagined themselves in the sun, in an enchanting world made of funky rhythms and synthesizers.

jay-z’s iconic 2nd album from 1996 back on double vinyl. incl. you belong to the city (the city is mine) !

b from e (frej garcia levin) represents a new generation of talented young artists making waves in copenhagen. of mexican-danish descent, and born and raised in the notorious tower blocks of the south-western suburbs of copenhagen, the 27-year old is on the up-and-up. in high demand as the founder of boom bap rap group natkat, producer of pop outfit ny sensei (new sensei) and head of tape-only label buddahood, the multi-talent seems to have a hand in everything at the moment. his 2017 debut porno tr-xxx (c.u.p) saw some of the hottest names in the game spinning b from e at last year s dekmantel festival, resulting in offers from several well-known record labels.

his new record on tartelet records comes as four cuts exploring different paths of the garage house sound. the opener dark energy is fueled by filthy breaks and a nostalgic theme that would not be out of place in an early atari computer game. the people (dream mix) is a trippy tour through subtle layered melodies, carried by a stripped-back groove.

on the b-side you will find positive sister (2605 tool) : a chunky cut with a serious bassline. saving the best for last, you will see , rounds off the record in style. a feel-good tune that is sure to get plenty of spins this summer. hot tip!

originally released in ‘06/’07 as the appetizer to only built 4 cuban linx ii, the vatican mixtape series consists of a vast collection of unreleased tracks, wu & solo classics (“shame on a ni**a”, “diesel”, “ghetto boy”, & “yae-yo”), as well as some of rae’s best guest work through the years (“the heist”, “brown paper bag”, & “bump bump”). volume 2 includes guest spots from busta rhymes, nas, az, & wu-tang brethren rza, gza, & ghostface killah. this 2xlp is the first time this volume and series gets pressed to wax, and features completely new artwork for a fresh look

acid hologram is a record that travels between past, present and future. it is a real mix of different stiles, this makes it difficult to define as a genre. analogue incursions typical of acid and electro fuse with the melodic immediacy of trance, cohabit with cruel drum breaks and crazy idm interventions, creating a scenario composed of different styles and nuances, bizarre as well as emotional, enveloped by an idea of euphoria typical of the underground music of the early 90s, that allowed us to rediscover a personal sound, without compromise. produced between the end of 2013 and 2017, it was published as a limited edition and the first cassette release by weme records, the idea of the format justifies the need to publish such a high number of tracks, on an alternative medium that is able to reflect the identity of an equally unconventional sound. the tracklist titles reveal visual suggestions that recall the years of the rave scene of the early 90s and the cyberpunk imaginary in which the author grew up

die menschen sind unsicher. sie fürchten die zukunft. sie suchen einen anker, an dem sie sich festhalten können. einen leuchtturm, der ihnen den weg weist, sie brauchen etwas, an das sie wieder glauben können. immer mehr verlieren das vertrauen in überholte instanzen und halten nach etwas neuem, etwas kräftigem ausschau.
sie finden analog mechanics.
die drei jungs begnügten sich bislang damit, mit geistig behinderten babyschimpansen klettertouren zu veranstalten, sozial benachteiligte kinder zu segnen, heilmittel gegen unheilbare krankheiten zu entwickeln (sie verkauften sie aber nicht an den mainstream, denn der ist wack) und selbstfindungsseminare (meistens klettergarten) für mc s mit unangemessenem selbstbild durchzuführen. all das füllte sie nicht aus. also bestiegen sie den himalaya ohne sauerstoffflaschen und bauten ein zelt auf. wilczynski klopfte dabei derart rhythmisch auf die zeltstangen, wildstyle kratzte sich ebenso unnachahmlich am kopf, dass das röcheln von onetake problemlos als rap-part durchging.
der rest ist geschichte.

originally released back in 2011, lord giveth, lord taketh away, saw freddie gibbs team up with legendary east coast beat maker statik selektah. the project was recorded in a single day, with the sessions being broadcast out on u-stream. across the seven track ep, gibbs showcases his hyper technical gansta rap flow, stepping out of his comfort zone rapping over some classic nyc boom bap production. the ep features guest spots from trae the truth, smoke dza, termanology and more. omerta inc. will be bringing this collaborative project to vinyl for the first time. as well as featuring the seven tracks from the original project, the vinyl release will include two bonus tracks, crushin’ feelings and carry on featuring joey bada$$.

a virtuoso, known for boundary-pushing production (often fusing traditional hip-hop drum programming with sampling and live music) and thoughtful lyrics, black milk is respected across the industry for his unique sound, consistency and innovation. returning to the scene amidst a turbulent political climate, the detroit-born rapper/producer announces fever, his upcoming studio album. black milk s sixth solo rap album, and his first since 2014 s if there s a hell below, fever combines pointed and topical lyrics and brilliant musicianship, including percussion from all-star musicians chris “daddy” dave (d angelo, adele, justin bieber) and daru jones (jack white), bass by long-time collaborator malik hunter and keys and guitar from newcomers ian fink and sasha kashperko, respectively. black milk evolves his production style of fusing electronic, soul, rock and other soundscapes with electronic programming and live music, a method he began experimenting with on his 2010 release album of the year. a cohesive 12-track project, listening to fever evokes the feeling of scrolling through an endless news feed, finding black milk reporting and commenting on the world s problems with empathy, clarity, and wit. additional vocals from dwele, aaron -ab- abernathy, and sudie (a producer / vocalist signed to black milk’s computer ugly label) serve to juxtapose black’s heavy lyrical content with airy vibes. pressing on red & black coloured vinyl, comes with poster and sticker included.

four trax taken from helixs greatest hits vol 2 lp. classic house, disco and atl rap motifs reimagined as rough-and-ready nu skool club trax.

the moment every true rap fan has been waiting for! ocean wisdom’s second album, the highly anticipated wizville is on the horizon. showing true signs of progression, ocean wisdom has turned in something nothing short of incredible. with guest appearances from an all star cast, ocean has left no stone unturned, touching upon multiple genres and bringing together some of the biggest legends in the history of the industry. wizville boasts an unrivalled track list including collaborations with the record breaking, genre defining, phenom that is dizzee rascal! the legend himself and arguably one of the greatest rappers of all time, wu tang clan’s own method man! the mercury award winning scene smasher who defined a generation, roots manuva! the grime scene og who birthed a generation of mcs with unmatched skill, p money! the most poignant person with a pen in ukhh, jehst! the ukhh veteran and most respected wordsmith in the game, chester p! the original riddim killa and londons own originator rodney p and the grime scene’s dr dre aka rude kid. to top it off, ocean has also enlisted the musical talents of baquiat, leaf dog, mystry, illinformed, kidkanevil, chemo, pete cannon, muckanicks, pitch 92 & more to produce the album.

summers sons! ein aufstrebendes hip hop duo bestehend aus den brüdern turt (rap) und slim. (beats) aus london/bristol. charlie tappin, der mit turt auf twit ones letztem album hay luv vertreten war, steuert keys und vocals bei. slim. hat bereits beats über brownswood recordings, benoffee pies und ko-op veröffentlicht.

berghain resident somewhen debuts on ostgut ton with four-track ep afl. growing up the son of polish immigrants in berlin neukölln in the 90s, somewhen cut his teeth as a producer within the city’s burgeoning rap and r&b scenes, making beats for local mcs and gravitating toward bass-heavy arrangements. at the time, pre-gentrified neukölln was known as an affordable working class district with high dropout and unemployment rates – paths somewhen avoided by immersing himself in sound engineering, working construction and, in his spare time, honing his gritty productions.

violet and bleid met last year in lisbon, at the radio quântica studios. in the very same day, they impromptu started working together on a track: a cover of underground sound of lisbon’s so get up to celebrate international womens day. together, alongside a crew of young lisbon djs and activists, they also run the queer techno party mina, one of the most vital things going on in the city’s nightlife - the picture in the artwork was taken in the backstage of one of those infamous, dark-room-equipped parties.
bleid remixed naive001’s togetherness by violet, and that dope rework made it to rroxymore’s bag (as heard at berghain) and was played on bbc radio 6, rinse fm and +++. the pair became friends, started bouncing ideas about production techniques, rap skills and the importance (or lack thereof) of the classics in dance music. making more music together happened naturally.
naive002 feels like a continuation of naive’s first release in some ways: the jungle-inspired chopped breaks, sonic synth work and oneiric pads are still there but gain a heavier, perhaps more somber tone at times, exploding into depth or ecstasy at others.

remastered reissue of millie jackson’s classic album from 1974.

straight up electrotechno from the westcoast of holland, name-dropping everybody and then some. comes in the electro rap vocal version, instrumental and a jacking motor dub. all on the new label den haag.

our sixth release is two previously unreleased versions of signs of a dying love with the a side being much slower in tempo than the vinyl release on otb records. whilst on the flip the song appears to be the same as the otb records version, but without the spoke rap at the beginning. this is a timeless piece of soul music that deserves a wider audience.

inspired by a fluid mix of global club sounds including uk funky, kuduro, techno and rap, nervous horzion co-head tsvi is to kick off 2018 with the release of new ep, ‘rambo’. comprised of six tracks, including collaborations with dj jm and fellow nervous horizon boss, wallwork, as well as a bonus remix from luru, ‘rambo’ details how tsvi’s sound continues to evolve, taking on bold new shapes in the process.

kadena - multi track version parts 1 and 2. which are un released stripped down versions .- sampled by ghetto boys -mind playing tricks on me- rap hip hop classic. stands out the most what i love about this song, guitars are the main hook, the horns sections stripped out, plus added guitar solo on part 2 breaks it down for that heavy soul , funk fuzz..

the layered effect by us rapper/producer andy cooper offers a punchy reminder of the creative fun to be had in digging for breaks, stringing up loops and layering up stratas of sound. brimming full of delightful inflexions from the world of jazz, easy listening, film soundtracks and hollywood voices, its a perfectly stitched sound patchwork that pays loving hommage to the classic, funky days of early rap. a touching testimony to the joys of hip-hop then and now.

second album from the black eyed peas, originally released in 2000 - now back on 180 gram double vinyl plus download code.

liebe leser, früher war alles, früher. bevor der denkmalschutz und die alterszipperlein für uns zu beherrschenden themen werden, hatten wir letzten oktober mit allerhand gästen und weggefährten für drei abende im hamburger mehr! theater am großmarkt rückwärts geguckt. mit dj exel. pauly (deine freunde), sven regener (zatopek, element of crime), boy, fatoni, dj rabauke (eins zwo), der tobi & das bo (5 sterne deluxe) blickten wir zurück in eine versunkene welt der jahre zwischen 1992 und 2000. damals, als wir lernten, auf den bühnenbrettern nicht auszurutschen (fragt mal boris!), am mikrophon nicht zu kapseln und unbeschriebene landkarten der hiesigen rap music vollzukritzeln ... klaro, die music ham wir direkt digital gespeichert, ein paar minikameras liefen mit während der show und im garderobenkeller, anlässlich von gesprächen über früher. unser plan: die herumfliegenden einzelteile zu einem schönen souvenir aus sound & vision zusammenzuklotten für alle, die mit uns waren und die unerlaubt fehlenden schwänzer. gönnt euch (das)! fettes brot

p2s is back with a second break beat maboul edition by dj clif. including breakbeat, scratches & acapella!

paul white received universal acclaim for producing the majority of danny browns genre-defying atrocity exhibition album. in 2016 he also released a collaborative record with open mike eagle, and began work on a slew of solo material to be released on r&s records. with a free beat tape ‘everything youve forgotten’ released in january he now returns with danny brown on two tracks that showcase a producer at the very top of his game and one of the most exciting mcs of his generation. accelerator is a fuzzed-out psych monster that defies conventions about what rap music should sound like in 2017, while lions den proves that paul white and danny brown can beat the traditionalists at their own game too. instrumentals are included for both, as well as hand-drawn artwork by paul white himself.

american electro rap legend kyper checks in with the german label ground control.
produced by the brazilian bass connection (bbc) aka heliobranco and tom oliver, the new song let the bass come out clear delivers a shameless old school miami bass orgy with heavy 808 beats, 80s style rapping, vocoder vocal bits and fresh scratching.
the perfect choice for a remixer comes with miami bass heavyweight debonaire, who also produced classics with legendary groups maggotron and dynamix ii, taking the song to the next level of bass boom. turn up the bass!

ltd disco reissue - classic

second release of nathan melja on his own imprint dream real, this is not a techno ep, this is not a bass ep, this is simply a music record. four tracks going from ambient to club music to a weird and slowed down rap by himself on the eponymous title raindrops enjoy and much love to y all.

sean price sadly passed away on august 8th, 2015. sean was 1/2 of heltah skeltah, 1/8 of boot camp clik and developed a cult-like following with his trio of solo album releases starting in 2011. the sean price legacy continues with the highly anticipated posthumous release of his 4th studio album, imperius rex. key selling points: the album features doom, prodigy, styles p, smif n wessun, rock, method man, raekwon, inspectah deck, junior reid, buckshot, ruste juxx, bernadette price & more. production from alchemist, harry fraud, nottz, amongst others.

sunstrumental is a double single of two neck breakin, raw, dirty, mpc cuts. it s a nod to the boom-bap school but at the same time also breaks that dogma with fresh current details. instrumentals that many mcs would love to jump on but it s even better they didnt. sunstrumental is the first solo vinyl release by sunnysun, but expect this to be just the beginning of what is to yet to come. sunny is an all-round player: established as an mc (croatian freestyle vice-champion), he lately shifted his focus more on studio work and djing. he created the first mixtape of exclusively slovenian rap music selotejp, his beats underline the lyrics of numerous mcs and appear on compilations like stiropor, ctrl n and btf x rx:tx. all in all, an unorthodox whiz never afraid of gazing into different directions, never limiting himself to just one side of hip hop. truly one of the key players, linking the various clans, posses, crews and cliks. these are his beats.

erste 12 inch auskopplung aus dem anfang 2018 erscheinenden neuen nightmares on wax-album -shape the future- ist der key-track -citizen kane- feat. mozez und allan kingdom (u.a. kanye west, flume) on vocals. ein tiefschürfender, in gospel-sounds getränkter hip hop-track, der verdeutlicht, welche reise und entwicklung n.o.w.-produzent george evelyn in seiner langjährigen karriere zurückgelegt hat. dazu gibt es zwei club-remixes von ron trent aus chicago. limitierte auflage inkl. download-code.

ltd repress
early support : andy hart, black loops, chasing kurt, dj t.,freund der familie, frits wentink, hector couto, hunee, jovonn, krl, loz goddard, luke solomon, luna city express, rainer trueby, robert owens, roman rauch, saine, sello, urulu, youandme and many more...

high focus records regular and member of uk rap super group the four owls, verb t has joined forces with production wizard pitch 92 for the new album ‘good evening’.
pitch, who has spent the past few years as the musical mastermind behind the award winning mouse outfit collective has excelled himself on this release bringing to the table a delectable selection of funk & soul infused bangers serving as the perfect backdrop for verb t to unleash his smooth brand of thoughtful lyrics and hooks.
having spent 3 years writing for ‘good evening’ verb t has put forward some of his most personal rhymes to date, delivered with a new found passion that sees the veteran build on a body of work that stretches back to the days of low life records and now sees him as a major part of the ever expanding high focus records movement. the album features guest vocals from uk giants ocean wisdom, jehst, drs, fliptrix, bva, king kashmere of strange u, sparkz, black josh, rye shabby, confucious mc and moreone.
‘good evening’ on limited edition vinyl will be officially released with a digital dropcard containing a digital copy of the album plus bonus instrumentals!

2017 remixed & remastered edition.
composed of members buckshot, 5ft, and dj evil dee, black moon simultaneously kicked off and defined the rap renaissance of new york with the release of enta da stage in 1993. whereas plenty of earlier groups had spit rage-filled rhymes to tear down the world’s unjust establishments, no one had evoked brooding pathos or introspective anger quite like black moon. underground hip-hop might have been dominated by the sunny sound of g-funk when enta da stage dropped, but from then on the scene turned to the dark side. black moon was rising.

wu-tang clan struck gold (and then platinum) with their debut enter the wu-tang (36 chambers). in addition to astronomical sales, the release has been dropped into list such as nme’s top 100 albums of all time, pitchfork’s top 100 albums of all time, q’s 90 best albums of the 90s, rolling stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time and 100 best albums of the 90s, vibe’s 100 essential albums of the 20th century and the source’s 100 best rap albums. and that’s the short list of lists. get on down will now be issuing every single cut from enter the wu-tang as a 7” singl

wu-tang clan struck gold (and then platinum) with their debut enter the wu-tang (36 chambers). in addition to astronomical sales, the release has been dropped into list such as nme’s top 100 albums of all time, pitchfork’s top 100 albums of all time, q’s 90 best albums of the 90s, rolling stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time and 100 best albums of the 90s, vibe’s 100 essential albums of the 20th century and the source’s 100 best rap albums. and that’s the short list of lists. get on down will now be issuing every single cut from enter the wu-tang as a 7” single

wu-tang clan struck gold (and then platinum) with their debut enter the wu-tang (36 chambers). in addition to astronomical sales, the release has been dropped into list such as nme’s top 100 albums of all time, pitchfork’s top 100 albums of all time, q’s 90 best albums of the 901s, rolling stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time and 100 best albums of the 90s, vibe’s 100 essential albums of the 20th century and the source’s 100 best rap albums. and that’s the short list of lists. get on down will now be issuing every single cut from enter the wu-tang as a 7” single.

wu-tang clan struck gold (and then platinum) with their debut enter the wu-tang (36 chambers). in addition to astronomical sales, the release has been dropped into list such as nme’s top 100 albums of all time, pitchfork’s top 100 albums of all time, q’s 90 best albums of the 901s, rolling stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time and 100 best albums of the 90s, vibe’s 100 essential albums of the 20th century and the source’s 100 best rap albums. and that’s the short list of lists. get on down will now be issuing every single cut from enter the wu-tang as a 7” single.

from the opening bars of this debut album you instantly just know it’s going to deliver the tunes, and it doesn’t let up until the last note. the allergies’ modus operandi is taking vintage sounds and reshaping them for modern dance floors, and they go about it with style.
effortlessly fusing funk, soul, disco, hip-hop and breaks, dj moneyshot and rackabeat provide the perfect brand of feel-good, energetic ear candy that will leave a smile on your face and give you happy feet. but that’s not all..., they have teamed up with some top mc’s in hypeman sage and blurum13, as well andy cooper of long beach’s world-renowned rap group, ugly duckling.

limitierte pressung auf rotem vinyl.
schon 2005 gründete sich das schweizer quartett aus mitgliedern der lausanner jazz-szene. doch von anfang an lag der fokus von olivier bill (querflöte), pierre-henry beyriere (bass), marc siegenthaler (keyboards) und sylvain rütti (schlagzeug, percussion) auf den tanzflächen der clubs, ihre groovebetonte, überwiegend instrumentale musik hat neben eleganten einflüssen aus jazz, soul, funk, afrobeat und psychedelia stets auch einen knackigen einschlag von 60’s beat, garage und lofi.
auf »released!« versammeln die musiker zehn brandneue wie auch bereits auf raren 7”-singles veröffentlichte songs und remixes. echte acid jazz-freaks kennen die kracher ›wonder zebra‹ oder ›v. l.a. m. (lack of afro remix)‹ vielleicht schon, ›hurricane train‹ kommt hier im soulbrigada-remix, und mit ›jump the gun‹ und dem rap-feature von afu-ra gibt es sogar einen vocal-track.
gemein ist allen tracks ihr feinsinniges gespür für coole grooves und melodien, die prägnanten flötenmelodien und die erstaunlich kraftvolle rhythmussektion, das alles in einer produktion, die transparenz und räumlichkeit perfekt mit analog knisterndem retro-charme verbindet. genre-feinschmecker, dj’s und testimonials können sich jedenfalls jetzt schon auf die schweizer groove-experten einigen.

potentially the love child of old dirty bastard and madlib..kenlo is an enigma not known to many, but soon to be a household alongside legends. already at the forefront of the long running montreal rap and beat scene with his alaclair crew, his wheeels ep charts into broken boogie funk territory for hot shotters worldwide! reminiscent of sa-ra outtakes but in a different looser direction, winter phonque starts of the ep full swinging and ready to knock out any sucker ducks who get in the way of the bboy circle! sur la rivere is a cheeky number to get any dance floor open and then the whole package is rounded off with future house vibes of woogie on! certified classic!

before run dmc’s collaboration with aerosmith -walk this way- (1986) smashed the hit charts and proved to the mainstream that rock and hip hop are mere sides of the same coin, the seminal hip hop group already introduced both styles to each other on their second album king of rock (1985).
this groundbreaking record was the first hip hop album to go platinum. as its title implies, the dynamic trio claim their supremacy by combining heavy 808 beats and massive guitar riff samples, proving they were the baddest group on the block, period. their sound influenced late eighties hip hop on the whole, most notoriously by their label mates the beastie boys. king of rock s influence is phenomenal. not only did it introduce rock fans to a new music, its fresh sounds also made all hip hop that came before it sound dated. this 1985 record is a trailblazing album to the umpteenth degree!
pressing on 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

beck verdankt seinem zweiten album odelay ganze zwei seiner insgesamt 5 grammy awards. vollkommen zurecht, das album mit tracks wie »where it’s at« und »devil’s haircut« wurde nicht nur aus kritikerreihen hochgelobt, sondern auch zu einem weltweiten radioerfolg.
sein siebtes album sea change ging in musikalisch neue wege. mitgenommen von einer schweren trennung, wurde sea change zu beck’s ruhigstem und emotionalsten album bislang. der größte kontrast folgte allerdings ein paar jahre später, mit beck’s achtem album guero. das genre-aufwühlende album schoss direkt auf platz 2 der billboard charts – als einziges seiner alben.
die mischung machts, denn beck überzeugt gekonnt mit seiner gewohnt ungewohnten mischung aus pop, rock, folk, country, rap, hip-hop, und und und ...
180 gramm doppel-vinyl im klappcover, downloadcode inklusive.

five years after the illustrious paranormal soul lp, techno derelict danny wolfers aka legowelt returns on clone with -legendary freaks in the trash of time-. a vivid collection of twelve genre-defying tracks: from late-night hermit house to memphis rap influenced slowjam electro, from amiga 1200 technorave to cosmic spaceweed trance, including the whole universe in between. all blended together in a mix of subdued sensuality and psychedelic splendour, this album is flavoured with legowelt s typical crunchy lo-fi sampler and synthesizer aesthetic. wolfers own hand-drawn sleeve artwork illustrates the album s mood without the need for much further promotional blurb... colourful stories embodying societal malaise and its dwellers - yet with a dash of aspiration. music for misfits, witches, dreamers, cyberpunks, outsiders, geeks, and freaks. legowelt s people.

this record is a collaborative between marq spekt and experimental, proto-new wave musician gary wilson (stones throw). it’s rare that you get the opportunity to work with the actual artist rather than just sampling his records. gary opened his vaults and provided sample soundscapes. some of these instrumentals date back to 1973 and may have been heard before. others may not. the ending result is a pure creative expression and meshes hip-hop, psychedelic, jazz and funk. soak up the vibrations and enjoy!
this is the kind of idea that makes you enjoy the fringes of rap more than what’s in the spotlight. with that said, “broken mazes” sounds weirder on paper than it does in the headphones. gary wilson is an awesomely strange dude with some outré music under his belt, but for this project spekt wisely sticks with the more accessible sides of wilson’s catalog. it’s all breezy jazz-funk with some vague psychedelic touches for extra oomph, a wide-open feld for spekt to run his free-flowing bars. the result is relaxed and enjoyable, if at times a bit unfocused – kinda like a good open-ended improv session by a talented jazz band.

rap was something that just happened to her. keny arkana was only twelve when she started writing her first lyrics. her first contacts with the record business came in 2005. but even before she infiltrated the matrix, keny released her first opus, l’esquisse, a fast and furious street album containing the hit “le missile est lancé” produced by tefa & masta as well as “de l’opéra à la plaine”, a gargantuan freestyle track by twenty writers born and bred on the streets of marseilles. 12 years after l’esquisse and 6 years after l’esquisse 2, keny releases l’esquisse 3. a spontaneous, creative, sincere, energetic and meaningful record, with powerful rhythmic and precise arrangements. even though the record has a mixtape appearance, it hasn’t been a botched job, as evidenced by its complex structure and harmony: musical interludes around the four elements, true rap anthems like “couleur molotov” or “lejos” and contemporary hits like “abracadabra” or “freestyle beatbox” with beatboxer tressym for an instrumental. both dark in its lyrics and lively in its energy, keny’s mixtape l’esquisse 3 reveals again an artist just as we could dream in 2017: clear-sighted, offensive, touching and inspired. dear she’s been missed!
double vinyl in gatefold sleeve, cd-copy of the full album included.

“rocks foe returns to black acre with new, eight-track project ‘fight the good? fight’ — a dark and conceptual record built around the notion of, according to rocks himself, “everything being an internal and external battle”. a powerful lyricist and complex story-teller, rocks’ sound combines hyper-fierce spitting with his own, abstract beat sketches. having released his impressive debut ep, ‘legion’, back in 2015 — a raw, self-produced grime-rap hybrid — he has since remained dormant to the outside world, bar a quick-fire feature on commodo’s ‘how what time’ lp in 2016.

original released in 1988, tougher than leather was the culmination of the rap/rock road that run-dmc travelled in since their earlier albums king of rock and raising hell. pressing on 180 gram vinyl