scratcha dva has come up with probably the finest match between album title and music in the history of the universe. >pretty ugly< is what it is - sweet and sour, blaring and lush, rough and smooth. the man is a genius.

pretty ugly ist das debŸtalbum von leon smart aka dva, in dem er die facetten elektronischer musik nachspŸrt und dabei gekommt mit den stilen wie uk funk, dubstep, aquacrunk und beats jogliert.

decadubs 4 is a vinyl-only companion-piece to hyperdub 10.3, the latest cd in hyperdubs ongoing series of birthday-marking collections. following on from the labels first two 10th anniversary compilations, the third act represented in 10.3 transects and extrapolates forward the hyperdub catalogue from yet another angle, this time following the melancholy vapour trail drafted by burials numerous atmospheric beatless moments. this ep tunes in to those 11 new moments of downcast ambience that comprise half of the cds complete content, resulting in over 40 minutes of hitherto-unknown audio which squarely shoulder their extended play billing.

after hyperdubs first compilation of 10th anniversary dancefloor heaters, -hyperdub 10.2- features some of the labels best songs of the last five years or so. hyperdub is often associated with dark and brooding instrumental music, however, this mid-summer collection sheds some sunlight over that dread filled reputation, showcasing an underrated cast of talented songwriters, vocalists and producers. the album is laced with brand new cuts from kode9, cooly g, morgan zarate feauring. eska and ghostface killah, jessy lanza, dean blunt & inga copeland, and dva featuring zaki ibrahim. ranging from melancholy r&b, garage, funk, footwork and icy pop, -10.2- covers this overlooked side of the labels back catalogue. the album opens with dean blunt & inga copeland-s grime lullaby signal 2012, one of their final collaborations, moving into burials dubbed-out r&b on shell of light from his seminal album untrue, and jessy lanzas stand-out cut 5785021, before sliding into the digi dub meets r & b slow jam of south londons cooly g with obsessed. king britt features next, with his fhloston paradigm project, on the deeply emotive never defeated- featuring rachel claudio. after their collaboration on his pretty ugly album, dva is joined again by south african singer zaki ibrahim with their brand new summery mutant garage track solid. dam funk jumps on ikonikas funk bomb -mr. cake-, adding a fun, party vocal. continuing the -80s funk vibe is morgan zarate and roses gabors ice cold prince-influenced pusher taker, the lead track from his 2013 ep. jessy lanza contributes some more sparkling r&b with the brand new you and me, followed by another track from morgan zarate, a lost dub featuring the soulful eska and wu tang clans ghostface killah. the tempo raises in the final stretch of the album with dvas and fatimas collaboration just vybe, terror danjah & melekas shimmering r&g cut you make me feel and the 160 bpm soul of the late dj rashads only one from his acclaimed double cup album. the cd closes with the lo-fi, bashy mutation of kode9 & copelands lies lies. 10.2 calls on hyperdubs sirens to balance the moody energy of 10.1 with fourteen slices of hyper soul. let them lead you astray