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  • Music: Odeeno – Blutobal

    Our favourite Italian producer Odeeno is back with a new tape titled Blutobal on Greek cassette record label Autumn Theory Records. A smooth, bouncy tape with a moody and atmospheric sound, Odeeno tried to capture the emotions of a trip he had with his friends in Naples and Barcelona, but the emphasis on the colour…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #11: Bernie Worrell – All the Woo in the World (1978, Arista Records)

    Few keyboardists have been as influential and central to the legacy and image of a band as Bernie Worrell. One of the founding members of Parliament-Funkadelic alongside George Clinton, Bernie Worrell has been essential to the growth of the group, and has had success as a solo artist through his 1978 debut album All the Woo…

  • Music: JD. Reid – Tree

    Over the last couple of years, London producer JD. Reid has proven to be one of the most exciting and versatile producers about. With previous collaborations with the likes of D Double E, Novelist and Kojey Radical, his intricate, layered, jazzy and soulful beats have provided us with memorable soundscapes which illustrate his talents as a…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #10: Waldir Calmon – E Seus Multisons (1970, Copacabana)

    On this Sunday’s ‘Madlib Samples’ we go to Brazil in 1970 to rediscover a rare but essential gem. Waldir Calmon was a Brazilian pianist and composer, born in 1919 in Rio de Janeiro, and was a prolific musician releasing a mixture of fusion-jazz, psychedelic rock and Latin Jazz music since his first LP Série Feito Para…

  • Music: Dabrye – Three/Three

    Dabrye’s influence on hip-hop cannot be disputed. A legend in the game, the producer from Ann Arbour, Michigan has been making music for decades- his first studio album One/Three coming out in 2001, and he was released 5 critically acclaimed albums since then, including his most recent effort, Three/Three. The follow-up to the rich and important 2006 album Two/Three…

  • Music: Rejjie Snow – Dear Annie

    I have been a fan of Rejjie Snow (real name Alex Anyaegbunam) since Noisey released the video to his 2013 single “Lost in Empathy.” I became a fan of the talented Irish musician through Rejovich EP, a dark, eerie but smooth and gorgeous project which highlighted Rejjie’s skills as a versatile rapper and singer. Since then, I…

  • Music: Onra – Nobody Has To Know

    I’m going to say this straight up – Onra is a genius. A musical chameleon with his influences and sound, the French producer always finds a way to innovate in the most interesting and eclectic ways. Through his Chinoiseries trilogy of albums, he sampled Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai records after spending time in South-East Asia. The results…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #9: Jerry Butler – Power of Love (1973, Mercury Records)

    Born in Sunflower, Mississippi in 1939, Jerry Butler had an incredibly difficult childhood, growing up within the slums of a racially segregated society. He found solace in church and music, thus he was actively involved with choirs and gospel groups in his early years. Jerry sang in a choir with Curtis Mayfield, whom he became close…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #8: George Duke – Feel (1974, MPS)

    Amongst all the classic albums that George Duke released throughout his career (of which I’ve probably listened to half), no body of work was more musically diverse, rich and experimental than his 1974 masterpiece Feel. Experimenting more with synthesizer orchestration, and an acid jazz and rock fusion sound, the album focuses its attention to solo…

  • Music: Various Artists – We Out Here (Brownswood Recordings)

    Other than maybe Los Angeles, there is no other city on the planet with a more vibrant, spiritual, inspiring and exciting jazz scene than London. After moving to London in July 2016, without a specific idea of what jazz in London sounded like, I got hold of Yussef Kamaal’s Black Focus album released on Brownswood Recordings, and…

  • Music: Surly – Trip To Warsaw EP

    Astigmatic Records (who released one of my favourite releases of last year, EABS’ Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda)), are back with a new release from New Zealand native Surly. The musician has released some fantastic music in the past with Polish Juke, a crew of Polish producers and musicians who are heavily inspired by Chicago Juke and Footwork,…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #7: Gwen McCrae – Melody of Life (1979, Cat Records)

    Considered a classic by DJ’s and samplers alike, Gwen McCrae’s 1979 album Melody of Life is full of infectious grooves, funky basslines and Gwen’s gorgeous and powerful voice. Gwen McCrae’s story is an interesting one. Youngest child of 5, she began performing in local clubs, and sang in local groups like the Lafayettes and the Independents.…

  • Film: Phantom Thread (2018, UK Release)

    Paul Thomas Anderson has directed some of my favourite films ever in There Will Be Blood (2007) and Punch Drunk Love (2002). His films have the common thread of mesmerising, shocking and frustrating the audience with slow-paced dramas filled with heart and passion. On his eighth feature film Phantom Thread (2017), Paul Thomas Anderson studies the…

  • Music: Tek.lun – ALLOW IT!

    Baltimore producer Tek.lun is someone I have been following for a while now. With his wide range of influences from hip-hop, trap and electronic music, he is able to fuse them in his own unique style. His new project ALLOW IT!, as Tek.lun describes “is a collection of music I have been sitting on for a…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #6: The Supremes – New Ways But Love Stays (Motown, 1970)

    Where to even start with The Supremes? The legendary group have done nothing throughout the years but produce classic Motown records, influencing a myriad of different musicians within different genres. When Diana Ross left The Supremes in the pursuit of a solo career, Motown founder Berry Gordy decided on her replacement after seeing 24-year-old Jean Terrell perform…

  • Music: Oscar Jerome – Where Are Your Branches? EP

    Releases like this are what make me so fond of and attracted to London and its music scene. Oscar Jerome’s talents as a composer, guitarist, singer and songwriter just mesmerise me. With the help of producers Wu-Lu and Maxwell Owin, Oscar’s new 4 track EP Where Are Your Branches? sees him expanding musically from his self-titled…

  • Music: TreeHouse Vibes – QUIET

    TreeHouse Vibes are a family of incredibly talented producers, artists, DJs, photographers and graphic designers. Created in the summer of 2015, they embody the soul and energy of the creative movement that has shaped the London creative arts scene in recent years. United by their diversity, they illustrate their love for art in different ways,…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #5: Laura Nyro – Nested (1978, Colombia Records)

    Laura Nyro was an incredibly talented and beloved singer, songwriter and pianist who was most well known for having written songs for artists such as The Fifth Dimension and Barbara Streisand.  She grew up in the Bronx, New York and was part of a very musical family. She was the daughter of Gilda (born Mirsky) Nigro,…

  • Music: SiR – November

    The first TDE release of the year is also one of my most anticipated as well. SiR has been attracting an increasingly dedicated fan-base (including me, for course) with his passionate, soulful neo-soul and R&B sound. He signed to Top Dawg Entertainment in January of last year, having appeared on albums from TDE members Jay…

  • Music: Penya – Super Liminal

    Penya are a London-based band led by talented multi-instrumentalist/producer Magnus PI. Focusing their attention on making percussion-driven Afro-Latin music, their music is often meditative, electronic, with pulsating rhythms that guarantee to put you in a groove-heavy trance. After releasing a string of superb projects, such as Acelere E​.​P. (2016), they have come back strong with…

  • Music: Odeeno – Mattglre

    Vincenzo Martinelli aka Odeeno, is the talented Italian producer to watch in 2018. Born in 1991, he began to familiarise himself with hip-hop culture in 2003, first playing around with various software programs including Reason and FruityLoops. What started with a loop-based structure turned into something more refined, a groove-filled atmospheric sound that has put…

  • Music: Rhythm Section – Compilation For Dominica

    The new compilation tape from Rhythm Section is a personal one. Last year, Hurricane Maria tore through the beautiful island of Dominica, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. It’s the worst hurricane to hit Dominica on record, and thus left much of the natural landscape to die and left the inhabitants on in humanitarian…

  • Film: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018, UK Release)

    Directed by Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri follows the story of  a Mildred (played by Frances McDormand), a grieving mother trying to seek justice for the brutal killing of her teenage daughter Angela, seven months prior. Using a unique method to raise in question the murder enquiry of her daughter, she uses three billboards outside Ebbing,…

  • Film: Good Time (2017)

    Thrilling, manic, exhilarating. Those three words sum up one of the most surprising films I have seen in the last few years. Good Time, directed by the Safdie Brothers, follows the story of Constantine “Connie” Nikas (played by an inspired Robert Pattinson, who deserves at least an Oscar Nomination for his mesmerising performance), trying to save…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #4: Arawak – Accadde A ……. (1970, Squirrel Records)

    Not much can be found behind the mystique of Arawak, an Italian music project from the late Benito Simoncini (1939 -2011). He used the alias Arawak for the music he perceived as library music. In 1970, on a little known label called Squirrel Records, Benito released the album Accadde A ……., a beautifully diverse record which takes…

  • Music: René Schier – Karma + interview

    Hot off one of my favourite releases of 2017 with his album Seeds, (released on Urban Waves Records) René Schier is back again with a new project titled Karma. The German producer has created another gem, this time a slower, more atmospheric and jazzy project with a real boom-bap type energy and flow. The opening record…

  • Music: DJ Harrison – LightPower

    Richmond, VA based producer DJ Harrison comes through with an excellent new beat tape titled LightPower. It was recorded at Jellowstone rooms 1 and 2, as well as aboard one of those fast European trains in 2017 and 2018. The lo-fi tape features hard-hitting drums, soulful, colourful and jazzy loops which are murky in sound,…

  • MADLIB SAMPLES #3: Brenda Russell – If Only For One Night (1979, Horizon Records)

    Brenda Russell was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1949 to musical parents. Having moved to Ontario, Canada when she was young, she started singing in local bands as well as a Toronto-based girl group called the Tiaras alongside the wonderful Jackie Richardson. Though their first and only single “Where Does All The Time Go”…

  • Music: Raw Suppliers – beat_collective

    Dezi-Belle’s first release of 2018 comes in the form of a compilation project from the collective Raw Suppliers titled beat_collective, which features some of the most exciting musicians from the ever-expanding beat-scene in Germany. Producers Von Wegen, rzuma, maschmeyer, cizzvrp, asbeluxt, snaer, En Rie, spook da plug, plusma, Opanski, Beressi, laqueus, Ebbe Funk, High John, jengler,…

  • Music: Stephen Carmona – Time’s Intention

    Stephen Carmona is a talented young musician from Dallas. Having been fascinated by music for a long time, he was given a guitar at a young age, learning how to play Slipknot and System of a Down songs while also getting into skateboarding. The crazy thing is that he only started focusing and taking guitar…