Released on Greek label Autumn Theory Records, Lost Souls is the latest release from producer Delicasteez. As mentioned on the Bandcamp page, “Delicasteez was founded in 2016 by Lobe and Mastah Melo. This will be Delicasteez’s second cassette release “Lost Souls. Half an hour of exclusive boombap/lofi material, all unreleased, never to be repressed!” It’s exactly…

Dump Gawd are a series of instalments by one of the hardest-working artists in hip-hop at the moment. Incredibly prolific but always producing high quality music, rappers like Tha God Fahim, Mach-Hommy, Al Divino and King Stogied create gritty, street hip-hop, but backed with soulful, dusty sampled production. The beats are gorgeously crafted by the talents…

René Schier is an incredibly gifted producer out of Berlin signed to the great Belgian independent label Urban Waves Records. I discovered René Schier quite recently, which makes me feel like I’ve been sleeping on the guy, because he has released a couple of fantastic beat tapes in the past, such as Zazen, released earlier this year.…

Knablinz is a talented beatmaker from Astoria, Oregon. Under his G.O.A.T Beetz label, he has released abstract, experimental beats and mixes which have caught my ear for a couple of months now. Healthy is an hour-long mix divided into two parts ‘Exercise’ and ‘Don’t Quit,’ which meander between afro-beat samples, quirky vocal chops and eerie…

AshTreJinkins is an incredibly talented producer from Los Angeles, California. I have been following this guy for a while – ever since a friend of mine introduced me to his music back in 2012. A unique beat maker with iconic drums and samples, AshTreJinkins has released a new project titled Primordial, which includes music he produced…

Future Bubblers is  relatively new idea which stemmed from Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings Label – a talent discovery and development project in collaboration with Arts Council England aimed to mentor talented young musicians to grow and develop as artists. With mentors, this is a long-term project aimed to really support young talents find their own…

Iglooghost has been an exciting and talked about producer for a couple of years now. Signed to Brainfeeder, the young artist released Chinese Nü Yr EP, an album delving into the world of footwork, 2-step garage and colourful electronic music. Two years later, Iglooghost released his highly anticipated debut album Neō Wax Bloom, which I can only describe…

Kazumi Kaneda is a Tokyo-based producer, arranger, composer and all around talented artist. His emphasis on piano-driven melodies makes him a unique contributor to the world of instrumental hip-hop and jazz music. Hard Light, Kazumi’s 3rd full length project, (his second on Inner Ocean Records, a label I have recently discovered) is an incredibly dense and…

My fascination with talented artist htrspltn (real name Ivan Zhurovich) only increased after I learnt a little more about him. From what I understand based on my Grade- A research, htrspltn is a musician based in the small city of Ulan-Ude (Улан-Удэ) in an isolated part of Russia. Having released two albums on his Bandcamp page, the wonderful…

Before I write anything about Swarvy’s fantastic Blends Volume Series, do check out some of his previous projects, including one of the rap albums of the year Due Rent with talented artist lojii, Elderberry, which was rightly included in Bandcamp’s best beat tapes article which came out not too long ago, and his recent album Bop, released on Paxico…

I discovered  Brooklyn-born Haitian musician Melanie Charles a couple of months ago through the release of her single ‘Be On My Side,’ a gorgeous lo-fi ballad which appears on her first project titled The Girl with the Green Shoes. The misty, old vinyl quality to the record gave it a unique vibe which stayed with me since…

Fresh off his incredible collaborative album with Jalal Salaam Past Lives (one of the best collaborative albums of last year), New York producer ewonee has released his 2nd full length album Molecular Structure, which he describes as ‘ a testament to the very fiber of our difference.’ It’s safe to say that ewonee knocked it out of the part with…

Danny Watts has been making waves for years now. For me, it was the collection of tracks released on Cosmic Compositions titled Messenger Series Vol.1 released back in 2013 that introduced be to the Houston rapper. With a smooth delivery, introspective lyrics and incredible production to back his vision, Danny Watts has showed a lot of…

Following the release of his second album, Jordan Rakei, the talented New Zealand native opened up in a statement about the album and the creative process behind it: “As someone who suffers from anxiety, it’s not always easy to express how you feel to other people. Having kept my anxious thoughts to myself for my…

Open Mike Eagle introduced himself on his 2014 album Dark Comedy as being ‘bad at sarcasm’ so he ‘works in absurdity.’ And so I was introduced to the lyrically witty, obscure-referencing and intelligent rapper called Open Mike Eagle. With colourful production, smooth vocal deliveries and eclectic flows, Michael Eagle has become one of the more enigmatic…

On Wiki’s first studio album No Mountains in Manhattan, the enigmatic and charismatic rapper builds on where he left off on his mixtape Lil Me. He displays his quirky, braggadocio lyrics, on soulful yet synth and 808s heavy production. What I’ve always admired about Wiki and Ratking’s music in the past is their ability to…

The Revenge of the Black Belly Button (TROBBB!) is the highly anticipated debut album from English-born DJ Kutmah, released on Big Dada Records. An influential and highly respected musician who was a part of the growth of the LA music scene in the mid 2000s (having moved as a young kid), he has dabbled into a…

On Saturation II (Brockhampton’s second studio in two months!), the ‘internet’s first boy band’ sound more creatively adventurous, focused and connected than ever before. Their second album is an improvement on all fronts – lyrically it is more complex and honest, sonically it sounds more developed and grandiose (on some tracks I can’t help but…

Signed to mndsgn’s label Akashik Records, ‘BRWN’ is the highly anticipated collaborative debut album between producer Ahwlee and vocalist/rapper Pink Siifu. ‘Brwn.Intro’ sets the tone of this project – a masterful display of colourful and soulful tones and vibes. Pink Siifu’s vocals on tracks such as ‘Brwn.Intro,’ and ‘All_Weekend (feat Vida Jafari)’ are D’Angelo-esque- sexy,…

I’ve always thought that the music scene in London is the best in the world. The city is a melting pot of cultures, sounds and artistic creativity. Keyboard extraordinaire Joe Armon-Jones and the immensely gifted producer and overall nicest guy you’ll ever meet Maxwell Owin team up on what may be the project of the…

One of the most enjoyable aspects of following and writing about music is seeing artists grow throughout the years. DJ Harrison was an artist I discovered through the beauty of Twitter, and really dug his Vault Series on his Bandcamp page. 4 years or so later he is signed to Stones Throw and has an…

‘Cleo’ is the highly anticipated debut album from Norwegian goddess Charlotte Dos Santos. Released on one of our favourite labels Fresh Selects, Charlotte Dos Santos finds herself singing about love on a layered, soulful and gorgeous backdrop. With the help of fellow Norwegian producer Fredfades, (who produced tracks ‘Watching You,’ ‘Move on’ and ‘Cleo’) Charlotte…

Brockhampton are a collective of musicians who met through KanyeToThe, a blog dedicated to everything Kanye-related and beyond. With the dream of creating timeless art, they decided to take the risk of meeting up and living in a shared house making music. Kevin Abstract, openly gay, has explored themes of sexuality and alienation from others…