The Japanese duo return with a new collab project. Japan’s influence on hip hop should not go unmentioned. The nation gave us anime which has become synonymous with the genre’s lo-fi variant. Some of the greatest DJ’s were born there: DJ Kentaro, DJ Krush, The Silent Poets, and the late Nujabes. From the underground, Bugseed continues to reign supreme. His heavy style of boom bap…
Lo-fi boom bap with Zelda and Mario samples? AC3Beats’ Nostalgia lives up to its name. I didn’t get my first games console until 1998 but I played on a few in the preceding years. Whether you were like me or you had them growing up, you’ll appreciate the subject matter on AC3Beats’s new album. Nostalgia has been described as “the musical equivalent of a big, warm…
An alternative Christmas beat tape by Starchildluke with a worthy cause attached. This is my album; I am Starchildluke. I refrain from promoting my music too much on the site but I thought this was relevant for two reasons: It’s for Christmas It has samples in it It came about while I was on holiday in Lisbon in November (hence the name). I got into…
He wasn’t kidding with the name. I love Christmas. I love hip hop. I love Jonwayne. So when I found out Jonwayne had made an album of Christmas beats, who do you think I reacted? The rap game St Nick has blessed us with his latest gift, Yuletide Bangerz and the title is free of hyperbole. Every song is packed with nostalgic wonder and Jonwayne’s trademark rhythms….
Germany’s Slim the Chemist keeps his jazz beats in order with his Silence EP. I found this in my bookmarks from a while back and thought I’d share it with you. Slim the Chemist is a producer from Düsseldorf in Germany and Silence EP was his first release with Roots of Society Records. I had high hopes when I discovered his origin as Germany isn’t…
Barcelona-based beatmaker Thijsenterprise drops mammoth beat tape, Stepbacks & Setbacks, dedicated to some important people in his life. “Old school hip-hop with soul and jazz samples, dusty breaks and raw chops.” With a description like that, I just had to listen when this dropped in my inbox. Thijsenterprise (real name Reinier Thijs) is a producer from Barcelona and Stepbacks & Setbacks is his latest project. 42…
Ahwlee’s new tape, liteist., shows why he’s a paragon of drum grooving. Sometimes your day/week is hell and you’d like something good and pure to remind you what life should sound like. And Ahwlee came with this proverbial olive branch, even if it wasn’t for me personally. liteist. is a wonderful 14-track beat tape with fine drums and emotive loops and chops. The grooves come…
This edition of Leftover Links is all about beats and videos. Leftover Links is back once again with some beats and videos from the past few months so enjoy! Beats Bugseed – Fresh Jive EP One of our favourite Japanese beatmakers, Bugseed, dropped a fresh beat tape called “Fresh Jive EP” on Bandcamp a few months ago. The EP was intended for the “hottest summer from…
Experimental electronic artist Ikuko Morozumi releases her latest EP, Null, with ID Spectral. The summer debate of what constituted an album thanks to K*nye’s slew of mediocre offerings may have died down but Ikuko Morozumi is far removed from that nonsense. Her new EP, entitled Null, consists of two tracks and clocks in at just over 6 minutes. The experimental musician maintains her “industrial aesthetic”…
Often a man behind the scenes, Imperial is now at the forefront with his debut album, Layers. Lord knows this project has been a long time coming. The Cambridge producer has been a frequent collaborator with K.I.N.E.T.I.K but now Imperial has a solo record to himself. The title represents Imperial’s life over the last few years. His family welcomed the birth of a baby daughter and…
