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Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


One of Brazil's most prominent rappers Criolo returns with his first album in almost four years. Showing a natural maturity and development, Convoque Seu Buda (Summon Your Buddha) is a spell-binding experience that digs much deeper than the harder rap he made a name for himself with years ago. Cuts like "Casa De Papelao" are smoky, cosmic soul joints while "Cartao De Visita" is a fun throwbacks to the chronic sounds of the early 90s. Sugar-sweet skanks can be found deep in the sandy groove of "Pe De Breque" while anthemic, lighter-raising vibes can be found on "Piano De Voo" where Criolo's sharp tongue gives Em a run for his money.

Review: .Often considered to be one of the biggest commercial flops in music recording history, Standing In The Spotlight was the 1989 debut solo album from Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone. Released under his rap moniker Dee Dee King, the bizarre project served up an amalgam of old school hip-hop, late 50s garage rock and even doo-wop, all blended together in chaotic fashion, and led by Dee Dee's new gangster bravura. It's been noted that the hip-hop-centric attire seen on the cover was adorned by Dee Dee at his last few Ramones shows shortly before departing, which drew major ire from his bandmates. Tapping Marky Ramone to oversee percussion samples, and even enlisting Debbie Harry (Blondie) to provide backing vocals on 'Mashed Potato Time', and, 'German Kid', with the latter featuring vocals sung in both English and German (nodding to Dee Dee's growing up as an army brat), the album was crafted with every earnest intention of launching Dee Dee's solo career. Conceptually inspired whilst in rehab and used as a project of focus when embracing his newfound sobriety; the sheer enthusiasm and fearlessness of Standing In The Spotlight grants it a pass and a place as a truly absurd offshoot oddity from a vital member of the one of the defining punk bands.

Review: Sometimes a great 7" is just about having those essential tune within easy reach, and tunes don't come more essential than this. When we look back to the breakthrough years of hip-hop, two of the first tracks that spring to mind are 'White Lines' and 'The Message', where Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five proved there was a wealth of creative potential for the burgeoning rap movement. 'White Lines' is the all-out party monster sampling Liquid Liquid and dropping some insanely catchy hooks throughout. 'The Message' is quite simply one of the most important tracks of any genre, ever. Pristine electro synth lines and a hard-bitten look at street level reality, expressed with such poetic grace and unflinching honesty, it still leaves its mark decades later. Now, you can cop these two iconic gems on a none-funkier purple 7".

Review: Beneath the grit and, err, grime of UK MC output, there's a highly fertile and imaginative artsy scene making underground stars in cities like London and Manchester. Names like Blackhaine, Icebox Violet, and Novelist have long-since flown flags - to various extents - for experimental tracks that marry rhymes, poetry, abstract musicality and heavy broken beats.

Coby Sey is another for that list, and like the rest, as he explains on 'Permeated Secrets', he "don't care if you like my work". Simply put, these sounds aren't for everyone, they were never intended to be. Instead, they showcase a staunchly British take on urban observation, packed with melancholy, hints of rave, and a love for exploring outsider ends of established art forms - often winding up in places few have been before.

Review: Let the speculation begin, because here we have a new EP from an artist about which we know nothing on a similarly anonymous new label. T Recs has pressed up these two house cuts on alluring green wax and riddled them with big samples. The first will be familiar to fans of Donald Glover's 'This Is America' which has the vocal samples and crowd chants layered into a chunky tribal house cut. On the flip is a similar tune with tweaked vocals. Both will bring big reactions to the club.