Back catalogue: Hip Hop/R&B

Review: No production outfit keeps a pace of output quite like Vibez '93. The latest four-track record from the shadowy d&b profuser now hears them summon sampled echoes of A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets respectively, culling choice acapella selections from the debut albums Low End Theory and Reachin', exegeting the former's titular theory for a hard transpose into sheller drum & bass. 'Electric Relaxation' and 'Check The Rhime' are blown out across a two-side jazzstep liquescence, while 'Cool Like That' and 'All Night Long' make for finer-brushed summer steps.

Review: The mighty Dez Andres has hooked up with Parisian digger Victor Kiswell for a sublime new double album on Spot Lite that finds a perfect sweet spot between both men's sound. It stems from a party that explores Arabic grooves from Northern Africa and the Middle East and pairs that with low slung deep house beats and hip-hop inspired joints. It's woozy and warm, packed with killer melodies and hooky riffs and is right up there with some of Dez's best work. Highlights include the likes of 'Grand Meze In Gemmayze' with its dusty beats and 'Bounce The Casbah' with Middle Eastern guitars that ring out with great soul.

Review: Smoove props up his rep as a highly consistent big beat, funk and disco crossover producer with a freight-class shipment of 'Heavy Goods'. Somersaulting out from his Geordie soul group Smoove & Turrell - on top of his sought-after multi-track vinyl re-edits, as well as his remixing prowess across hip-hop, soul, and funk - this Jalapeno Records follow-up continues Smoove's recent favourite postal theme. Indeed, the postal system is what keeps us afloat (and cue the boundless irony of Royal Mail's latest sale to a Czech billionaire, the name of whose LLC is, apropos of online music retail, "EP Group"). Betty Black & The Family Fortune, Emma Noble, Kraak & Smaak, Izo FitzRoy, The High & Mighty, and Bahama Soul Club, all are all loaned Smoove's Pygmalion hand, honing a musing work of art from many a die-cut classic. Whirlwind D's 'Labels', Izo Fitzroy's 'Blind Faith' and TGH Collective's 'Higher Collective' are special versions too. Assuming you didn't already know the songs in question, you really wouldn't be able to tell the edit jobs from the originals. Mint condition!

Review: Portland's contemporary music makers and the city's historic Black music community come together on this new remix project which draws from the Albina Music Trust's archive. Across the long player, the artist reinvents the sounds of Portland's Black musicians with a modern beat-based sensibility, all of which subtly pay homage to the 1968 "Soul Assembly" program by the Black Student Union which educated audiences about Black Portland's cultural identity. Among many standouts are reimagined works by Jonny Cool, Jumbo of The Lifesavas and Tony Ozier who do a fine job of bridging generations and highlighting Portland's rich heritage.

Review: The third volume of Gangster Music marks the grand finale of Gangster Doodles' iconic trilogy and delivers a bold, eclectic mix of underground legends and rising stars. The 30-track compilation features hip-hop pioneers like Lee Perry and Tommy Wright III alongside innovative artists such as Devin Morrison, Homeboy Sandman and Suzi Analogue. With a global lineup spanning from SoundCloud rappers to genre-defying producers, Vol. 3 naturally captures a diverse range of rap and beat cultures with real authenticity. There are stoner beats and chilling trap sounds, socially-aware calls to action and raw street-wise standouts. This series has been short-lived but much loved and closes in legendary fashion.

Review: Landing several months after it was presumably intended to be released (we blame the inevitable vinyl pressing delays), this bustling triple-vinyl set is a sequel to Parisian imprint LoFi Records' Halloween-themed compilation of 2023. Featuring fresh artists delivering spooky-themed tunes - coded with liberal use of sustained organ sounds, jaunty melodies and frequently head-nodding beats - it's a largely instrumental affair packed with tracks that are frequently as melodious and ear-catching as they are horror-tinged. Highlights include the post-air trip-hop shuffle of 'A Pumpkin's Farewell' by Frances The Mute v Lenny B, the DJ Cam-esque headiness of Swink's 'Bloody Night', the sring-laden folk-horror-goes-hip-hop flex of Alto vs Lenny Loops' 'Hollow' and the haunted headiness of Solar Body's 'Hocus Pocus'.