The North Quarter Schallplatten & CDs

Review: There is a bustling hip hop scene in Manchester right now and the latest to come correct with a full length record to prove it is Abnormal Sleepz. Given that it is a debut, this 15 track collection is a remarkably introspective and vulnerable collection of songs, all beautifully laced with lush downbeat production and late night jazz stylings. This will be a firm favourite with fans of Mouse Outfit and Children of Zeus.

Review: Lenzman's last project on The North Quarter was four years ago, so his return to the label is welcome indeed. On this super double 12" which was written over the course of three months, the artist tackles the emotions and challenges of a total change of rhythm and routine. Having overcome a void of inspiration he excels here with a mix of old recordings and found sounds, collaborative tunes and fresh new bespoke piano recordings. It is a warm, rolling album full of soul, with hip hop and drum & bass coming together in perfect harmony.

Review: The North Quarter label serves up nine exclusive tracks on this superb double LP which is the culmination of many years friendship of Lenzman & Dan Stezo. The former lays down the seamless flow while the latter delivers perfectly introspective lyrics in a heart aching falsetto and all the tunes are solely from The Northern Quarter associates. The liquid drum & bass grooves are soulful and soaring, with plaintive pianos draped over the silky sequences. It's a warm and emotive listen for days at home as well as once dance floors open up again. Favourites include Zero T & Unitsouled's frictionless 'Slightest Moment' and FD's deep diving closer 'Top2Bottom VIP.'

Review: Last year Polish talent Satl returned to Lenzman's label The North Quarter with his most accomplished and wide-armed body of work so far. Now available on this beautiful triple vinyl format, he's back once again to take us on a trip through his influences and widescreen musical vision. Buckle up and be prepared to roll from full-on technoid d&b ('Hard Times') to bubbling, twisted funk ('Werk It') via smouldering, unclassifiable dark soul ('Ride Or Die') and dreamy breakbeats ('Standing By') With many other sides to his sound revealed throughout, this is an exceptional and very impressive album.

Review: It may have taken 15 years, but Michigan bass-head Greg "Submorphics" Axelrad has finally offered up a debut album. He teases us in with a deep, string-laden, scene-setting intro smothered in heady spoken word samples, before jazzily skipping towards the dancefloor via drifting vocals, rich bass, sustained organ chords and smooth liquid D&B rhythms of "Luminosity". He continues in a similarly dreamy, life-affirming fashion throughout, occasionally delivering something a little more soulful (see the superb "Memories Of You" and Big Brooklyn Red hook-up "Daydreaming"), hip-hop influenced (the colourful "The Prize/Golden Roots" with rapper TRAC) or slow and seductive ("Morning Alarms/Waverley Place"). Arguably best of all though is "Find A Reason", a seductively soulful broken beat number that's every bit as good as anything from West London.

Review: The North Quarter has always done a fine job of offering up widescreen drum & bass sounds that are often heavy on soul and based silky grooves. Their second State of Mind compilation is another caesura in point as it draws together four sides of fresh riddims from plenty of contemporary talents. Alexx A-Game opens up in funky fashion as remixed by Satl, then the good time grooves carry on with Lenzman & Redeyes's 'Hold Tight Girl.' Further highlights come from the jazzy depths of Channell's 'Intrigue' and Note's fathom-deep 'Affirmative Action.'

Review: Zero T's 4th album is a conceptual Drum n Bass marriage with legendary high-tech pianist ONJ, who has been on the cutting edge of music equipment for over 20 years. The 2 are returning once again for another release on The North Quarter, expanding the pair's 2 track EP 'Everyday Struggles' into a full-length project. Zero T pulls once again from Jazz influences, paired with his bright and expansive breakbeats. The amen breaks on tracks like 'Twenty Three' and 'Some Type of Way' meld with the jazz piano and saxophone riffs perfectly, broken up by lo-fi interludes, even a lounge piano portion on side D with 'Expendable'. Kilburn is an authentically British union of two polar opposite genres, and yet it just works so well. It's got to be heard to be believed.