Hip Hop / R&B Recommendations October 2014

Review: What a year it's been for Warp. So far in 2014, other than Aphex Twin's Syro, the label has released music from Squarepusher, Oneohtrix Point Never and Jackson & His Computer Band to Plaid, Nightmares On Wax and Rustie - with another album by Clark forthcoming. Now one of Glasgow's most colourful producers (check out the cover art), Hudson Mohawke returns to home base with his first official release since the Satin Panthers EP. As usual there's a kaleidoscope of sounds to be heard on Chimes alongside hip hop beats, footwork skitters and gangster 'woof' vocals, and if "Joy Fantastic" from Butter is a Hud Mo fav, then "King Kong Beaver" should fill you with hope that a follow up LP is on the way.

Review: J Dilla - The King of Beats: The Ma Dukes Yancey Collector's Edition SP 1200 Box Set

Jay Dee a.k.a. J Dilla is widely regarded as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history.

After careful study and curation this one of a kind collection compiles the well-deserved documentation of Jay Dee's early musical masterpieces. Ma Dukes assembled a team of industry family who spent nine months working daily to bring this project to J Dilla fans everywhere.

'The King of Beats' Ma Dukes Yancey Collector's Edition is manufactured in the image and likeness of the exact SP-1200 in which Jay Dee produced his signature sound.

The E-Mu Systems SP-1200 drum machine and sampler was the first electronic instrument Jay Dee worked with while crafting the incomparable styles and sounds which defined the early stages of his legendary production. The SP-1200 was his primary tool of choice at the inception of his career. During this period, he created classics for early Slum Village, The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, among many others.

Available for the first time, 'The King of Beats' Ma Dukes Yancey Collector's Edition Box Set features 40 TRACKS from Jay Dee's groundbreaking 'Batches' on vinyl, and a lengthy list of extras.

Included inside The King of Beats The Ma Dukes Yancey Collector's Edition SP 1200 Box Set you'll find :

Four 10 inch Vinyl Records featuring music from Jay Dee's "Batches", 40 Beats in all.
Special Edition Cassette containing 6 unreleased tracks from J Dilla's Lost Scrolls.
The King of Beats commemorative booklet contains interviews with his peers, scholars, etc. along with rare and never before seen photos with provocative insight and perspective of the early years of Jay Dee's career.
A Limited Edition 3.5 inch floppy disk containing unreleased J Dilla production, multi-tracked and formatted specifically to upload within the actual E-Mu SP-1200 machine.
The SP-1200 shaped box casing is hand crafted from custom wood with chrome hinges.