BBE Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Cromagnon Band introduces 'Bad Night' as the lead single from their upcoming album Mode, which marks their second LP and debut on BBE Music. The album blends cinematic, psychedelic dark funk with Nordic psych-jazz, classical, boom-bap hip-hop breaks, and riff-heavy rock. Accompanied by the exclusive track 'Quadrant,' not featured on the album, the vinyl 45 release adds a unique gem to collectors' shelves. Both tracks provide a glimpse into the band's forthcoming album, showcasing their eclectic musical influences and distinctive recording style-capturing live jam sessions that evolve from sampled breaks, riffs, and melodies into intricate instrumental compositions.

Review: There are an awful lot of great records in the J Dilla's catalogue, but few can match the consistent quality and coherent construction of Welcome 2 Detroit, his 2001 breakthrough album. Designed as a love letter to his home city with a sample palette and blend of styles to match, it saw the late producer and a string of then largely unknown local MCs showcase their vocal talents over some of his best ever beats. This lusciously expansive 20th anniversary box set does a brilliant job in expanding on the original album, with the 12 included "45s" pairing vocal mixes with instrumentals, unreleased cuts and occasional remixes. The included hardback book is brilliant, too, and packed with first-hand accounts of the creation of a now iconic LP.