Kay Dee US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Kay-Dee Records comes at us with a 45 double-hitter, presenting Bert Hector's 'The Phoenix' and 'The Kraken' with Kenny Dope on remix duties. On the first record, we're treated to 'The Phoenix', a sure-fire funk gem with a super-warm sound - beat is as cool as it gets, with a laid-back and funky attitude sitting beneath a joyous intermingling of sitar, flute, brass and guitar, all performed at expert levels. 'The Kraken', meanwhile, channels a killer groove, strutting at 85 bpm and incorporating a huge brass section which pumps loud, while flute solos and funky Wah-guitar chops take things up a notch.

Review: American legend Kenny Dope is inseparable from his Masters at Work project with Louie Vega but away from laying down a blueprint for a certain type of house music, he has always been a huge funk collector and beatmaker. He's back now with more raw, groove-heavy sounds with an infectious track from Unreleased Project, 'Get On Down' which combines classic breakbeats. Another standout is 'Gunshot' featuring Shaggy. This one blends reggae and hip-hop influences with Kenny's signature break-heavy production. It's a great mash-up that's perfect for plenty of heavy turntable action.

Review: Masters At Work's discerning left brain Kenny Dope left but one of many crinkle-cut marks on the sliced hot potato of dance musical oral history with 'Supa'. Born in Brooklyn, Kenny emerged from the underground hip-hop scene before lending a crate-digger's mentation to his work, obsessively chopping samples by way of tri-wielded MPC60, MPC3000 and E-mu SP-1200 machines. We're not sure which went into the making of 'Supa' and its two comprising versions, but this is a serious funk-jungle precursor, medleying ATCQ-Lou Reed instrumentals contra the acapella line from Super Cat's 'Nuff Man A Dead' (1991). Drop either of these tunas into an otherwise +160BPM set for a breezy, halftime surprise, one that nonetheless maintains the rolling energy.

Review: Here comes Master At Work legend and notorious funk collector Kenny Dope's Top Ten Billboard Club Hit 'Be Your Freak' on its own 45rpm. It features vocals from Josh Milan of Honeycomb and is a blistering house cut for the peak time. The wiry synths encircle the groove, while distorted bass and slamming kicks all amp up the energy. As well as the expansive and expressive original, the flip-side features the paired-back instrumental version.

Review: A tribute to who, you may ask? "J Dilla" is the immediate answer on Kidzblock's latest fidgety A-side, and their first to manifest as a 7" on their very own Kay-Dee Records. The house production duo may be new kids on the block, but their handicraft betrays a much abler quad of ears than the "up-and-coming house production duo" might suggest to the undiscerned. 'The Tribute' riffles with gospel tremolos in the back and parping filter-saw bounces in the front, bringing a real heat that holds truly to the essence of the word "bounce".

Review: 'I'll Take You There' by Leon Mitchison, featuring mixes from Kenny Dope, is a standout release from Kay-Dee Records, in a rare label head-to-head with Now-Again Records. This special edition tosses us an unreleased remix from Kenny Dope, infusing his signature funk-in-the-trunk style into an authentic and primally mixed track, working directly from Mitchison's original 8-track tapes. Acclimatising the first's deeper grooves to Dope's dope, breaks-heavy production, the artist is truly deft at upcycling vintage sonic garms.