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Review: Japanese heavyweights HHV continue their ongoing trawl through the back catalogue of long-serving hip-hop producer, DJ, record collector and self-styled King of Diggin', Muro. Here they present the second part of the dusty-fingered hero's turn-of-the-millennium Pan Rhythm series of 12" singles, this time presenting it on a tidy seven inch single. 'Hip-Hop Band' is a weighty, floor friendly, horn-heavy re-make of the Stetsasonic song of the same name, with local mic man Boo delivering tweaked versions of the U.S crew's verses in his native Japanese. While jazzy, the bombastic backing track - which can be heard in full on the flipside instrumental version - is forthright and club-ready, making the single a must-have for working hip-hop DJs and those who love the more up-tempo end of the rap spectrum.

Review: Contemporary Hammond B3 maestro Booker Gee (real name Guillaume Metenier) has delivered some seriously good slabs over the last couple of years, and this wholehearted tribute to the JB's could well be the best of the lot. 'Popcorn' is a sparse but seriously heavy deep funk cut, with Metenier's inspired Hammond licks and solos riding a sweaty, break-fuelled groove courtesy of acclaimed modern funk multi-instrumentalist Slikk Tim. Over on the flip, the French musician and producer gives his interpretation of Sound Dimension's 'Granny Snatch', delivering a cosmic funk take full of weighty bass, flanged guitars, jazzy solos and deliciously dubbed-out sounds. It's not quite as instantly accessible as 'Popcorn', but it is certainly equally as potent.