Reissue Of The Week: Monk Higgins “Extra Soul Perception” (1968, Real Gone Music)
Don’t choke on or spit out the Kombucha and Kale chip combo you’re working on when the opening bars from “Code Of The Streets” by Gang Starr waft out in front of the Monk Higgins 1969 cover of “Little Green Apples”. Calmly rewind your mind to the fact that Milton …
Crucial Material – Best Releases of the Week (August 11th, 2018)
Another week means another crop of stellar releases. To help you avoid the task of sifting through hundreds of new albums, we’ve selected what we think are the best releases of the week. Hopefully you discover something new! Tirzah “Devotion” Genre: Leftfield R&B / Alternative Pop Label: Domino Purchase I …
Reissue Of The Week: Shawty Pimp “Still Comin’ Real” (Gyptology Records)
An impossible-to-find 1995 Memphis rap tape gets pressed to vinyl for the first time by Gyptology. Southern Rap is a style that’s been replicated, changed, edited, and added for effect throughout the years of rap music’s popularity, but this album comes straight from the source of the most genuine and …
Album of the Week: Ratgrave “Ratgrave” (Apron Records)
The Ratgrave project came out of the leftfield and appeared on our musical radar last week. Nothing was known from the project other than it being released out of Steven Julien’s (aka Funkineven) always reliable Apron Records imprint. On closer inspection I discovered that Ratgrave was a new project from …
Crucial Material – Best Releases of the Week (August 4th, 2018)
The sheer volume of new material released every Friday is absolutely dizzying, even for people like us. To make it easier you, we’ve selected what we think are some of the best releases of the week. Hopefully you discover something new! Dorian Concept “The Nature Of Imitation” Genres: Electronic / …
Album of the Week: Makaya McCraven “Where We Come From” (ChicagoxLondon Mixtape)
“I just met these wonderful people” says Chicago’s Makaya McCraven in the opening moments of the album/mixtape, referring to the fact he is on a stage playing with some of London’s finest young Jazz musicians whilst meeting them for the first time. Over the course of the two day ChicagoxLondon …
Crucial Material – Best Releases of the Week (July 28, 2018)
The sheer volume of new material released every Friday is absolutely dizzying, even for people like us. To make it easier you, we’ve selected what we think are some of the best releases of the week. Hopefully you discover something new! Makaya McCraven “Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape)” Where …
Reissue / Archival Release Of The Week: Bobby Rodriguez “Simply Macrame” (1973)
Starting with their best foot forward, Jazz Detective Records kick off their brand new label with a reissue of this ultra-rare Latin Jazz gem from Bobby Rodriguez. Originally recorded and privately pressed in 1973 on Jazz-Men Records, “Simply Macrame” contains a 16 minute rendition of Freddie Hubbard’s ‘Little Sunflower’, taking …
Album of the Week: The Internet “Hive Mind”
With all of the attention and massive hype generated by 2015’s Grammy-nominated “Ego Death”, it would have been natural for The Internet’s new album – their first for major label Columbia / Sony – to seek new audiences and to try and “crossover” for lack of a better word. On …