Lone - Lemurian

Label: Dealmaker Records
Released: 2008
Style: Instrumental Hip-Hop, Downtempo

"Wonky heads take note - if you're into the whole Flying Lotus / Samiyam / Rustie / Lukid thing - this is just the ticket. Deriving its name from a lost, mythical continent, Lemurian has little to do with lost undersea cities and the like, although there is something ever so slightly fantastical about these heavily compressed instrumental hip hop productions and their evocative song titles: 'Lens Flare Lagoon' conjures up the glistening, watery effect suggested by its name, and 'Buried Coral Banks' has a Boards Of Canada-meets-Jacques Cousteau feel that's hard not to love. Incongruous with all this, interlude tracks like the gratuitous '80s soul sampling of 'Green Sea Pageant' steer the tone in a different direction, but divorced from the implied Jules Verne elements of it all, Lemurian makes for a sick collection of bass-heavy beats and quasi-ambient textures. Really good stuff - highly recommended!" - Boomkat

Tracklisting:

1 Koran Angel (1:02)
2 Cali Drought (3:17)
3 Interview At Honolulu (3:51)
4 Banyan Drive (2:37)
5 Green Sea Pageant (1:08)
6 Girl (3:13)
7 Orange Tree (0:49)
8 Maya Codex (2:04)
9 Atoll Mirrored (1:15)
10 Sea Spray (3:52)
11 Under Two Palms (1:32)
12 Lens Flare Lagoon (3:10)
13 Borea (3:30)
14 Buried Coral Banks (0:54)
15 Phthalo Blue (3:36)
16 Sunken (2:01)
17 Minor Suns (2:48)

Link

Samiyam - Return EP

Label: Hyperdub
Released: 2008
Style: Instrumental Hip Hop

"Hiphop pressure beats this week from Hyperdub's first US signing and Flying Lotus collaborator Samiyam. With only a small handful of releases to his name for everyone from Fat City recs to Ninja Tune the styles sit very closely to his production brother Flylo with a superbly squashed selection of downtempo hiphop all carrying that distinctive synthline sound and post-bump rhythms drawing from the legacy of Dilla mixed with the recent 8-bit sounds displayed on Hyperdub from Quarta 330, Darkstar, Rustie and the rest. Samiyam obviously shares Flylo's knack for unravelled slo-beats on 'Cheesecake backslap', but it's the first three cuts, and especially 'trick platform' that place Samiyam out on his own with a deftly melancholy melodic touch that will beg many repeated listens. Yet again, another reason to keep a very close eye on the ever evolving Hyperdub imprint, and a wonky killer."

Tracklisting:

1 Return
2 Trick Platform
3 Moon Shoes
4 Cheesecake Backslap

Link

Lukid - Onandon

Label: Werk Discs
Released: 2007
Style: Abstract, IDM, Hip Hop

"Astonishing debut album here that will slay you if you're a lover of the blunted beat constructions of Madlib, Dabrye, Flying Lotus, Kaman Leung, Dr Who Dat?, Timbaland and the like!!!* Whilst most teenagers are content to see out their days playing Xbox, annoying their parents and ruining tightly scripted photo-opportunities with the Tory leadership (no rash stereotypes here then...), Lukid's debut album proves just how potently creative the years between 12 and 20 can be when given the right conduit to bloom. A Sarf London lad, Lukid makes the kind of Rubik's cube compositions that twist in a broad spectrum of elements to create hip-hop founded electronics that relish the use of dust-encrusted loops, lazer-tag beats and sea-sick rhythms. Landing somewhere between Dabrye, Theo Parrish and BOC, 'Onandon' is drenched in the sound of a youth spent hunched over a sampler - crafting the kind of intricately plotted instrumentals that unfold with textured detail, yet never hurry their slow-burn predilection. Opening through the frosted-glass head-nodder of 'A Smart Girl', Lukid immediately asserts a laid back ambience to proceedings that seems neither contrived nor lazy - instead recalling the gravelly disposition of early DJ Shadow, or recent sample plunderer Dr. Who Dat? Moving on from this dusty-groove intro, next to the plate is 'Piano Nono'; wherein a less ADD Prefuse is invoked, as a gorgeous piano melody trickle around a misfiring beat and twinkly exterior for maximum impact, before 'Wake Up' glides into view atop optimism flecked soundscapes, bleeping fidgets and shuffling rhythms. The results are supine. Recalling the likes of Kid Loco (sans the cloying whimsy), tracks like 'The Now', 'Fela' and 'Western Swing' all nod their way past with grace, sample dexterity and a ton of panache - pitching Lukid well away from the weary baggy jeans and bong brigade. Displaying his youthful exuberance most fully on the stalled beats of 'Isis', fractured glass of 'Wonder Years' and the gorgeous curtain-call of 'Light Up', Lukid has produced an album that is mature, complex and (most importantly) a damn good listen." - Boomkat

Tracklisting:

1 A Smart Girl (2:38)
2 Piano Nono (4:17)
3 Wake Up (5:47)
4 The Now (4:49)
5 Isis (5:27)
6 Onandon (3:32)
7 Western Swing (4:07)
8 Fela (4:19)
9 Wonder Years (4:23)
10 Light Up (4:05)

Link

Tom Burbank - Famous First Words

Label: Planet Mu
Released: 2006
Style: IDM, Downtempo, Experimental, Instrumental Hip Hop

"Alongside the likes of Kyler and The Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble, Tom Burbank further extends the Planet Mu remit beyond the perceived boundaries of its splenetic catalogue - with 'Famous First Words' a glitchy river of melodic hip-hop and electronic intricacies. Very much a contemporary of Prefuse 73, Burbank's sound relies heavily on the slippage that occurs deep within the digital heart when all is not right; lending 'Famous Last Words' a moody and melancholic edge that marks him out from the usual cut-up merchants. Kicking off with 'Fragile', the usual tick-list of elements are undoubtedly present (juddery beats, bursts of electronics, disrupted emissions) - yet whilst others have seen the surface as all important, Burbank ensures a real depth exists that sees him happily ranked alongside the likes of edIT and Prefuse. From here, 'Knuckles' is brashly regimented in it's gun-fire of crumpled tronics, 'Stay One' goes straight for the widescreen jugular with watercolour soundscapes of some beauty, whilst 'Tha Chop' sees the acoustic and machine living in perfect harmony. Closing with the sun-bleached strings and Air-esque atmospherics of 'Riding Off', Burbank has delivered a blissfully simple debut that doesn't need to show off to get its point across." - Boomkat

Tracklisting:

1 Fragile (3:12)
2 Knuckles (3:57)
3 Stay One (3:57)
4 Gnats (4:11)
5 Baghdad Mood (5:06)
6 Tha Chop (5:00)
7 Cracked (3:54)
8 Blabber Mouth (3:58)
9 Slab (3:56)
10 Dot (4:28)
11 Juno Rhapsody (5:35)
12 Riding Off (5:01)

Link

Nautilis - Are You An Axolotl

Label: Planet Mu
Released: 2002
Style: Glitch, Abstract, IDM, Downtempo, Hip Hop

"In which Texan electronicist Skyler McGlothlin wisely looks beyond standardized clicks and glitches. Fusing late 80's hip hop, gnarly rapping and 70's soul soundtracks amongst the glassy electronic scenery, he's come up with a scintilating set that leaves most contemporary electronica contenders for dead. Even without such lateral thinking, Nautilis' twinkling piano sweeps, evocatively weary atmosphere and pin-sharp rhythmical cascades collude to remind us why electronica was so exciting four years ago. "It's Lonely In The Streets" is even a classy song. Planet Mu's finest since Capitol K's debut." - Jockey Slut

Tracklisting:

1 Nautilis - Mofpex (4:32)
2 Nautilis - Oh How Schmee Loves DSP (2:46)
3 Nautilis - Mend (2:18)
4 Nautilis - Polyphonix Tronix Scapegoat (2:47)
5 Nautilis - Ruffion (3:37)
6 Nautilis - Blix2 (2:24)
7 Nautilis - 081301 (3:51)
8 Nautilis - It's Lonely In The Streets (2:39)
9 Nautilis - Wednesday Afternoon (6:01)
10 Nautilis - Professor Glick (4:07)
11 Nautilis - J222 (2:55)
12 Nautilis - Hoax (3:52)
13 ML - Drumpedal Remix (4:08)
14 Nautilis - All I Have (4:52)
15 Nautilis - Why It Got To Be So Damn Tough (2:04)

Link

Wagon Christ - Tally Ho!

Label: Astralwerks
Released: 1998
Style: Downtempo, Instrumental Hip Hop

"Which leads nicely to Wagon Christ's latest album, "Tally-Ho" - so called as Vibert says, "to deliberately conjure up images of a colonial UK. There's a lot to be said about the naffness of our heritage and I thought that the title said it all." Like previous Wagon Christ material, "Tally Ho" rarely takes itself too literally. Unlike the studied seriousness of his solo shot, the album celebrates the side of dance most pretentious listeners would rather forget. But then, everyone has a skeleton in his or her closet." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Fly Swat (5:12)
2 Crazy Disco Party (5:07)
3 Tally Ho! (4:33)
4 Memory Towel (5:37)
5 Shimmering Haze (6:18)
6 Juicy Luke Vibert (2:18)
7 Piano Playa Hata (4:57)
8 Workout (4:54)
9 Rendleshack (5:19)
10 Lovely (4:08)
11 My Organ In Your Face (5:12)
12 Musical Box (4:30)
13 The End (2:05)

Link