Paul Nice
Ultimate Block Party Breaks Volume 4

Ramson Badbonez returns with his brand new album ‘FUSION’.Embedded in the streets and lanes of Dalston, Hackney and Islington, where Badbonez made his way up, no stone is left unturned as Badbonez dissects the many highs and lows that took him from a life running the roads, to documenting his experiences across thirteen brand new tracks.The most impressive thing about ‘FUSION’ is the dexterity Badbonez showcases across the release, expertly traversing a catalogue of rhythms and tempos with his now signature delivery; crystal clear, unapologetic, razor sharp, yet intricate and highly complex multi-syllables.
This genre blurring offering is, in part, down to the curated production talent joining forces to ensure a formidable spectrum of neck-snapping sonics are offered up to both Badbonez and the listener. From album opener ‘Alpha’ produced by the one-and-only High Plains Drifter Jehst, to offerings from Dead Players’ very own GhostTown, long-time collaborator Mark Fear and heavy-hitter Forest DLG, and with a features list that includes Truemendous, Datkid and Confucius MC, ‘FUSION’ marks a significant moment in Ramson Badbonez career; elevating his position as one of the great commentators on life in London town, but further, as one of the rap games most innovative outliers.

High Focus Records is proud to present ‘No Brainer’. This record showcases Coops' versatility and creative approach to his craft displaying a varied spectrum of sounds and moods. The cosmic cover art shows the two sides of the brain, representing the different approaches Coops has taken when crafting this project, ranging from more experimental modern soundscapes to hardcore traditional boom bap. Boasting singles such as ‘That Jazz’, ‘Bob Dylan’ & ‘What You Want’, ‘No Brainer’ really has something for everyone and demonstrates why he is one of the most exciting talents on the scene today.Coops - 'No Brainer' comes on a yellow vinyl with red and blue marble effect making every record unique. Fully shrink wrapped. Released 27th of April 2018.

ATA Records: ...“I really like it. It sounds like my brother’s record with respect to the pocket and swing of the music, yet they own it. They make it their own.” - Illa J“New day” is the first original work by Abstract Orchestra and builds on the foundations laid on their debut LP “Dilla”. Flutes and electric piano lay out a gentle pad, propelled forward by Joost Hendrickx’s insistent drums. Occasional fragments of saxophones add an urgency to the insouciant groove laid out by the rhythm section as soft trumpets and trombones are gradually added to the flutes. This provides the perfect foil to Illa J’s laid back vocal delivery as he describes a typically relaxed tuesday morning spent contemplating the day ahead.The B-side is the AO remix which takes the instrumental performances of the a-side, chopping and fragmenting them and re-framing the original with a slightly harder edge, which should be popular with those DJs and listeners looking for something with a tougher sound.

"The debut finale album from the original Lyrical supergroup HRSMN - Kurupt from Dogg Pound, Canibus from The Fugees, Killah Priest fro Wu-Tang and Ras Kass have finally formed like Voltron to give The Culture 'The Last Ride. Real Hip Hop is Back!

Limbo Tapes: ... Straight from Limbo Tapes HQ, "01" has a signature label sound at it's heart, and marks a meaningful milestone in our history as a DIY imprint as our first vinyl release.The album was crafted in the Dive Reflex Service production facility, somewhere in the depths of Bristol. Found here are bewitching and magical elements, anchored by deep melodic bass lines that propel the listener through 12 rhythmic scenes.Using a combination of tape saturated improvisations, ritualistic samples and a beautifully chilling vocal appearance from Jamileh Lee, Dive Reflex Service has conjured a meditative, reflective and at times ominous ceremony.Limited to 300 physical copies for the world. Heavyweight vinyl with full colour artwork and high quality digital download. Mastered and cut at Stardelta Audio Mastering.

Young Echo: ...Building on the foundations built over years of mutual understanding and musical endeavours as part of the Young Echo team, the London-via-Bristol rapper has been climbing that MC Escher type lyrical ladder for years now, painting pictures with word-sound in the coolest & deadliest ways, and forming his very own style.Somehow he makes it sound easy when these intricate rhymes and words spill across O$VMV$M’s skewed symphonies, dropping slapdash punchlines in the midst of highly real observations about life in the city, lights off, lights on. Manonmars, to us, depicts a lens of someone who isn’t about to conform to any stream, not about to give in to the relentless pace of capitalism, not up for the rat-race, more up for slowing time, and seeing things for what they are, a surrealist take on what could otherwise be a mundane world.I guess it’s fair to say that life can be grey sometimes - so for our own sanity, we need to make sure to add colour. Manonmars does this, with heaps of imagination and witty real-talk, fired off in bullet time, perfectly hitting that fine-line between entertainment, and deadpan seriousness - a balancing act, juggled with verbs & conjunctions, over a backdrop of timeless rhythm & melody.Perhaps a less insular album than the first self-titled record, this LP sees guest appearances from Young Echo’s ‘Guest’ and Bogues (both voices of Jabu) on vocals. Fresh Bristol blood ‘Birthmark’ and ‘Axel Holey’ appear with lyrics too, and there is a special vocal injection from Paulina Korobkiewicz, reciting writings by Polish painter and colour artist Wojciech Fangor, and drawing a connection between the music and the visual aspect of Manonmars’ practice.