Manonmars
Manonmars

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.

boomkat: ...Sterling first volley from Bristol’s Young Echo Records, featuring Sam Kidel (Killing Sound) and Amos Childs (Jabu) backing Rider Shafique’s incisive, intimate reflections on I-Dentity in modern Britain.Perhaps best received as a clear response to the divisive, race-baiting politics our times, in both parts Shafique presents an ice-cool yet impassioned dissection of the state of playlucidly channelling his thoughts in a rooted, low-key style that resonates with the delivery and impetus of classic dub poetry from Linton Kwesi Johnson and Mutubaruka.However, this being the first release from one of the UK’s most conscientious, variegated and distinctive outfits, don’t expect them to play to convention. This is most apparent in I-Dentity, where Shafique’s ennui and haunted ontological observations intersects Sam Kidel’s miasma of coruscating strings and insectoid inflection, creating a weightless, pensile and abstract space where Shafique ruminations on the stubborn hangovers of the colonial mindset and the semantics of its redundant taxonomies resonate in a wholly unique manner, similar to the way Kidel’s juxtaposed materials in his amazing Disruptive Muzak LP for The Death of Rave.For a smart contrast, in the flip side’s Freedom Cry, Shafique spells out a more positive, stately message, hailing the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement against Jabu’s unfathomable, melting backdrop of slow, celestial jazz swoon, with the lyricist holding tight to his message at the centre of it all. If we’re totally honest, on previous records Shafique’s delivery has seemed slightly over earnest or, conversely, even too droll to us. But here it makes complete, affective sense.Highly recommended!

Exploring uncharted territories both through his raw yet refined lyricism and musical soundscape, Fliptrix flips the notion of conventions on its head and delivers this in the form of brand new album ‘INEXHALE’. Expanding the lexicon of Hip Hop, the project goes beyond the boundaries as he takes you on a metaphorical journey buried deep with out of the box symbolism and concepts.The album, produced by the highly respected Joe Corfeild, Molotov & Chemo,
 takes us on a journey that not only marks a maturity in Fliptrix’s sound but demonstrates a depth that explores and pays homage to different influences. The juxtaposition of the title ‘INEXHALE’ gives a premonition into the complexity of his sound as it leads into a transition. With features from Ocean Wisdom, Skinnyman, Coops, Onoe Caponoe, Datkid & Carmody the record is peppered with some epic guest vocals.

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.

Strange U, one of the most exciting and original duos in Hip Hop bring you their no holds barred debut album '#LP4080'! Entirely produced by Zygote with King Kashmere on mic duties this is an album not to be slept on! Boasting impressive features from Jehst, Fliptrix, Lee Scott, Cappo & Jazz T!This limited edition repress double LP comes with red & black marbled vinyl comes in a full colour reverse board sleeve and shrink wrapped.