If you're reading this, you've somehow managed to survive 2020. Every annum has its highs and lows of course, but we probably won't be experiencing such a bizarre year for a while. December still brought us some hooting tunes which we wanted to make you are aware of, so have a read up below.
Lord Apex & V Don ft Westside Gunn - London Fog
Pray for Paris was one of our favourite American hiphop albums of 2020, so when we heard Gunn was linking up with Lord Apex, we couldn’t help but be excited. London Fog does not disappoint. The chilling, vintage sonics accomodate the rapper's potent flows in an immaculate manner; it could be one of the boom bap cuts of last year.
Blue Room Mafia & Nineteen97 - Again
Nineteen97 brought Blue Room Mafia out of hiding for a vibey new single last month. Titled ‘Again’, the collaboration sees the West Midlands mandem going verse for verse over Lauren Ralph’s twinkly guitar-led trap production. Hopefully, this is a taster of more to come in 2021.
Louis Culture & Kam-Bu - Burst
Like the wordsmith’s smile sound system EP, there is a nostalgic tone to Burst that pulls through Culture’s verse and PULLEN’s production. Kam-Bu also embodies such aesthetics with his feature, as he harks back to life growing up in the Capital. The production’s glistening guitar melody and rumbling 808s accommodate Louis’ dexterous flow and complete yet another great single from an EM member.
Cult of the Damned ft CLBRKS - Worship
To cap off a big year for Blah! Records releases, Cult of the Damned delighted us with two new singles and a titanic music video in December. Worship is our pick from them, which features some meticulous wordplay via CLBRKS and production through Lee Scott and Jack Chard. Honey JD, once again, works his magic on the visuals, which you can watch below.
Madlib - Road Of The Lonely Ones
Taken off his forthcoming album Sound Ancestors, Road Of The Lonely Ones is a slow soul jam with dusty tones and a scintillating sample of Lost in a Lonely World by the Ethics. The album, which has been arranged by Kieran Hebden, should be coming to our ears in January.
Cosmo Pyke - A Piper For Janet
20 months on from his previous work, Cosmo Pyke finally gave us new music in December through ‘A Piper For Janet’. The jazz charged indie cut presents a development in the Peckham native’s song writing, veering towards London’s budding jazz scene over the more guitar lead ‘Just Cosmo’ EP. A full-project is set for release on the 28th of this month.
Sam Wise X BlazeYL - Sandman
On Sandman, Blaze and Wise honour their hometown (Homerton) with humble lyrics and sentimental visuals. Although the wordsmith’s are sharing success in their individual endeavours, they feel all the more capable in each other’s company. They thrive off one another’s verses in a similar manner to their Mad About Bars, which came out back in 2019.
TJTUCKER - PALO SANTO DEMO
TJ had time to drop a demo on his Insta at the end of December, and it bangs. The track's misty production is matched by the artist's woozy wordplay, offering a peaceful way to play out a frantic year. Have a listen below.
RAVES ROUNDUP
LCY - Garden of E10
LCY proved on Garden of E10 that her creativity isn’t bound to music. The enigmatic beatstress directed, produced and edited the single’s visuals, which are, as you might expect, beautifully disturbing. As for the track itself, LCY combines the innocent vocals from tunes like ALMOST BLUE with the rolling breakbeats her new alias has produced thus far.
Romy - Lifetime (Anz’s Togetherness Remix)
Thanks to coveted releases on Hessle Audio, an appearance on Sneaker Social Club’s compilation and some phenomenal mixes, Anz had an amazing 2020. This cut might just top the lot. Deep baselines, squelchy acid house tones and trembling breaks buzz beneath a vintage Romy vocal performance. HAAi, Jayda G and Planningtorock also find themselves on remix duties.
Four Tet - Parallel 4
As an originally released Four Tet tune, many of you might find this entry a bit of a cop out. However, we are just happy Its going to be easier to locate on Spotify, as it’s fair to say Kieran Hebden’s other alias is a mouthful. Parallel 4 comes from one of two new Four Tet albums, both of which you can find below.
Yosh - One More TIme
Shall Not Fade have had an incredible year, and they still had time to drop a few excellent EPs in December. Yosh’s took us off guard, thanks to its dark, new-step UKG sonics and old-school raver sampling. Definitely one we will be wanting to hear out on a gigantic rig when clubs are back open.
L-Side & Common Strange - The Breed
L-side and Command Strange rolled through with some serious drum business last month. ‘The Breed’ is out now as part of the latest Planet V compilation, which also features Disrupta and DJ Marky. Even when listening to this one through my half broken booth monitors, I can tell It's a riddim made for the dance.
Klinical and Waeys - Framed
Deep, dark sounds of the underground come through from Waeys and Klinical on their brand new track ‘Framed’. Both artists have been busy throughout 2020, releasing several singles and EPs. This new banger of a collaboration is a true testimony to their grind.
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