Sound Me - Growing (WeGrowWax)

The latest offering from the folks at We Grow Wax is from Polish trip hop band Sound Me, delivering a delicious twelve track album titled Growing.

Sound Me fully embodies the ambiance and a sense of dualism captured between a dark past giving way to a brighter future. Inspired by the struggle of living day to day in working class Poland, vocalist Aani spins her lyricism into an art that paints a picture of love lost searching for a genuine connection. The almost reminiscent old school values that this world seems to have long forgotten is wistfully echoed in the unique style of Sound Me.

A perfect concoction of heavy-hitting drum breaks, dubby instrumentation, live trumpet, rhythmic turntablism, and angelic vocals, Growing inspires its listener drop out and drift away. Deep and moody soundscapes laced with dark, hypnotic beats and powerful vocals remind one of Massive Attack or Portishead while bringing out a new flavor from the classic trip hop sound. This one's ready for the headphones and a slow night drive through the cities of eastern Europe.

Kid Loco - "This is dope."
Dogu (Ancient Astronauts / Switchstance Recordings) - "Very nice vibes here and good production."
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi) - "Nice to hear some more trip hop stuff again. DJ Krush and DJ Cam would be proud!"
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "This is dope! The '90s coming back in a proper style."
Hippie Torrales (Cyberjamz Radio / What Is Hip) – “Great mood and delivery.”
SimonG (Deep South Audio) (Volcano Radio / MyHouseYourHouse Radio) – “Dope beats for the floor. Chunky and funky. Summer BBQ sounds for sure!”
Aja Allsop (Ketch-A-Vibe Radio Show) - "Big beats and heavy bass lines in a jazzy groove … superb!"
DJ Firefly (WRCT 88.3 FM) - "Sound Me has totally nailed the jazzy trip hop sound we all fell in love with in the '90s, while keeping it fresh and unique for 2016."
Igor Marijuan (Ibiza Sonica FM) - "Cool stuff to be promoted at Ibiza Sonica.”
Marc Lacasse (sHIFT Radio/ Urbnet) – “Love the jazz and urban combinations here.”
Amrisha Prashar ( IAMRISHA, India) – “Dubby beats with beautiful instrumentation.”
DJ Doubles (Freestyle Fusion on Urgent FM) – “Fingerlickin' good.”
Mason Rothert (Below Zero Radio Show) – “Great music and vocals! Will be featuring on Below Zero.”
ActRaiser (Fokuz / Med School) – “Blissed out hip-hop jazz vibes. Nice one!”
DJ Tomas (Google Play / ForwardEver) - "Turntablism with soul that recalls Portishead's best moments. Very vibey and evocative tracks though and though."
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Radio Show, Australia) - "I don't come across much new trip hop on my travels, yet alone from Poland, so this was as refreshing as it was surprising. Lots of emotion in the production and vocals."

Available now from: Bandcamp, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.

Emapea - Seeds, Roots & Fruits (Cold Busted)

Accomplished Polish beat-maker Emapea has made memorable appearances on many Cold Busted label compilations – such as in the IWYMI and Bust Free series – and has been selected for inclusion in Mark Farina's next Mushroom Jazz installment. All this activity has mouths watering for the debut full length album from Emapea, and the appearance of Seeds, Roots & Fruits doesn't disappoint one bit. Featuring sixteen exceptional tracks ranging from hip hop to acid jazz to psychedelic trip hop in the style of Mo'Wax, Emapea's long player is indeed, as a wise man once said, "a journey into sound." Highlights include the sample-rific "Enjoy" which includes smooth key and saxophone riffs, "Good Old Days" with its appealing old school hip hop flavor, the spacey tones of "Milky Haze" and "Yugen", and the floor-filling breakbeat funk of "What The Funk". Containing moments both dance-oriented and pensive, Seeds, Roots & Fruits rises above the average beats album to reveal the enduring depth of this young producer … Emapea is one to watch.

Emapea's Seeds, Roots & Fruits is available from Cold Busted on 12" vinyl, cassette tape, compact disc, and 24 bit download. Distributed by Fat Beats.

Mark Farina - "Excellent!"
Opolopo (Tokyo Dawn Records / Local Talk) - "Sweet dusty grooves for some serious head nodding."
DJ Moneyshot (Solid Steel Radio / NinjaTune) - "Dope. As soon as I got to 'What the Funk' I knew I was down. Strong Island horns and some Kool Keith. I'm having that."
Kid Loco - "Well done."
Fort Knox Five - "I'm loving this old school Mo'Wax-style vibe!"
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records) - "An amazing trip-hop masterpiece of a record … I'm absolutely loving this!"
All Good Funk Alliance - "'What The Funk' is the one for me."
Renegades Of Jazz (Agogo Records / Mojo Club) - "Nice one … it's sounds like it's from back in the day."
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "I love this! It reminds me of that unmistakable San Francisco downtempo sound from the likes of Ubiquity and Om Records."
Quincy Jointz (Timewarp) - "Dope beats from a hip hop era that I really loved and also some well-known vocal samples and deep jazzy vibes. Damn good … not only for the 'Good Old Days'."
Phat Phil Cooper (NuNorthern Soul) - "Lush sounds, grooves, and beats."
Danny Massure (Spring Strut / Ticklejunk) - "A perfect blend of soul and hip-hop beats."
mister T. (Cold Busted) - " If could give rate this more stars I would. One of the best releases of the year."
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) - "This is all dope!"
DJ Chewy (Alphabeatsoup) - "Beautifully reminiscent of Touché and Regal's best efforts from the golden days, but with a subtle and modern lick."
DJ Tomas (ForwardEver / Umoja HiFi) - "A great take on that jazzy boom-bap sound. These sound fresh and effecting … a real nice contemporary trip hop journey,"
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - "Cold Busted does it once again with another piece of stunning vibes."

Available now from The Cold Busted Shop, Beatport, and iTunes.

LoopMaffia - Letters From (Cold Busted)

Just over a year after his last golden-funk full length for the Cold Busted label, Poland's purveyor of old school beats -- the intriguingly named LoopMaffia -- is back. Inspired by the likes of DJ Premier and Pete Rock, LoopMaffia began working with sampled beats in the late ‘90s and soon was an instrumental member of Polish hip hop group Rap Kulminacja. After the group split up, LoopMaffia went back into the lab and ’back … back into time’ by finding new inspiration in the rhythms and sounds of classic funk, R&B, and soul. A regular fixture on the Cold Busted Bust Free series, as well as responsible for the Street Bangerz Volume 7 and FunkISH albums for the label, LoopMaffia brings his newest body of work, Letters From, into focus. He gets a boost from friends Toni Pereze and DJ Flovcut plus blood brother My Neighbour Is on the first and final cuts. Showcasing more of a classic-meets-contemporary blend on previous efforts, this album is all about bending ideas in a way that points towards the future. There's still some familiar, vintage sounds, but LoopMaffia plays with their malleability more this time around. Letters From is at its most exciting when the synths are put into overdrive, as on the boundary blurring nu-funk of "Future In The Past", "Funk On Water", and "The Rain Bringer". Further exploration into these new territories is also pervasive throughout the other cuts: from sublime strolls in the park, to evocative saxophone story telling, to the Spanish horn tango and gothically guttural outliers.

Opolopo - “I’m feeling ‘Future In The Past'!”
All Good Funk Alliance - “Dope beats … I’m loving this.”
Dogu (Ancient Astronauts / Switchstance) - "Good vibes right here … love the warm grooves."
Flashbaxx (BaxxBeatMusic) - “Really nice beat science going on here. I love the heavy swing in combination with the ‘real’ funky drums … nice tools for DJ'ing.”
Stickybuds (Goodgroove Records / Baffin Island Beat Brigade) - “Always cool stuff from these guys!”
Robin Parris (Parris & Vanucci / Dancefloor Outlaws) - “A fine selection of low slung, smokey basement beats. ‘Night Cruisin’ is the stand out track for me.”
Basement Freaks (Goodgroove / SunsetSoul) - “Soulful jams.”
tOtALcULt (Cult Music / NuFunk.net) - “Sublime, beautifully funky material … coming at it from a unique direction … just my cup of tea.”
Shantisan (Salted Soul) - “Beautiful album!”
Brandon Bass (Hub City Music / Mile High Sessions) - “Hot as expected … nice work!”
Raoul Lambert (We Play House Recordings) - “I really like that ‘Chasing Sun’ jam.”
DJ Rahdu (BamaLoveSoul) - “Jazzy and nice.”
Black Mighty Wax (Irma Records) - “Absolutely super … I’ll play all cuts, but ‘The Rain Bringer’ is an emotional experience for serious listeners.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show, UK) - “Heavy, grinding funk that is absolutely brilliant stuff.”
DJ Doubles (Urgent FM, Belgium) - “Great stuff … loving the diversity!”
Marc Lacasse (sHIFT Radio / Jackhouse) - “Lots of sick, cut up and jazzy jams tossed in to funky effect … and some cinematic orchestration, too.”
Adrian Lugo (WEFT 90.1 FM, Illinois) - “Quality downtempo beats to make sure you recall the smokey days of summer.”

Available now from Beatport and The Cold Busted Shop.

13 Crew - Scratch Bunker (Thai Dust Black)

German turntablism label Thai Dust Black reaches across the border into Tri-City, Poland, for a release from 13 Crew. Since the collective was formed in 2002, the crew has shifted around with the current make-up consisting of O2ld, Lolo, and Wojak. Years in the making, Scratch Bunker marks their debut album and is full of scratch-heavy, turtnablist-crafted productions with features from Lower Entrance, Dr Nico, Slyther, and Owca. Dig in because each cut is an onslaught of samples, repurposing bits from emcees of the past and pieces pulled from stranger, not easily identifiable sources. These skillful DJs highlight their handiwork across beats ranging from funk and soul to hip-hop and downtempo. Bombs away!

DJ Moneyshot (Solid Steel Radio / NinjaTune) - “Cosmic cuts and killer beats. You can’t get fresher than this!”
J Kid Stretch - “Awesome skills!”
DJ Chicken George - “Ah Yeah! Cuts are on point!”
DJ Yoda - “Nice stuff.”
Basement Freaks - “The dopest!”
Trotter (Royal Soul) - “‘Rock The Party’ is the one … big up!”
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - “Dope EP. It reminds me so much of classic Ninja Tune, Switchstance, and Cup of Tea Records.”
Doc Proof (Funkanomics) - “Dope scratches … I love it!”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) - “Yeah … some real hip hop right here. Very skillful and super fresh!”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - “Beats-a-plenty … this seriously kicks!”
Benge (Sex Fly Radio Show) - “It’s nice to hear turntable stuff with flavor. It’s been a long time.”
SimonG (Deep South Audio) - “Smoking! Summer BBQ session ahead … some serious decknology in action.”

Available now from Beatport.