This doesn't officially drop till next month via Highpoint Lowlife, but you can grab it now. Depakote's last set "It Ain't '94 Anymore" dropped just at the close of 2009 and was probably one of the best instrumental hip hop albums of that year. I've certainly played it a vast amount. This new album is heavily influence by Harmony Korine's film "Gummo" from which it draws it's title and a slightly darker vibe than its predecessor.

Stand out track for me is "Lilykoranic", but the whole album is solid and did I mention free, so grab a copy below.

Download: Depakote - The Gummo Album

Find more from Depakote: Twitter | Facebook 

Leigh

"Among the The Glitch Mob's material from the live performances on their Drink the Sea Tour is the band's remix of French electro producer Krazy Baldhead's "The 4th Movement." At nearly 9 minutes long, this reconfiguration takes the listener on a winding ride of pounding basslines, unexpected sounds, and thick drum sequences."

Download: Krazy Baldhead – The 4th Movement (The Glitch Mob Remix)

www.theglitchmob.com | Twitter 

Leigh

kalaeallday.blogspot.com | reverbnation.com/kalaeallday | myspace.com/kalaeallday | twitter.com/kalaeallday | facebook.com/kalaeallday

Via: 33jones.com

Leigh

Times moving too quickly, it doesn't seem that long since I bought Onra's 1.0.8. Time however waits for no man as they say and Onra's next musical excursion hits shelves (and servers) next month. Check out the album teaser trailer above and then jump over to Onra's Soundcloud to hear more.

Onra previously contributed to the brilliant French beats compilation La Boulangerie (A LateMag favourite). His first album was the excellent Chinoiseries produced the standout track The Anthem.

www.myspace.com/onra

Leigh

Fantastic Planet is the follow up album to La Fine Equipe's fantastic La Boulangerie set, which if your a fan of instrumental hip hop is a must own. In a departure from their last set, Fantastic Planet  is s more traditional Hip Hop set with vocals on every track bar one (not including the intro and outro) provided by American eemcee Mattic. Additional vocals come from Astrid Engberg who you should know from Berry Weights outstanding Music for Imaginary Movies LP.

La Fine Equipe And Mattic - The Hokey Pokey (Music Video)

The album is available from amazon

www.nowadaysrecords.com | Myspace

Leigh

Fire For Effect is a Psychedelic, progressive, beat driven set from California based band Starkiller. 

www.myspace.com/starkiller2008

Download: Starkiller - Fire For Effect

Via: Vinyl4Giants

Leigh

Video for Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I Learned The Hard Way taken from the new album of the same name.

www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com | MySpace

Leigh

Great video for the rather bouncy I Own You by Wax Tailor (feat Charlie Winston). I'm somewhat of a fan of French producer Wax Tailor and Charlie Winston's cheerful Kick The Bucket was a massive LateMag favourite last year.

Both artists are signed to French label Atmospheriques

Leigh

Diego Bernal's 2009 set For Corners was one of my favourite albums of 2009. What's more it was totally free to download. His new set Besides​.​.​.​ has hit the web and once again his samples draw on dusty untapped south Texas crates, however unlike For Corners this album is maybe a little more instrumental hip hop in the vain of Shadow than it is Dilla. That's not a bad thing though and once again its on heavy rotation in my home. Another great bit of work from the "Civil rights attorney by day and beat producer by night".

www.myspace.com/diegobernalmusic | Download Besides...

Via: analoggiant

Leigh

Here are a couple of tracks from “Along came the Devil one night...”, the debut album from Soul/jazz song writer/ producer Scrimshire (aka Adam Scrimshire). Released on Wah Wah 45 last year, the album has a chilled out jazz/soul/folk vibe and is definitely worth checking out.

Warm Sound (Aaron Jerome Remix) by Scrimshire

All roads lead you home by Scrimshire

To hear the full album and to find out more visit the following links...

www.scrimshire.com | scrimshire.bandcamp.com | twitter.com/scrimshire

Jo

Mister Modo and Ugly Mac Beer combine tow of my favourite things for this album teaser, instrumental beats and horror.

remidomost.com | www.beatsqueeze.com | MySpace

Leigh

Video for You Ain't No Good, which is the second single from Australian funk / soul outfit, The Bammo's latest album.

www.thebamboos.com

Leigh

Beatmaker Depakote (It Ain't '94 Anymore) posted a link to this on twitter. I don't know anything about Eludem, but this is a pretty mellow bit of experimental instrumental hip hop.

Download Eludem - Introducing

MySpace | Bandcamp | soundlabb.blogspot.com

Leigh

Video trailer for the Fantastic Planet Album from La Fine Equipe, Mattic, Astrid Engberg and A State Of Mind

Fantastic Planet is the follow up album to La Fine Equipe's fantastic La Boulangerie set, which if your a fan of instrumental hip hop is a must own. Here the France's finist beat makers are joined by Anglo German positive rap crew ASM, heavyweight American underground emcee Mattic and Danish female vocalist Astrid Engberg. The album should be on shelves somewhere this week.

www.nowadaysrecords.com | Myspace

A.S.M - Platypus Funk (video trailer)

As well as recent guest vocals on Berry Weight's album (see below) and La Fine Equipe's (see above) A State Of Mind drop their own long player Platypus Funk this month. The album features a slew of guests includng Wax Tailor (who has a conection with all the acts featured here), DJ Vadim, Sadat X, Bonobo, Mattic and others.

Blog | MySpace | Twitter

Berry Weight "Music For Imaginary Movies" - trailer

Ok so Berry Weight's Music for Imaginary Movies has been out for a little while, but Apewok & Stab's début is worth mentioning again. It's a stunning album and deserves a bit of hype.

www.berryweight.com | MySpace | Twitter | SoundCloud

Leigh

Instrumentalists/producers/DJs: Apewok & Stab from Canada and Switzerland respectivly combine to form Berry Weight. They came to prominence after winning a remix competition held by Downtempo heavyweight Wax Tailor. Their remix of his track Positively Inclined was featured on the track's release. With a sound that they describe as "electro-organic-space-jazz" Berry Weight's debut long player is a thing of beauty. 

As the music industry continues it's unstoppable shift to a digital only culture (not something they are happy with I'm sure) its going to become increasingly harder for artists to use filler tracks to justify the price of a full album. No problems here though, "Music for Imaginary Movies" works in it's entirety; it feels like an album not just a random collection of songs. A perfect set to chill or work to. The only issue (which would be more from a promotion point than the listeners) is that its greatest strength may be it's only weakness, a balanced set like this unsurprisingly has no stand out track. 

Music for Imaginary Movies is mostly instrumental, but vocalist Astrid Engberg makes an appearance on 3 tracks, one of which she's also joined by ASM (best known for their appearance on the aforementioned "Positively Inclined"). It's also nice to hear decks being used at points throughout the album which instantly reminded me of Downtempo legends Fingathing and gives a nod to the genre's original roots. Keldsy Jy on clarinet which blends perfectly with the production serves to give many of the tracks their signature soft "space jazz" sound.

Like most forward thinking artists, Berry Weight have made the entire album available to listen to online, and I really can't suggest enough that you click over and do just that.

... and now for some superlatives: Music for Imaginary Movies is the aural equivalent of frost on a spring morning. Beautiful, crystalline, fragile and rather lovely all round really.

www.berryweight.com | MySpace | Twitter | SoundCloud

You can listen to the full LP here

Listen to "Sky Below (Feat. Astrid Engberg)" below and watch the video for Equations here.

Leigh

Video for Berry Weight's "Equations" which features vocalist Astrid Engberg.

The track is featured on their album Music for Imaginary Movies which is out now.

www.berryweight.com | MySpace | Twitter | SoundCloud

You can listen to the full LP here

Fiona

Video for The Hawk Feat Little Hannah Collins - "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover" which drops on www.recordkicks.net (today I think).

Hannah was keyboard player / vocalist with UK band The Heavy and Scott Milsom aka The Hawk, bass player for funk band Big Boss Man. It's a little more Northern soul / Motown-eqsue than my personal taste normally runs to, but it's a happy little dity.

www.myspace.com/thehawkmyspace

Leigh

Video for The Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra's Shot Me In the Heart, a fantastic slice of heavy soul this.

Vocalist Loren Oden dilvers a master-class in conveying passion and emotion on this track. If you've not picked up the album and you have even just a passing interest heavy funk and soul I strongly recommend you do.

I quite want that "Venice Dawn Theme" that plays over the video titles as well.

Props to C.E. Garcia of vinyl4giants for keeping me in the know.

Via: Wax Poetics x Converse 45 Series Presents

Leigh

Slow Songs Vol 1 is a really nice collection of downtempo tracks from London based "Ending In Ing". If your a fan of lush soulful downtempo electronica from the likes of Aim, Tycho etc. your more than likely going to find a lot to love here.

Download: Slow Songs Vol 1 from Ending In Ing

MySpace | Soundcloud

Leigh

"The 14 tracks chop and dice samples from classic soul and funk, riding atop some amazingly dirty beat constructions and rude synths, to create a mixtape that flows effortlessly, fusing classic elements with modern production techniques and a fresh attitude."

Depakote Myspace | Highpoint Lowlife (record Label)

Download: Depakote – It Ain't '94 Anymore

Via: highpointlowlife.com

Leigh

WARNING: may cause addiction.

Today, readers, we shall be dining once more on the audible delicacies of Absolutive Records, for it is clearly the home of delicious aural sustenance. In the mix today to nourish your lovely listeners is 'Fi's Special Recipe For Audio Goodness.' Please wrap your ears around the player below, combining one part Ryan Davis and one part Micromattic in equal measure, simmer gently over your eardrums and serve with lashings of temporal indulgence. The result? Tasty and nutricious!

For those of you who have been paying attention (spanks a lot if not, I do this for you,) this will be your second helping of Micromattic from the table of LateMag, following hot on the heels of the incredible edibles of his debut EP. But for all concerned, this will be your appetiser de Ryan Davis to get the audio juices flowing.

Changing Skies EP, due to be released later this month on Absolutive Records, is the latest output from Ryan; Germany’s previously classical guitar-playing, currently electronic music-producing traveller on a journey through sound. Where will he go? Nobody knows, but much of that will be in the ears and mind of you, the beholder.

On offer for your delectation will be two divine tracks by the man himself, an equally worthy Matho remix plus a predictably beautiful remix by my latest greatest find, the aforementioned Micromattic. So, get yourselves over to BeatsDigital NOW, lest you should go hungry.

Bon appétit, you mucky pups!

myspace.com/ryandavissounds

myspace.com/microwavesounds

myspace.com/absolutiverecords

Fiona

In 2004, NASA made the almost impossibly beautiful move of transmitting what happens to be my favourite song, The Pixies' Where Is My Mind, to 'wake up' the Mars rover, Spirit. And now, in 2010, Bassnectar is waking up the minds of Earth-dwelling music-heads with his reworking of the 1988 alt rock classic. Dropping on last year's Cozza Frenzy tour, Bassnectar's remix updates The Pixies' own haunting lyricism and moody riff with some club-friendly heavy beats and bass.

If you pop on over to Bassnectar's Select Kutz you can get yourself the download for free, or if you're a DJ wondering Where Is My Instrumental, well, wonder no more, for the titular set piece itself is also residing with the kutz of greater selectivity. 

Fiona

I've got a certain sunshine on a cloudy day today and, indeed, all the other days of late. But I guess that you'll say, what can make me feel this way? Well, that would be the current object of my fickle aural affections; Micromattic. Yes, music is the food of my love and I do play on... and on, and on to the point where I'm glad I can't wear digital out. So, lend me your ears, please, for I have something I'd like to play to you...

When I first heard Reconstellation by the literally awesome Bulgarian master of electronic noise, Nikolay Seizov (aka Micromattic,) it was love at first listen. But I wasn't merely taken with some ephemeral moment of audible delight for my happy ears, I was utterly fascinated, structurally, in a way that I haven't been since I was young listening to Eat Static's Prana. So, this is something pretty special, of course, but this musical wizard has many more tricks up his sleeve than the incredibly skilled array of bleeping goodness in Reconstellation.

The now London-based artist formerly known as Microwave has had many years on the music scene, from djing in his home country to collaborative live sets and the beginnings of production that led to his current incarnation as Micromattic; the Wii controller-manipulating, audio/visual show-stopper who's busy gaining recognition by some heavy-hitters in the industry for his talents. Earlier this year he released his debut EP Under Over The Clouds on Absolutive Records (who, I might add, set up their label purely so they may sign his lovely output) and it is quite the thing of dreamy IDM brilliance. How does he do it? He's so clever! (my Zippy mug.) But will this new-found love be an audio affair that goes the distance? Well, all I can say right now is I'm thinking he's one to watch, and watch I most surely will.

I don't need no money, for I have been gifted with the audible treats, but people do please be good to your ears (and each other) by heading on over to purchase the 12" vinyl at Juno Records (yes I know it's currently out of stock, but good things come to those who wait an' all.) 

Or, if you prefer, you can get yourself the download, complete with the inordinately sublime Reconstellation and two exclusive and beautiful UOTC remixes at BeatsDigital.

Also check out SoundCloud, for amongst the delights is a free download of January - Careful What You Tell The Skies.

myspace.com/microwavesounds

myspace.com/absolutiverecords

Fiona

Emika's Ninja Tune debut EP 'Drop The Other' is released on 18th January.

www.myspace.com/emikamyspace

Leigh

In 1971 African American film director Melvin Van Peebles had a Richard Pryor moment. Fed up with presenting an acceptable version of blackness for The Man he figured it was time for something more confrontational. Something that would have the early 70's audience leaving the theatre thinking 'fuck yeah'. Essentially, a film that would stick it to The Man. Studios however where unlikely to want to fund such an outing. Having convinced a then relativity unknown group called Earth, Wind and Fire to record a soundtrack, Melvin took the innovative move of releasing the soundtrack in advance of the movie. Not only did this raise capital, it also promoted the movie in a way his non existent marketing budget would not have allowed. The film was Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. While arguably not Blaxsploitation as such itself, it paved the way for the birth of the genre. There was a market for confrontational, strong black characters kicking ass to funky beats. The Man may not have been too keen on the rising black radicalism of the late 60's and early 70's, but just like his fictional representation in the Blaxploitation films he did like money. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song's had in simple terms made a boat load of cash from a very small outlay. The Soundtrack had been a smash hit and tied funk and the fledging movie genre together in a way that had not happend before and has never really happened since. Cult classics like Shaft and Superfly where to follow, with soundtracks by Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield respectively.

So when Scott Sanders and Michael Jai White decided to create Black Dynamite, their loving homage to the genre , they knew it had to have a soundtrack to match. Scott called on friend and fellow DJ Adrian Younge, who set about writing and recording the music in his spare time. The self taught multi-instrumentalist playing around 15 different instruments across the album. Utilising analogue equipment has enabled Younge to produce a sound more akin to classic pre-80's recordings. However while there's no denying the ghosts of funk legends living and dead alike can be heard clearly in the musics influences there's also something distinctly modern and fresh about this set. I think that comes from Adrian being a beat digger. 30 years or more has passed since many original funk recordings where made. At least 20 since Hip Hops beatdigging late 80's golden age. This gives a modern musician a lot of insight into not just what works, but what really works. Its pretty likely everyone you have ever met has heard the Amen Break in some form or another, but almost no one could tell you anything about the track it comes from. Essentially this means the Black Dynamite score sounds like a record one would dream of unearthing in a lost dusty corner somewhere. Also while 70's deep funk is the primary influence there's a distinctly Euro-funk / library music influence which would not have been present at the time. Drawing influences particularly from Morricone and his lesser known compardres, men who created some of the best soundtrack music you've probably never heard. Primarily a funk set there's a hint heavy soul here, but thankfully the jazz influence is kept at a minimum and the dreaded disco-funk does not rear it's ugly head.

Though the film is a comedy homage, a loving parody if you like, this is a serious soundtrack. Sure the opening song in particular "Black Dynamites Themes" does contain some wildly funny exaggeration, but that's just channelling the spirit of Rudy Ray Moore. All the vocals are spot on really evoking the kind of emotion you hear in tracks from the period. I've listened to this album a lot since I got it and some of the highest praise I can give it as a complete set is I've never skipped a track once. It really is to quote the oft used phrase 'all killer, no filler'. For me the highlights being Jimmy's Dead and Chicago Wind, but with the love that went into creating this its a close run thing.

Much like Van Peeble's movie all those years ago Black Dynamite has found itself given an exceedingly limited release (Though I'm sure it will be popular on DVD). So chances are unless you've bittorented it (which is bound to happen when studios treat anticipated films like this) you have not seen the movie. Don't let that stop you picking up the soundtrack in advance however, after all that's what they did with Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. Impress your friends and stick it to The Man with one simple purchase.

Adrian "AJ" Younge - "Shot Me In The Heart" (Black Dynamite OST)

Black Dynamite - Posters

Black Dynamite - Trailer

Check out the official site at www.blackdynamite.com

Listen to Chicago Wind below:

Leigh