BLEND MISHKIN: Lyrical Jam – 2011

BLEND MISHKIN: Lyrical Jam – 2011
Blend Mishkin gets to be the debut artist released on the Dirty Dubster’s new label project Irish Moss Records with Lyrical Jam and comes through with some straight-up dub reggae. He brings along Brother Culture on board to deliver the some righteous vocal vibes and damn me if he doesn’t get both Lion Dub and the Dubsters themselves in on remix duties. Liondub runs with the future-dub, space minimalist vote while the Dubsters conform to type in every way and filth up the rhythm with some earthquake-wobbling bass of the variety that…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

RAEKWON (feat. Rick Ross & Ghostface): Molasses – Free download - 2011

RAEKWON (feat. Rick Ross & Ghostface): Molasses – Free download - 2011
Well – this wasn’t quite what I was expecting from a Wu-Tang/ Rick Ross collabo but it shows the chef still has a few tricks up his sleeve and the Clan aren’t played out yet. And while Molasses might ooze out of your speakers on a thick and treacly mellow soul-horns groove, the lyrics still have bite. It’s another tale of thug life with the three imagining themselves as ‘Scarface Gangsters’, ‘bagging dope up in the back seat'…FREE DOWNLOAD/ READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

UNFORSCENE: Return Of The Wob – 2011

UNFORSCENE: Return Of The Wob – 2011
If January was afrobeat month 2011, it looks like March is ‘Bristol sound’ month as news of Unforscene’s forthcoming long-player surfaces at the same time as The Beekeepers (Parker and Boca 45) return to the scene. And, like The Beekeepers and Ewan Hoozami, Unforscene seem to be heralding a new generation of beats and vocal collaborations from Bristol that add dubstep and broken beat stylings to the atmospeheric, bass heavy gumbo with which the city is associated. Guest vocalists include Laura Vane, known for her raw soul vocals on numerous Diesler tracks and with retro-funk outfit the Vipertones, and jazz/ soul/ blues-man Kirris Riviere. Coincidentally (or not) the two best tracks on the LP feature these two…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

THE BEEKEEPERS: Ascending Change EP – 2011 + ‘Apiculture’ LP update

THE BEEKEEPERS: Ascending Change EP – 2011 + ‘Apiculture’ LP update
Bristol duo Parker and Boca 45 follow up last year’s banging Bee Funk EP with the somewhat different Ascending Change EP. Where the former led with an in-your-face party-starting vocal cut and drew in elements of everything from dubstep to funk and, this is much heavier on epic, moody, instrumental atmospherics and the big sweeping sound vistas that you might more traditionally have come to expect from Bristol’s beat-mongers. That said, expect production flourishes – especially rhythm-wise - that nod to influences like dubstep and…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

RJ & TECHNIQUE feat. SAVANT: Cypher Pas De Trois – free download + video - 2011

RJ & TECHNIQUE feat. SAVANT: Cypher Pas De Trois – free download + video - 2011
Three-style cypher! Chi-town emcees RJ & Technique hook-up with former Chi-town resident Savant, a.k.a. Stanstro, to kick a dope verse (or two) old-school style, over beatbox beats and a blissed-out keyboard melody courtesy of Vancouver producer EebSoFresh. Apparently, this is a ‘lost cut' off RJ& T’s Crash Sanaa LP sessions. Lost? If I was losing material this good I’d…DOWNLOAD/ READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

BIG M PRESENTS…Vol. 9 - Various Banging Artists No.3 – 2011

BIG M PRESENTS…Vol. 9 - Various Banging Artists No.3 – 2011
Big M goes bigger and harder than ever this ‘Banging Artists’ drop. Rightly leading with Funkanomics scarily heavy Cypress Hill rerub of Lick A Shot the monstrous ghetto funked-up Licky Shot and then Chris Awesome cooks up a fat one - see what I did there?. Telephunken (clearly not contented with having his own four track EP out on Big M currently) has a bash at reworking Edwyn Starr’s heavy soul…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

HANNAH WILLIAMS & THE TASTEMAKERS: I’ve Been Waiting/ Don’t Tell Me/ Deep Fried Funk - 2011

HANNAH WILLIAMS & THE TASTEMAKERS: I’ve Been Waiting/ Don’t Tell Me/ Deep Fried Funk - 2011
That’s a bit more like it. New Record Kicks signings, Hannah Williams & The Tastemakers, strut onto the retro funk scene appropriately enough with a seven inch and manage to squeeze on three tracks. I’ve Been Waiting has the soul vibe of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings more recent output, the other two are a somewhat more lively and all three showcase William’s raw-edged vox. Don’t Tell Me has the edge for its sophisticated JB’s-style groove and indeed could have been a lost Vicki Anderson cut were it not for the fact that Williams’ voice is less in the Anderson vein than the Roxie Ray vein. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

THE BAKER BROTHERS: The Young Patter / Patience – 2011

THE BAKER BROTHERS: The Young Patter / Patience – 2011
The Baker Brothers keep it smooth and jazzy with this new 45 from Record Kicks. Well, I say ‘keep it,’ I can’t see them doing it any other way really. These tracks are so smooth and jazzy that were you to turn your back even for a second whilst your 45 was on the turntable by the time you turned back you’d find your 45 adapters wearing miniature berets, your headshell sporting a…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

ZEDS DEAD: Rudeboy (DJ MONEYSHOT 110 edit) Free download

ZEDS DEAD: Rudeboy (DJ MONEYSHOT 110 edit) - free download
In which Roy ‘Moneyshot’ Spencer re-imagines Canuck beatheads Zed’s Dead’s Rudeboy as something you can actually dance to. What with the original track being essentially a 70 bpm chunk of wobbly trip-hop a certain amount of speed (velocity not the drug) would seem to be a key ingredient for success. Enter the Moneyshot at 110 bpm (hence the re-edit name) to make things faster and, in conjunction with doing a cheeky messaround with the rhythm section, considerably ruder inna ‘ghettofunk’ stylee. He invites you to…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

DUSTY TONEZ: Steady As She Breaks – 2011

DUSTY TONEZ: Steady As She Breaks – 2011
Dusty Tonez keeps it minimal on Steady As She Breaks navigating this breakbeat banger through dirty guitar chops, a wobbly bassline and electro percussion. Boss of Irish label Bulabeats, JohnnyPluse, is first (remix) mate to Tonez’ commander of the beat and takes the helm with a light touch – if, indeed…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

BIG M PRESENTS…Vol. 10: TELEPHUNKEN - All The Mamis EP – 2011 + All The Mamis video

BIG M PRESENTS…Vol. 10: TELEPHUNKEN - All The Mamis EP – 2011 + All The Mamis video
Spanish nu/ghettofunker funker Telephunken gets an EP all to himself on scene label Big M and dials in with four big slices of nu/ghettofunk kicking off with what certain people will insist on calling a ‘titty shaker.’…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

FAB SAMPERI: Listen Up – 2011

FAB SAMPERI: Listen Up – 2011
RATING: 5/5
Did you know that ‘Fab Samperi’ is actually Italian for ‘dope groove’? It doesn’t really matter too much as you would have instinctively grasped this fact upon hearing the title track on this release. More or less a cover of Marvin Gaye’s Can I Get A Witness it operates via a
…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

FROOTFUL: Colours – 2011

FROOTFUL: Colours – 2011
Frootful is guitarist Nick Radford and (although his name sounds a bit like a new fruity blend energy drink – the Frootful name not the Nick Radford one) his sounds sound like a fruity blend of sixties-cool rnb, soul, jazz and funk influences. Now, I know I just put jazz and funk in the same sentence but that’s ok because actually not all jazz-funk is bad – take Grant Green for example – the man’s a legend. Funnily enough, Nick Radford rocks a Grant-like guitar sound
…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS: Journey Through Time – 2011

SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS: Journey Through Time – 2011
Is it Afrobeat season or something? First Tramp Records recent Contemporary Afrobeat, now this and there’s also new drops from Mo’ Horizons and Los Chicarrons about which more to be posted later – if I haven’t suffered afrobeat overload. Which is quite likely.
…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

CHART - FEB. - 2011

CHART - FEB. - 2011
1. (NEW) Malcolm & Martin – Sista Big Butt
Big-ass track off a big-ass album…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

DIRTY DUBSTERS feat. Bass Nacho: Mr Brown – 2011

DIRTY DUBSTERS feat. Bass Nacho: Mr Brown – 2011
Rating 5/5
The Dirty Swingers EP might have been the ‘Dubsters first release since the mighty Big Tings but this huge Marley-fied booty is its spiritual successor. It’s such an obviously gargantuan club hit and call to the dancefloor that its pull must rival the gravitational effect of a medium-sized planet. Drop this in a club and even the wallflowers will be helplessly…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM

UGLY DUCKLING: New LP title ‘Moving At Breakneck Speed’ announced - 2011

UGLY DUCKLING: New LP title ‘Moving At Breakneck Speed’ announced - 2011
Long Beach crew Ugly Duckling will be back in 2011 with a new LP entitled Moving At Breakneck Speed. The release date has not yet been decided but rapper Andy Cooper was kind enough to let Monkeyboxing.com preview three tracks off the new album this week. The monkey is under strict instructions to keep the tracks themselves on the downlow but we can tell you that they are called, Keep Movin’, Elevation and Sprint. Speaking of the LP in the recent…READ FULL POST @ MONKEYBOXING.COM