Instrumental Hip Hop 358 Items

The producer’s own mixes – recently rediscovered – of his seminal EP, expanded with bonus tracks and now available in a special instrumental edition.

When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop – technically and creatively. “At the top of his game,” says longtime friend and collaborator, Karriem Riggins. After years of building while modestly deferring to others of both greater and lesser notoriety, Dilla finally completed the first solo endeavor on his own label, entirely on his own terms. The significance of such an autonomous success often gets overlooked, and partly accounts for why Ruff Draft is one of the lesser-referenced entries in Dilla’s oeuvre. “It’s a mysterious little project,” says his mother, Maureen Yancey. “But out of his entire career, that was the happiest time.”
Prior to recording the EP, Dilla found himself at a crossroads. Estranged from his label, MCA, and separated from the mother of his youngest daughter, frustration abounded both personally and professionally. Dilla spent parts of 2002 and 2003 working on an album for MCA that featured his rapping over contributions from other producers with whom he had connected and whose music he respected. At the time, he was known primarily for his beats, yet reviled for his MCing by most anyone not from his hometown of Detroit. The project was to be an intentional freak of the industry.
The project would go on to spur his collaborative album with Madlib, Jaylib, and would first showcase the template that he would take to his greatest heights with 2006’s Donuts. The Stones Throw reissue of Ruff Draft from 2008 featured remixes of the songs from the album, done without Dilla’s involvement. This version of the album takes Dilla’s recently discovered mixes of the album and restores his vision for the project.

Cover has sticker rip offs due to PVC outersleeve.
Bonus disc in G+ condition.

Emapea made his way into the world of beat-making after several releases and a first album in 2016.

The producer comes back with a second full-length record ‘Dreaming Zone’ to be released on the 18th of March 2022. Emapea didn’t lose his spark and brings a long player that reminds his connection to an old-school Hip-Hop style, yet always pushing towards freshness brought by the typical use of groovy piano leads and the addition of smooth vocals.

Between breakbeat and jazz, the thirteen tracks succeed each other in a delicate soundscape that favours dreaminess. ‘Dreaming Zone’ achieves a certain airiness yet thoughtfulness that will carry your spirits up in another auditive dimension.

Tracklist :

A1. Everything Is Possible A2. Thick Clouds A3. Spring Vibes A4. Dream On A5. I Like That A6. Chilling In Ealing A7. Hazy Chill

B1. Sparkling B2. Let It Go B3. What It Is B4. In Harmony B5. Cooling Out B6. Only Flowers

Limited edition numbered copy. Still in shrink but opened.

Still sealed with hype sticker. Limited edition.

Bluestaeb's evolution from a beatmaker to a producer is his sophmore album “Everything is Always a Process”.

He is one of the key figures of a new generation of up and coming HipHop beatmakers, who have emancipated from genre thinking and instead merge old school aesthetics with a new school attitude and organic instrumentation.

Everything Is Always A Process re-iterates Bluestaeb's overall approach to life (and thinking), but also has direct reference to the making of the album itself, which began with moving from Berlin to Paris in 2015 in the search of new influences and a new creative environment.
Created between 2015 and early 2018, EIAAP embodies the process of this transition - as well as collaboration with instrumentalists and vocalists from all over the world and recording in different studios in Paris, London & Berlin.

"Meeting all those musicians and trying out new ways of producing by using real analogue synths, Rhodes, drums and percussion etc. made it possible to overcome the creative boundaries of a home studio with just a midi keyboard" / Bluestaeb

Influenced by Madlib's "Shades Of Blue" and trained in African drum techniques such as Djembé and Daruka, Bluestaeb had been crafting his own beats since his teenage years and gradually found his sound identity through experimenting with HipHop and Jazz – first to be heard by a broader music community in 2013, when he released his debut album "1991 Extraterrestrial" (Radio Juicy). Since then the prolific young artist has released numerous solo and collaboration projects ("B.L.U.E. Friday" in 2015 and „Sidekicks“ with S. Fidelity in 2016). In 2016, he produced collaborative album "LIT - Lost In Translation“ with rapper JuJu Rogers, a keen manifesto against racism, xenophobia and the rise of anti-heroes such as Donald Trump.
Today, Bluestaeb lives and works in Paris and Berlin and is set to release his third solo album “Everything Is Always a Process”, a smooth Neo Soul-induced epic featuring artists such as Noah Slee, Harleighblu and Melodiesinfonie.

Inspired by the music of one of the most iconic pop culture licenses of all time, main composition was assigned to Tee Lopes, the talent behind the music of Sonic Mania and Streets of Rage 4: Mr X’s Nightmare. His musical vision echoes the spirit of the turtles and this specific game specificities: tributes to classic Tmnt tunes with a good dose of fun and switching fluidly between 80s/90s electro, funk, rock, and jazzy tunes with chiptune vibes.

On top of that, prestigious guests were added to the line-up. Kid Katana Records are proud to host legends such as Raekwon The Chef and Ghostface Killah from the legendary rap band Wu-Tang Clan, and Mike Patton, frontman of Faith No More and Mr Bungle. They all performed exclusive tracks recorded specifically for the game and the OST.

Moar is a French Beatmaker making beats since 1995 with a traditional vibe of digging & sampling wax with all in one sets as MPC or SP just like the most influential beat makers in the Hip-Hop culture (Dj Premier, Pete Rock,Large Pro, Nottz, Diamond D...) Moar is back again with a vault of old school beats produced between 2002 & 2006.

Limited edition of 400 handnumbered copies! Dumbo Station is a dope nu-jazz ensemble out of Roma, Italy!

Do we have to write something great about Twit One? Not really, but we take the liberty of presenting the the album "Teenwolf". You won't hear standard boom bap beats. It consists of casually composed vocals and drums perfectly matched to the chopped chords. Enjoy 14 tracks with range of lofi beats, jazzy vibes & dope samples.

So if you're looking for soulful beats with a pinch of humor, you've come to the right place.

-3 track EP on 7" vinyl
-Including hand-numbered Artwork A Insert
-Limited to 25 copies
-brown kraft discobag
-Mastered by SterilOne / Staub Audio Engeering

The mysteries of science and the art of music merge in the twisted mind of Oddly Humes, the Florida based beat-smith delivering his latest album, Know Matter. There are few details known about this enigmatic producer, but it is rumored he went into hiding after a catastrophic lab accident that left his features disfigured and his mind obsessed with digging for beats. After a few years of seclusion in an underground bunker — his activities discernible through the sounds of clanking metal and crackling vinyl records — Oddly Humes has emerged with ten cuts of Nobel-worthy sample-fusing experiments. As Dr. Frankenstein once shouted, "It's alive!"

With Know Matter's tracks each named after a chemical or mineral substance, the alchemy here is strong. Oddly Humes quotes the golden era of '90s trip-hop while adding a cinematic flair that wouldn't be out of place in a Tarantino romp or an Argento giallo. "Cobalt," opening the LP, sets the tone with slide guitars, looping bass, spectral melodies in the distance, and a dusty drum kit driving the atmosphere. "Sulfur" is likewise incendiary, blasting speakers with a crucial beat as a symphony of textures greet unsuspecting eardrums. There's also "Titanium," a strange rocker of a track that can't help but summon some serious Twin Peaks vibes. Oddly, indeed.

For those looking for off-kilter cuts or if you're just into supporting cutting-edge scientific research in the rhythmic sciences — look no further than Know Matter. Oddly Humes continues to mix compounds alongside his mixed beats, and his discoveries will advance the craft of downtempo music into the future.

Meitei’s 2020 album 'Kofū' was the bold bookend to an expedition, where sounds were first navigated and then subverted in 2018’s 'Kwaidan' and 2019’s 'Komachi'.

All three albums were Meitei’s attempt at immersive storytelling, reimagining moments of Japanese history he felt were being washed away – not least by the unforgiving sands of time – through wistful compositions that stretched across ambient music, hauntology, and musique concrete.

When it came to finalizing 'Kofū', Meitei found he was left with over 60 fully realized tracks, bursting with ideas that fired in divergent, curious directions. Meitei was content with the 13 tracks he had selected. But when it came time to begin his next album, he found that it had been sitting in front of him all along. He realized his work wasn’t over yet.

Meitei sounds right at home celebrating the past he first reimagined in his previous work. The merriment is palpable in its first two tracks of 'Kofū II' – a loop of cheery whistling amidst the clanking of wood leads into strings, cricket sounds and flutes, all united in bustling harmony.

'Happyaku-yachō' is where it comes into focus. Pitch-shifted vocal samples roam around in the crowded sonic field. “My image of this music is that it expresses the vibrant mood of Edo's merchant culture,” says Meitei, “where old Japanese dwellings were densely packed together in a vast expanse of land.” The affair becomes bittersweet as the track leads into the desolate 'Kaworu', a compositional piece lifted from his 'Komachi' sessions – a final requiem to his late grandmother.

The album is bursting with spectral vignettes of wandering samurais, red lanterns, ninjas, puppet theatres, poets, even a vengeful assassin ('Shurayuki hime', known to Western audiences as ‘Lady Snowblood’).

'Saryō' is as elegant and refined as you would expect. It induces stillness in its repetition, with each synth note a brushstroke. It was inspired by a Sengoku-era tea house he once visited, designed by national icon Sen no Rikyū. Meitei tied it to the reaction he felt while poring over the ink paintings in his grandmother’s house. “The decayed earthen walls and faded tatami mats gave me an emotional impression,” he says. “And the cosmic flow of time drifting in the small room. I decided to put my impression of this into music.”

In 'Akira Kurosawa', an appropriately thunderous track, Meitei finds deep resonance in his vast filmography, which drew equally from Japan’s rich heritage and troubled circumstances post-WWII.

'Kofū II' is not a leftovers album, nor is it a straightforward companion piece. In this album, Meitei has his biggest reckoning with the Japanese identity yet. Over the years, he has attempted to peel back what he believes has defined Japan and its people. After seeking answers with three full-length albums, his fourth poses more questions.

If his first three albums inspired a sense of longing – or, perhaps inevitably, fed an irreparable nostalgia doomed to history – 'Kofū II' compels us to reassess our relationship with the past. By constantly looking back, are we ever afforded a clearer present? After capturing the “lost Japanese mood”, where does that leave its country in the modern world? Meitei offers no immediate answers with 'Kofū II'. It forces you to sit with its disparate moods, to meditate amidst the textured fragments.

'Kofū II' will be released on 180g LP, CD and digital format on December 10, 2021 (LP expected to land January 28, 2022) via KITCHEN. LABEL. Both LP and CD format are presented in a debossed sleeve with obi strip and include a 16-page insert with words in Japanese and English from Meitei, printed on premium paper stock with design by KITCHEN. LABEL founder Ricks Ang, and is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama in Tokyo, Japan.

Limited cassette edition!
Only one copy per customer!
Hip Hop producer L-One from Munich presents his new album “Medusa”. “Medusa” is a 44-minute long instrumental album that includes a vocal-feature by Akere.

“The spiritual successor to The Gospel According To Budgie mixtapes and The Good Book albums with Alchemist. Holy Ghost Zone picks up right where they left blending 90's Gospel with a 2018 bounce.”

Jealous Hours is the first full-length LP by the Tel-Aviv based DJ & producer Lily Haz. Featuring nine genre-bending tracks in her affirmed electro-dub style, Lily takes us for a tour in her obscure, ethereal universe where hip hop’s supremacy is undisputed. Flirting with the club realm while fearlessly determined in her style, each of one of her core influences is essential to this parallel universe. Out there, pitched-down rap verses top obscure beats and rolling liquid jungle drums ; extended intros and outros riffle through the whole spectrum of human emotion.

he 2nd release on 823, a creative project founded by Ta-ku, is featuring the label debut of Portland wunderkind quickly, quickly.

823 is also the numerical representation of the phrase 'Thinking Of You'. It represents the appreciation for the people/ideas/places that inspire us and push us forward. As a label we are proud to present a series of musical releases that showcase the artists musical & visual endeavors. The artwork is shot by the artist themselves & each release has an accompanying photo zine that acts as a visual story that compliments the music they wrote at that time.

There’s a maturity to the sound of Portland, Oregon-based producer quickly, quickly that makes it difficult to believe he’s just 17 years old. Using elements of jazz, hip hop, and R&B, quickly, quickly weaves a tapestry of wispy productions that feel equally inspired by the dusty drums of early ’90s boom bap as they do by the whimsical electronics of head-turning contemporaries like Tennyson. Taking over on vocals, bass, drums, and piano, he offers insight into a greater understanding of musicality, There’s time devoted to each audible layer and it shows.

In April 2022 FloFilz released his critically acclaimed album “Close Distance” featuring Alfa Mist, Blue Lab Beats, Jerome Thomas, Dal, Summers Sons, KeepVibesNear & Hunter Rose. This 7“ single contains four songs from the “Close Distance” sessions that did not make it onto the album. Limited to 500 copies.

On 11 October 2010, Brainfeeder released the debut album by a 23 year old ex-skater, painter and music producer from Chino Hills called Teebs (real name Mtendere Mandowa). The title 'Ardour' means great enthusiasm, love or passion and was a fitting descriptor for his inherently warm, lushly textured beats. It’s an undisputed classic in the Brainfeeder canon and more widely considered an essential chapter in the ever-evolving puzzle of the global “beat scene”.

Brainfeeder and Teebs are celebrating the 10th anniversary with a limited special edition reissue of this landmark record. Pressed on deep pink 2LP and housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve with artwork by Teebs himself, the new edition features six previously unreleased bonus tracks.

With roots at the ‘My Hollow Drum’ collective, Dublab and Low End Theory, Teebs has been a staple in Los Angeles music. “My creative family in LA is so important,” he explains. “It’s a part of who I am when I step outside and how others in LA view me. I love the feeling of community and trying to understand how I can be useful in it.”

Following 'Ardour' (2010), Teebs released 'Collections' (2011), 'Estara' (2014) and, after a 5 year hiatus, his most recent album 'Anicca' in 2019, with the help of a host of musical friends including Panda Bear (Animal Collective), Sudan Archives, Ringgo Ancheta aka MNDSGN, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Anna Wise. Universally acclaimed, Pitchfork gave 'Anicca' a glowing 7.8 review hailing Mandowa’s “effortless, shape-shifting tracks that make time stand still.” Meanwhile, FADER described the record as “deeply atmospheric... cool-headed and uncanny.”

Just Loops & Bars.

Blue Vinyl Edition.
Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.
Record is slightly warped but still enjoyable.
Includes original inner sleeve.

Grammy nominated producer DAO and German beat icons Tom Doolie and Cap Kendricks join forces for a high-quality body of work, traversed by a multi-layered instrumentation while retaining simplicity. This album provides melancholic chill vibes as well as genuine slappers. Visual lead of this project once again by photography legend Robert Winter and graphic designer Jeremias Diekmann.

Twentytwo artists, lots of wine and pizza, no agenda. This compilation is a collection of vibes and memories from our Plygrnd Beat Retreat in Tuscany, Italy, wrapped in songs. With tracks by Nokiaa, Mia Garcia, Tom Doolie, Molly McPhaul, Goldkimono, Relyae, Søren Søstrom, Glimlip, Ray Goren, Bluestaeb, Dhanya, Webmoms, DAO, G Mills, Deluyz, Lazlow, K, Le Maestro and Saltyyyy V.

Driving up a hill lined with pine trees and grapevines, arriving at a beautiful arrangement of terracotta colored houses embedded in an unreal scenery made of grapevines and verdurous greens. Roaming this area, worrying about nothing but the day that lies ahead. Bumping into fellow creatives who share the same passion for music and art. Collaborative energy coming out of this; exploring new sounds with new souls. You capture yourself getting lucky, and think to yourself: Don’t take it too seriously, it’s not that deep. But also, make some beautiful stuff, if you can.

The Plygrnd Beat Retreat Compilation Vinyl comes with a photobook consisting of beautiful shots by Robert Winter and Tom Doolie. Limited to 150 copies!

Fifth pressing, this time via Sekito.

Legendary Cologne beat smith Hulk Hodn not only wrote German indie rap history with MC Retrogott, but also helped kickstart the instrumental beat movement in the late 2000s. Under the Hodini moniker, he dabbled in lo-fi house, but now he’s back with a vengeance under his original name: 19 sparkling beat jewels that float effortlessly between classic hip-hop, jazz influences and neo soul. »Sparklez« contains a half hour of summery, relaxed little gems that will perfectly soundtrack your next Beach Cruiser ride.

These instrumentals owe a lot to Californian lo-fi heroes like Madlib or Kankick, but some of them nod approvingly to South London or Southern Cologne as well. If you’re in need for some real jazz vibes, look no further – Hulk Hodn has got you covered: Blunted beats, muffled pianos and saxophones, vocal samples from the 41st Side of 1990s Queensbridge. There’s truly no lack of instrumental chill-out beat records out there, but »Sparklez« has something that doesn’t come in handy with a downloaded plug-in and sample pack: Character. And a whole lot of that.

(Text: Stephan Kunze)

Limited Grey Vinyl Edition.
Record is slightly warped but still enjoyable.

Record is close to VG+.

Neue Sachlichkeit bezeichnet eine Stilrichtung der Kunst, welche sich nach den Gräueln des ersten Weltkriegs mit der menschlichen Vergangenheit von Gewalt auseinandersetzte. Entgegen der Romantisierung des eigenen Weltbezugs trat eine nüchternere Betrachtungsweise, welche der Darstellung von Hässlichkeit neben Schönheit einen Platz einräumte. Neue Sachlichkeit bezeichnet ebenfalls die Platte des Produzenten und Rappers Soseies. Das Album setzt sich auf seine Weise ebenfalls mit Vergangenem auseinander und stellt es in Form von Beats, Skits und Texten fest; gipfelt ebenfalls in einer neuen Perspektivität.

Neue Sachlichkeit kommt als erste Platte des Magdeburg-based Labels Hallenbande auf schwarzem Vinyl daher. Wesentliche Bereicherung erfuhr das Album durch hauseigenes Mixing & Mastering von Asbeluxt sowie Texte von Schubidoobie, Schmero und Pucci. Das gesamte Design basiert auf dem Gemälde der Künstlerin Mundiartis.

Like some of his contemporary UK peers (looking at you, Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei), the 27-year-old Austrian producer-turned-singer Wandl is a rare example of an artist that’s able to combine the groove and emotionality of soul music with colorful electronic textures and the exciting and youthful feel of hip-hop. His third solo album »Body Memory« works as an empowering statement of clarity and immediacy. Being blunt, it could be described as Wandl’s »pop album«, even though that might do a disservice to his craft. Still, to this day there is no work in his catalogue that allows Lukas Wandl, the human, that much space for presentation.

Recordings for »Body Memory« started even before his last album »Womb« was released in 2020. For Wandl, the process of working on it mirrors the idea of opening himself back up to a community. It all started when he found himself in a place of brokenness, physically and mentally drained, having to cancel a planned tour because of this. To overcome the resulting state of depression and hopelessness, he instigated a process of tuning back in with his environment and the world at large. »Body Memory« is the result of this inner journey, exploring the fact that stress and emotional injuries are stored in our bodies and therefore can only be expressed and given form through our bodies.

For »Body Memory«, Wandl worked with some of his usual peers from the Austrian scene, such as Dorian Concept, The Clonious, Fid Mella or Lex Lugner, but also his new partner-in-crime, German beatsmith Torky Tork, that co-produced almost half of the record. To let their joint creative spirits flow, they traveled to Poland to build a foundation of tunes, while others were written and recorded in Vienna, Berlin, the Austrian countryside and even the basement of Wandl’s parents’ place in St Pölten, Lower Austria. No surprise that this album has turned out a deeply collaborative work, as almost every track contains contributions from multiple musicians. Not forgoing the playfulness and innovation of his past records, Wandl moves his emotional, fragile vocals to the very front of the mix for the first time. In moving past his comfort zone, he breaks free from learned stereotypes of taste, writing slightly more conventional, but still extremely authentic songs. Working to regain access to his true inner voice and intuition, Wandl has written an album of sheer physicality, but also immense emotional depth and beauty.

Limited Blue Vinyl Edition.