Instrumental Hip Hop 393 Items

We are excited to present Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes’ “What Kinda Music” – an astonishing collaboration between two artists of very different disciplines, and one of the most unique and seamlessly original projects of its ilk to date.

Moving fluidly through sleek electronica, avant-garde jazz, vintage hip hop and so much more, Misch and Dayes take you on a journey that is by turns surprising and spontaneous, heady and head spinning, and nothing less than compelling – a singular vision which fuses the DNA of both musicians with spectacular results, as can be seen in the title track, which comes backed by a gorgeously atmospheric video by XX.

Even though the fundamental bones of this project came together very quickly, its actual provenance stretches back much, much farther back, with the pair not only growing up in the same area of South East London, but Misch actually seeing Dayes play on drums in the school talent show for the first time when he was roughly 8 or 9. They both kept tabs on each other – Misch becoming a fan of Dayes’ act Yussef Kamaal, Dayes clocking his videos in 2014 – but it was only when they met at a launch party for Misch’s debut LP “Geography” in 2018 that the proverbial creative sparks began to fly. “As a musician you’re always looking for contemporaries who can push you and challenge you and make you better”, says Dayes. “I instantly felt that with Tom – he was such a gifted musician, and so prolific”. That summer they decided to go into the studio together, jam a little, and see what happens, with no other expectation placed upon it.

As it turns out, the music came fast and furiously. Two initial tracks were suddenly followed by a handful of others, and the pair found themselves contemplating what to do next. “Pretty soon, we knew that something was gelling”, Dayes says. “It didn’t feel like a one-off collaboration, it felt like a body of work”. What made the pair click, according to Misch and Dayes, were the exact same factors that meant it shouldn’t, by all rights, work. Misch says, “Yussef comes from a more experimental background, and he has a lot of loose, crazy ideas. I know how to write a catchy melody, but with interesting chords and have a good understanding of popular song forms, so I think I streamlined those ideas and made them accessible”. And certainly, in “What Kinda Music” you can sense the DNA of both musicians, but fusing so effortlessly and beautifully that it creates something else entirely, the appropriately named “Lift Off” sending goosebumps with its jazz flecked crescendo, and “Night Rider” hynotising with its deeply mesmeric grooves. “I have a love for harmony and chords”, Misch adds. “Working with someone like Yussef, who has such a gifted sense of rhythm allowed a perfect balance”.

Throughout the record, there is an utterly joyful feel of two musicians at the top of their game sparking off one another, picking up ideas and running with them – zigging where the other zags, ebbing where the other flows, with Misch producing the majority of the record and both having a hand in the overall sound and feel of the record.

“Working with Yussef has actually changed the way I work as a musician”, Misch muses. “He’s pushed me and unlocked a more experimental part of me that I hadn’t really allowed myself to explore before. I think we really did impact each other in a fundamental way”. Dayes is similarly effusive in his praise for Misch. “A musician like him, who’s at the top of his game, he doesn’t need to do this”, he raves. “He can just keep doing the same thing and why not? He’s killing it. The fact that he’s so humble, that he’s so curious about everything and open to collaboration, speaks a lot to him as an artist, because it’s not easy finding musicians who want to collaborate. Something always gets in the way, whether it’s ego or their team or whatever. But with Tom it felt like the intention was purely creative, and that’s what made it exciting”. In fact, Dayes says that the intentions of the record go even deeper than just music. “Both our parents who’d never met each other before, are now best friends as a result of this, they now see each other more than we do! I’d like to think, in some small way, that this album has a similar impact for people too – everything feels so divided these days, it would be nice for people to hear the record and hear two very different musicians coming together and realise it doesn’t have to be that way”.

Apart from the overall trend in the contemporary music industry, the second collection album on the Hydeout Productions label, a rare independent label that has gained a large following among listeners by releasing purely sound=works without any advertising activities, the 2nd Collection is the second 2LP album on the label. It was released on. It is another world of Hydeout, parallel to the Nujabes' albums Metaphorical Music and Modal Soul, with a wider range of works and people. The album is a label collection album, including 'Another Reflection', which is another chapter of 'Reflection Eternal' from the last album 'Modal soul', but also shows the label's direction after Nujabes' second album 'Modal Soul'. This work shows the direction of the label after Nujabes' second album 'Modal Soul'.

They all started small. But it all - the art - has become so big for very few of them. Dexter has: The Stuttgart native has been involved as a producer in the last 13 years on iconic albums by Deichkind, Cro and Casper, he was responsible for three successful Fatoni albums and, together with Max Herre, most recently put together a showcase of the GDR label AMIGA ("hallo 22"). With three instrumental albums of his own and later with the producer supergroup Betty Ford Boys, he led the way for the new self-confidence of an entire generation of local hip-hop beatmakers - fewer service providers, more attention.

The fact that Dexter himself had once started out as a rapper was often forgotten. It wasn't until "Haare nice, Socken fly" (2017) that he released his first rap solo album, and with "Yung Boomer" in 2020 he got to the heart of how his very own Grown-Man Rap works in the field of tension between trap and jazz. The fact that he brought old-school legend Lakmann on an album with Lugatti & 9ine is just one of many proofs of Dexter's exceptional position in the scene.

With his new project, Dexter goes back to the beginnings, more precisely to the era in which he celebrated his breakthrough with "Jazz Files". That instrumental album from 2010 remains a milestone in the genre-defining "Hi-Hat Club" series (Melting Pot Music). "Jazz Files" brought him overnight onto the iPods of favorite rappers and post-Dilla beat nerds, into clubs, festivals and beat fights, and into the collective consciousness of a German rap landscape in upheaval.

From this era comes a hard drive with about 400 beats thought lost, which Dexter was able to rescue a few months ago. Dexter is now releasing 25 of these instrumentals for the first time on the album "BABY STEPS (BEATS 2010-2013)", which will be available digitally and on vinyl from July 14, 2023. The productions flow and push, rumble and clatter, are remastered, but otherwise unchanged Dexter - full of jazz, psych rock and soul. And the artwork? That's by Dexter's kids and was laid out by Dexter's sister.

Family first!

Limited to 300 copies on purple vinyl, available at HHV only.

"Insomnia" is the third solo album of the Italian jazz beat maestro Koralle for Melting Pot Music. Without exaggerating, the Bologna-born producer's album can be described as his most mature and progressive work. On "Insomnia" Koralle unites a few of his favorite artists and musicians, exchanging sounds, ideas, beats, melodies and lyrics with them. The guest list consists of fellow producers FloFilz, Pachakuti, Figub Brazlevic, Kuranes, Phoniks and Brous One, as well as vocalists Kid Abstrakt, KeepVibesNear and Ryshon Jones.

We're thrilled to present our first-ever compilation "Don't Sleep Records: The Instrumentals Volume One". This collection features a blend of our most popular records and personal favorites, including some slept-on beats that deserve a second chance to shine.

These tracks represent the diverse range of sounds and styles that have shaped the unique sonic fingerprint of Don't Sleep Records over our ten-year history. From jazzy, soulful tunes to hard-hitting boom bap and soulful bangers, this compilation offers something for every discerning listener.

We're excited to share this collection with our fans and we hope you'll enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed putting it together.

- Don't Sleep Records

The Silhouettes Project a new platform for up and coming Hip-Hop, Soul and Jazz artists from the UK. It is not a record label or management team, it is a community project. The Silhouettes Project provides an open space - a recording studio and live venue located within the Total Refreshment Centre in Hackney, London - where MCs, singers, musicians and producers can connect and create.The Silhouttes Project was founded by community organisers/artists Asher Korner (aka Kosher) and Jaden Osei-Bonsu (Eerf Evil) in 2019. When they told us about the project and played us some of the music we were instantly hooked and joined the collective as label partner. The art direction is executed by Sergio „SagaUno“ Alferez, an acclaimed designer and illustrator from Medellín, Columbia.Starting in September, we release a new single each Thursday from artists like Kofi Stone, Summers Sons, Enny, KeepVibesNear, Manik MC, Lex Amor, Louis The Hippie, Summer-Pearl, Joe Beard and many more.

Here is the story of the Silhouettes Project as told by its founders Jaden and Asher: „We started The Silhouettes Project in February 2019, to shine a light on the new generation ofunderground Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Soul music in the UK. Community is everything to us, and wewanted to show that with a proper support network, access to professional facilities, and theencouragement of a family of artists, our community could produce something incredible. We felt a joint frustration that the current music scene in the UK only had structures in placeto support talent of a certain genre whilst overlooking a buzzing alternative Hip-Hop culture.We wanted to unify artists who are making ground-breaking music but who are in need of asolid structure to work within - artists who we felt deserved more recognition. This led us tothe name ‘The Silhouettes Project’, as we wanted to shine a light on those artists in theshadows. The journey started by embarking on a collaborative album project which allowed us to bringtogether more than 30 artists on a single tape and to create a network of incredibly talentedartists of the same calibre. The album took more than a year, working almost every day at theRoot 73 studio, a community space in Hackney. We knew from the first few sessions that wewere on to something, and the energy around the project kept it moving. As artists ourselves we understood that the creative process can be challenging and sometimesisolating, especially when there is no clear support network to fall back on. This led us to bringour efforts into the physical realm by organising a series of free live music events for all ofthese artists to come to, showcase their work alongside our house band, and connect witheach other. These events take place at The Total Refreshment Centre in Dalston, anunderground studio complex and warehouse space, which gave the events an intimatecommunity feeling and the people a sense of belonging. There is a desperate need for spaces in which people can come together and develop theircreative potential, especially with the consistent withdrawal of funding from the arts sector inthe UK and with the constant threat of gentrification which has seen the closure of countlesscommunity and grassroots creative organisations. As we grew as a brand and organisation, webegan to fully understand the importance of what we were doing. From the studio sessions tothe events, we saw the impact on people’s outlooks on their own careers, we saw them growin confidence in performing and collaborating and even taking their own initiative to utilise thenetwork provided for them. We heard their feedback, we felt the excitement in theatmospheres at our events and studio sessions, and we saw the community grow every timewe brought it together.“

Strictly limited edition of 500 copies in funky textile cover plus printed innersleeve.

DJ Buzz is repping his Vienna hood with the next episode in the KEATS series. The original Waxolutionist drops 16 beats based on slices of Jazz, Funk and Soul with the typical loop digger approach. Available on limited vinyl as well as digitally on all platforms.

2024 Repress!

Phoniks' latest album "Dreams" is a captivating journey that seamlessly blends live instrumentation and chopped samples across 19 tracks. The beats are carefully crafted to create a unique atmosphere and mood, taking the listener on an immersive journey through lush soundscapes and jazzy hip-hop beats. Phoniks' skillful layering of sounds from a diverse range of sample sources results in richly textured compositions that delicately capture the listener's attention.

As the spiritual successor to Phoniks' popular 2018 instrumental album "Down To Earth," "Dreams" builds upon the groundwork laid by its predecessor and elevates it to new heights. From the soulful chops of "That's All" to the mellow groove of "Ghosts," each track invites the listener to sit back, relax, and get lost in the dreamy vibes.

After the 2019 release of their debut album "Dark Smoke", the Danish trio Athletic Progression has gone from strength to strength in Denmark. Multiple sold out shows in DK and abroad, as well two Danish Jazz Award nominations - and even one for Danish musician of the year! - later, the group is now ready to release their next album, an instrumental opus years in the making. Highly recommended for fans of Thundercat, J Dilla, Comet is Coming and the likes.

Strictly limited edition of 500 copies in funky textile cover plus printed innersleeve.

Delicious Chrischuzz shines a light on his Hildesheim area with 18 beats full of jazzy loops and dusty drums. One for the headnodders out there!

Edition of 150 Copies.

Danisogen has a unique treat in store with his latest album ‘The Gate to Serenity’. A profusion of ethnic instruments come together, sourced from various corners of East Asia - airy flutes and piano melodies echo from sacred mountain tops, while perfectly-hitting drums sound from the depths of the wild jungle. Even the strongest-minded samurai may not live forever, but his music will echo in eternity.

Strictly limited edition of 500 copies in funky textile cover plus printed innersleeve.

Expect 16 classic cuts from producer/MC Diggy Mac Dirt repping his lively neighborhood on KEATS drop number 14. Available on limited vinyl as well as digitally on all platforms.

New Gasoline releases, dropping a series of 3 limited-edition 7” colored vinyl EPs. For this first volume, directly out of the emblematic album "A journey into abstract Hiphop, it will feature: Introduction of a Jedi, The Hardest, Downtown Beirut and a bonus FX scratch track for turntablists

Let your thoughts melt away with the fourth Essentials release of 2022 perfect for cooling down in the warmer months and getting cosy to when the days get shorter! Limited edition, so don't miss out!

Hailing from Aarhus, Denmark, the quartet Clapper juxtaposes classic soul- and fusion jazz vibes with inspiration from instrumental hip hop and future beats. Their debut album "On Tempo" is showcasing the group’s knack for melodic improvisation and neck-snapping switch-ups, and, once and for all, underlining the potential on the young Danish scene today.

The four members - Frederik Emil Bülow (drums), Adrian Christensen (bass), Jeppe Lavsen (Guitar), and Malthe Jepsen (Piano & Rhodes) - are well-known faces in Danish music, also playing in acts such as Abekejser, Hvalfugl, Karmen Rõivassepp Quartet, Bangin’ Bülows Nice Jazz Quartet, and Casper Hejlesen Kvartet, respectively. Together, they’re able to strum out new music instinctively:

”It’s not important for us to adhere to any particular genre or style”, Jeppe remarks. “We just meet up, have fun, and improvise over riffs we’re digging. Having played together for so many years, it takes a very short time to click and move in the same direction. And from there, it’s simply a matter of picking and working with the best ideas from our improvised sessions.”

The same energy translates to their live shows - regular tour de forces in beat-focused jazz that, although the melodic cheerfulness might deceive new listeners, often end up in high-octane fusion workouts with crowds and musicians alike on their feet.

Extended edit of Letherette's Woop Baby which has gained virality on Instagram (600k plus reels) and Tik Tok (15.3k posts) as well as extensive syncs (hbo, Starbucks) with the original version gaining 7m+ streams across DSPs
A limited edition 7" single physical release is to follow in the coming weeks.

The vinyl edition is limited to 300 copies and comes in a cardboard sleeve.

Here we have "Jazz Mince", the all new album by Kiev-based producer KLIM beats. 14 tracks in total full of jazz-infected beats straight from the E-mu SP-1200 and Akai S-900 to your channels. Play it loud!

Available on vinyl and all digital platforms.

The vinyl edition is limited to 300 copies and comes in a cardboard sleeve.

Give it up for Cologne's talented producer Midan who is dropping his "Lost & Found" project, a sweet collection of tracks deeply rooted in Jazz in all its variations. 15 tracks in total, incl. a guest feature by Flitz&Suppe.

Available on vinyl and all digital platforms.

Limited to 300 copies. Only available at HHV in clear vinyl.

Acclaimed Jazzbeat-Producer FloFilz teams up with experimental HipHop/Jazz quartet Bokoya for collabo album Yurika on Melting Pot Music.

What happens when a four-headed human drum computer meets a classical trained vilonist turned beatmaker to spend time in the studio? A beautiful lily blossoms. At least this was the case when Bokoya and FloFilz entered Atelier 21 in Aachen (a Produzentengalerie für globale Kunst) for a musical encounter with no goals set. The music that was born out of these sessions is simply amazing, and we are more than happy to release them as an album under the name “Yurika” - which is a Japanese name that means “beautiful lily”. The artwork was created by Jens Roth & Jeremias Diekmann who are responsible for almost all Bokoya artworks yet. The 19-track strong instrumental album includes one vocal track featuring Japanese singer Kan Sano. FloFilz is one of Europe's most acclaimed Jazzbeat-producers with four albums on MPM under his belt. His last album “Close Distance” came out in 2022 and featured artists Alfa Mist, Blue Lab Beats, Jerome Thomas and Summers Sons. FloFilz is a classical-trained musician who not only plays the SP 404 but also violin. Bokoya describe themselves as a four-headed human drum machine that play improvised beat music. You can call it jazz if you like (all four members are graduated jazz musicians) but be ready to stumble over some Dilla, Kraut Rock, Ambient or Dub in the mix. In 2022 Bokoya released their second album Hausensession on MPM, followed by a collabo album with Cologne-based producer Ginanni Brezzo (Jakarta Records) called „Minari“.

Sun’s out, vibes are out - summer’s officially here! Bathe in the warm sunlight, or take a refreshing dip in crystal-blue water with Lofi Girl in the latest compilation ‘’, featuring __ lofi artists worldwide; a handful of new faces have come to join the beach party, along with some old-school favourites. Exotic instruments from ukuleles to maracas, sizzling melodies and grainy beats will whirl you far away to a lush tropical paradise. Lay down in the cool shade, press play, and feel your worries slip away below the rocks…

Following in the footsteps of his famed brother Madlib, Oh No has become one of the most celebrated independent hip-hop artists of the 21st century. His storied career has included not only rap success but an impressive resume behind the boards, with production credits for Mos Def, Freddie Gibbs, De La Soul, Action Bronson, Talib Kweli, Ab-Soul, and more. An innovator in the art of sampling with a history of exploring diverse source material, Oh No is now back with Good Vibes / Bad Vibes, a new instrumental album deconstructing the work of iconic vibraphonist Roy Ayers. A split collection with two thematically distinct halves, the album is entirely constructed from the early, jazz-centric realm of the Ayers archive. Good Vibes is "light and vibrant, with colorful layers radiating under the sun shine,” Oh No explains, while Bad Vibes contains “dark murky atmospheric tones for the angry moments, those times when it’s necessary to step in the mud.”

MED, Blu and Madlib are pleased to present the special edition instrumental release of their acclaimed Bad Neighbors LP. Produced entirely by the Beat Konducta himself—the vibe provider for classic albums for the likes of MF Doom, Freddie Gibbs, Black Star and more—the 14 track single LP boasts Lib’s hallmark crackling soul and funk loops in their isolated form. The special edition instrumental has been remastered, equipped with two new bonus instrumentals, and boasts an eye catching overhaul designed by Jeff Jank of the original album artwork adapted from Eugene Thurston and Arthur Hawkins' illustration for the 1930 mystery novel, The Invisible Host. “I’d like to dedicate this release to Mr Otis Jackson Sr. Thanks for the guidance and support. Highly Appreciated” - MED

Key Selling Points:

-This special edition instrumental release is remastered with two new bonus instrumentals and pressed on 180 gram vinyl. -Equipped with a revamped purple-edition cover based off the original version, designed by Stones Throw’s Creative Director, Jeff Jank.

Following the release of Lo-Fi Ghibli in 2022; lo-fi hip-hop covers of classic Ghibli songs, the underground hip-hop producer Grey October Sound and P-vine delight to release a cover album of lo-fi hip-hop arrangements of Japanese City-Pop classics!

After their succssesfully debut for worldwide with "Lo-Fi Ghibli", Grey October Sound is gaining recognition not only in Japan but also in overseas. The album features world-famous city-pop classics covered in lo-fi hip-hop arrangements, including covers of "Mayonaka no Door ~ stay with me" by Miki Matsubara, "Fly-Day Chinatown" by Yasuha and Taeko Onuki's "Tokai", which opened up the recent global popularity of city pop, as well as classic tracks by Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi and Yumi Arai. The cute artwork with the traditional style of Lo-Fi Girl and city pop is by Rika Hase, who also designed the Lo-Fi Ghibli cover.

Originally released in 2020 on the leading lo-fi hip-hop label Chillhop Music, ‘On the Rhodes’ is best-known work from Austrian Lo-Fi beat-maker "Mr Kaffer". The recent lo-fi classic is now available on splatter colored vinyl for the first time!

Shuko´s new LP is something different. He and the producer Basti (Kanye West, Joey Badass, Timbaland) spent the last 3 years creating samples, learning vintage recordings and putting their knowledge of vintage soul jazz, 60´s and 70´s composer and r&b music into crafting this 31 track album. What makes this release so special is that you now are able to use those samples for your own music and recreating something new without the hustle and pain of clearing samples. Just visit tracklib, pay a little licence fee and register your new work with them. And even if you are not into creating music, this LP is a perfect soundtrack for a calm start into the day or something you will love to relax to.

The sounds on this tape were collected from a series of transmissions sent from Helios Prime. The recordings depict the culture of those who lived on the utopic planet, however, the current status of the civilization is unknown.

We're thrilled to present our first-ever compilation "Don't Sleep Records: The Instrumentals Volume One". This collection features a blend of our most popular records and personal favorites, including some slept-on beats that deserve a second chance to shine.

These tracks represent the diverse range of sounds and styles that have shaped the unique sonic fingerprint of Don't Sleep Records over our ten-year history. From jazzy, soulful tunes to hard-hitting boom bap and soulful bangers, this compilation offers something for every discerning listener.

We're excited to share this collection with our fans and we hope you'll enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed putting it together.

- Don't Sleep Records

Phoniks' latest album "Dreams" is a captivating journey that seamlessly blends live instrumentation and chopped samples across 19 tracks. The beats are carefully crafted to create a unique atmosphere and mood, taking the listener on an immersive journey through lush soundscapes and jazzy hip-hop beats. Phoniks' skillful layering of sounds from a diverse range of sample sources results in richly textured compositions that delicately capture the listener's attention.

As the spiritual successor to Phoniks' popular 2018 instrumental album "Down To Earth," "Dreams" builds upon the groundwork laid by its predecessor and elevates it to new heights. From the soulful chops of "That's All" to the mellow groove of "Ghosts," each track invites the listener to sit back, relax, and get lost in the dreamy vibes.