Instrumental Hip Hop 403 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”.

Fifth pressing, this time via Sekito.

Japanese import / Gatefold / First time on vinyl / Limited run

An independent label ‘’Hydeout Productions’’ releases the best compilation album for the first time.

Including from Nujabes’s fresh and passionate works only found in his early works to more emotional and metaphorical works which became the basis of his later success.

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.“

Finally back on wax. Great album feat. Sach of The Nonce, Yesh, Count Bass D, Ladybug Mecca & other fine MCs!

2024 Repress!

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.

Off of the backs of the 2006 release a pair of 7-inch singles called the Shaolin Series, El Michels Affair would eventually drop the LP “Enter the 37th Chamber” in 2009, which covered classics by the Wu-Tang Clan. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the landmark full-length, Fat Beats Records is not only re-releasing the original 45s in the Shaolin Series, but will be adding to the series with choice cuts from the LP. First up is “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” a hauntingly unforgettable take on ODB’s classic single, with blaring horns and a chorus of children to sing the iconic hook. The b-side features a darker, moodier interpretation of Raekwon’s “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” perfectly representing El Michels Affair’s slow-riding style dubbed “Cinematic Soul.”

The late, great J Dilla is widely regarded as one of the greatest hiphop producers of all time. An innovator who pushed the genre in new sonic directions, the Detroit native born James Yancey crafted
timeless soundscapes for the likes of Slum Village, Busta Rhymes, Common, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, and many more. Since his death in 2006, Dilla’s mother Maureen “Ma Dukes”
Yancey has worked tirelessly to further her son’s legacy, and her latest effort is the new posthumous album Motor City. Inspired by Dilla’s beloved hometown, Motor City is a collection of rare and
unreleased Jay Dee instrumentals, hand-selected and sequenced by Ma Dukes. Conceived as a “letter” to her son, Motor City is packaged in a limited-edition mailing envelope, complete with a handwritten
message from Ma Dukes to J Dilla inside. Both CD and vinyl formats also include access to an exclusive mix of the album by Dilla’s close friend J Rocc, a world-renown DJ and founder of the Beat Junkies.

Edition of 150 Copies.

Sealed copy! Limited edition: 300.

Strictly limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies on black vinyl of Digitalluc's 2018 release "re:ups". The sleeve comes with an UV-finish and extra sticker on front. 16 tracks in total, with features by Knowsum, Anthony Drawn, Made In M and Bill Adlib - finally available on vinyl for the very first time. Tip!

Here's another Huubaat nugget that we are very excited about to release. "Momentum" includes a collection of previously unreleased or digtial-only available works incl. the collaboration effort with Flako. The vinyl comes with a lovely soft-touch sleeve.

"Beatnicks Tape": All tracks produced by Hubert Daviz in April/May 2008. The original release "Beatnicks Tape #01" included 13 tracks. These tracks have been released for free download in summer 2008 on the Cologne based record label Up My Alley. The work on this beat tape started as an attempt of getting familiar with one's first own equipment. Original text from the back cover: "lots of vinyl, 1 MPC2500, 1 Microkorg, hands on."

"Damage Is Done": All tracks produced by Flako & Hubert Daviz between December 2007 & June 2008. Unreleased beat tape from the joint collaboration with Flako (going by the name of "Damage Is Done"). The original version was completed by Flako on June 21, 2008 and included 8 tracks. "Woop, Wooop.."

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!

Hugo Kant 3rd album, Out Of Time.
© Bellring 2017

Limited edition of 300 copies on black vinyl!

Italian beatsmith wuf comes up with his all new album "Interface" on vinyl and all digital platforms. Mellow lo-fi jams and cosmic waves for your listening pleasure guaranteed. Tip!

“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.”

"Dark Smoke" is the debut release from the Danish Jazz & Hip Hop outfit Athletic Progression. 9 tracks with the help of Minna Forouzandeh, Isatta Sheriff and Blacc El.

"When we recorded Dark Smoke in late 2016, Athletic Progression was a quartet featuring our main man Ole Koefoed Larsen on guitar. Our group composition and sound has changed since then, but reflecting our common background in hiphop, Dark Smoke is where our story began, and a fitting introduction to our musical universe." - Athletic Progression

Cypress Hill is widely respected and considered to be amongst the main
progenitors of West Coast rap and Hip Hop in the early 1990s.
With mega-hits like “Insane in the Brain”, “I Wanna Get High” or “Tequila
Sunrise” they crossed-over to mainstream breaking all records for a rap
band up until that time. Cypress Hill were the first Latino-American hiphop
group to have RIAA Certified platinum and multi-platinum albums.
As musicians they became famous for the crazy sounds produced by DJ
Muggs and Bobo and the stoner sympathetic lyrics of B-Real and Sen
Dog. They redefined and shattered the boundaries of hip-hop, crafting
gutter-dirty tracks that fused deep bass lines with blissful, stoned-out
melodies and aggressive hard rock riffs, creating a unique imprint.
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This is an esential and powerful weapon for all the Hip Hop creators and
DJ´s.

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.

Berlin Zoo’s debut LP "Super Bad Disco" is the result of a chance encounter between three Danish beatheads (I Kicked A Cloud Once, Shatter Hands, and Fou Fou) in the German capital. The record is steeped in Soul and Jazz, with an uncanny view to both the past and future of instrumental Hip Hop, and a deliciously obscure sample selection. Straight killer, no filler, carefully sequenced and arranged. Highly recommended!

Kanzulu's acclaimed "Beautiful: Opus Of Love Deeper Than Flesh" finally gets a proper reissue treatment in gatefold sleeve. Originally released on 2 seperate EP's, the reissue comes as a 2LP vinyl set with an updated artwork by LGB5. Sureshot!

Yeah, this is the 1st real album by Matthew Tavares (Keys), Chester Hansen (Bass) & Alex Sowinski (Drums).

Indie Exclusive * Rock Konducta is the fifth installment in Madlib’s Beat Konducta series. Previous entries include: Beat Konducta : Movie Scenes, Beat Konducta: in India, Beat Konducta: Dil Cosby and Dil Withers Suites and Beat Konducta in Africa. Rock Konducta grabs its source material from various worldwide rock scenes from the 60s through the 80s, from American psychedelia to Germany’s krautrock to acid-soaked Spanish prog to synthy, early-80s oddities. Tied together by Madlib’s unique sensibility, these scenes coalesce into a new whole. Who knew that rock music sounded like this? Well, there’s one obvious answer to that question.