Instrumental Hip Hop 317 Items

Former City is proud to share with you, the physical Re-release of Tyris White´s Album ''Flame & Elevation'' He is the originator of GJazz and well known for classic Beat-Tapes like ''Blacklight'' & ''WeatherMan'' or ''SeaThrough'' and many more.

''This tape is a huge checkpoint in my life. The tape created out of mystical sounds to represent the evolution of the spirit of Tyriswhite. ''

4 drum heavy, dystopian instrumentals on a limited edition 45 in picture sleeve

Inner Worlds explores the journey of ‘The Self’, the small but expansive universe we create around ourselves and encouraging trust in the sheer strength and power it breathes within. We all create a secure and comfortable micro-cosmos we disappear into. In accepting external forces that may intrude, one must learn to surrender their safety net, revealing weakness, unveiling incompletion.

“Our emotional life maps our incompleteness: A creature without any needs would never have reasons for fear, or grief, or hope, or anger.” – Martha Nussbaum

“The journey for me is about connections, whether it’s about meeting people or connecting with nature or space. Music for me takes me places I wouldn’t go otherwise, travelling into yet unexplored worlds and mind states. I try to take people on a journey with my music through abstract rhythms and diverse soundscapes. The journey takes you via free jazz, electronica, hip hop, ritual drumming and noises.

Dedicated to my family and friends for their patience and confidence.
Love and light” – Olof

A bright and colourful scenery: Shrill blinding sights, piercing foreign sounds, a fusion of disparate scents blended into a cocktail of curiosity. Fleeting attempts embrace a thousand senses in one single second. Bustling around in the shadows of buildings as high as mountains, an almost eerily overwhelming sense of contentment is omnipresent - but something doesn't appear to be right...
Stranded on a lonely island in the midst of a chaotic metropolis, disconnected - a feeling of drowning in an ocean of overstimulus and importunities of disproportionately inflated personalities, without ever even being registered or taken notice of.
What's left is nothing more than the ghost of a young soul, wandering about and curiously studying the surrounding, forever looking for answers that would otherwise seem trivial.

After “Kidsuke” the critically acclaimed collaboration project with Daisuke Tanabe, “Tokyorkshire” based producer kidkanevil continues his fascination with Japan and readies his latest solo album My Little Ghost. Inspired by a summer spent in Tokyo collaborating, exploring and generally refusing to grow up, the double vinyl is due May 2nd on Project: Mooncircle and features a wide range of guests including PMC's own submerse and Tokyo vocalist Cuushe.

Limited handmade and handpainted pink cassette edition (including download code).

"No Hope For Tomorrow", the new album by Bry.Zen, was created as if produced from a sci-fi inspired post apocalyptic universe.Imagine the producer as a wasteland wanderer, stumbling upon a lost studio and spending his time composing music based on inspiration and memories from before the catastrophic events. The music breaks boundries and expresses itself freely. To correlate to reality, this music reminds us that as much as we've seen things crumble around the globe the past year there's always a light that can shine and guide us forward.

This latest release is a switch up for Bry.Zen, reaching out from hip hop and delving into other exciting genres like garage, house, footwork and boom bap, all which share similar sonic qualities. When mixed together, the final project makes for a very unique album. Approach it with an open mind, and you're bound to be inspired!

Cakedog is Leland Jackson aka Ahnnu. Leaving Records writes, "Inspired by the Battle Groundz in Chicago, Menace in the Phantom is an authentic footwork tape of 14 cypher trax. RIP DJ RASHAD."

Here we go again with the flow again. Drunkenstein is back on his stone cold 7inch saga. This time it goes deeper with these two slow burners. The A side rocks the instrumental track as usual and Fatlip got remixed on the B. This is a must for every jukebox owner and beyond!

Limited Edition Full Colour Printing 4PP Digipack + Black Tray Printed Disc Stamped Plate Foliated

CD version contains 21 instrumentals. 48 minutes length in total.

.cunfa, the young gun, is returning to rx:tx, this time with a release on plastic. The 7" features the two the finest tracks of his latest album Missing The Point.
They are the result of .cunfa's interest in different approaches and styles, with parts that are classic hip-hop and some that reach further into the world of scattered rhythms or subtle melodic echoes.
Pressed on white vinyl. Download code included.

NO Limits is a powerful compilation of old hard unreleased tracks by the Ukrainian machine, DJ Twi$t II. Recently teaming up with underground kings DoomShop Records and Sixset from the US.

The compilation features 15 heavy, hard-hitting beats with a blend of Boombap Instrumentals and Dirty South influenced Phonk with features of Sixset and Doomshop rapper ''Cursed'' as well as Occvlt, Ksetdex and Ned Bundy.

It gets flavorful! 'Humpty Breaks' by Generator, where crunchy beats meet finger-smudged samplers! This eclectic beat tape serves up a mix of old and new tracks, showcasing the evolution of the producer's sound while paying homage to the early days of rap beats.

1988 is the follow up to Knxwledge’s official debut album Hud Dreems (Stones Throw, 2015). The same year Hud Dreems was released Knx worked with Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp a Butterfly, earning the producer his first Grammy. A duo with Anderson .Paak called NxWorries was formed around the same time. Their single “Suede” became a viral hit, vaulting the singer to R&B stardom, and their album Yes Lawd! followed through on that song’s immense promise. Knx and Paak have quietly continued collaborating, and some of the new work is heard on 1988.

A prolific artist in the extreme sense of the word, Knxwledge continues to redefine instrumental hip-hop almost in real-time with a stream of beat tapes numbering in the hundreds on Bandcamp, and video remixes on Instagram.

This prolific output began early. 1988 takes its name from the fact that much of the new record was created that very year, when Knx was an infant. As the story is told, little baby Knx was left alone by his mother for just a few moments and crawled to a family member’s vintage SP–12 sampler. When his mother returned he had already produced his first beats and nearly mastered the machine. These tracks, all produced before nap time while rocking a Nike diaper, were stored over the years on floppy discs, then brought to his studio in recent months where they were finished up, mixed, and mastered.

First single from upcoming Expo 2000 producer album, single recorded in cooperation with first ever polish raper Liroy. 7” Included 2 tracks + exclusive remix and instrumental version

“Tokyo Candy Box” is a musical echo to Koji Onaka’s book of photographs of the same name (on the transformations of the city’s architecture between 1999 and 2001). 6 new tracks from samples collected during Lex's travels to Japan over the past 10 years. Without falling into the exoticism of a fantasized Japan, the producer captured the sensations and scraps of memory of an always elusive city that he wanted to share through this instrumental project.

Kaito, an out cold skater as well, has a couple of self-releases you can find on his Bandcamp page, which are solid & sound at home alongside his pop’s ( Todd Osborn) Ghostly International releases. This 7” EP outing spins at 33 1/3 to pack in as much as GSC can squeeze in & is straight up beatloverz heaven. What is impressive, for this old timer, is how clearly deep Kaito’s musical knowledge goes. He clearly has learned well from his father & all the good music he certainly has had at his fingertips. From Madlib to Os Mutantes to Fela Kuti to J Dilla & other artists who were not afraid to dig deep & unearth beats & melodies to tickle your fancy, Kaito’s tastes are as refined as anyone in the game. I know a number of the original source materials that comprise each track, but that I leave to you to dig out for yourself. Here I encourage you to open your eardrums & listen deep with your fav pair of headphones & let each track wash over you. From straight forward head-nodding hip-hop thumpers to beautiful Brazilian femme fatale vocals that lure you into the loop, to a Afrobeat driver that’ll break ya neck, to a mellow, soulful MPC hopper that will lovingly recall a Arlo Parks joint, to then closes out with a synth-laden spaced-out dreamy loop to end credits.

Over the last two decades, 20syl has crafted a unique, hip-hop infused, electro musical universe. He inherited a rich musical knowledge and a genuine understanding of analog and vintage sounds form years of classic beat making. He first got his start with Hocus Pocus, a band he founded in 1995. As the mastermind behind the band’s five LPs, including their Gold Record Place 54, 20syl has proved himself to be a visionary artist. A member of C2C - a turntablist quartet with whom he has won 4 DMC world titles – he took the genre mainstream with the groundbreaking album Tetra (2012). This successful opus was rewarded with 4 French Grammys and a Double Platinium Record.

In 2014, 20syl launched his solo career while still working with a few hand picked underground artists such as Grems, Raashan Ahmad and Blitz the Ambassador. In the recent years the prolific producer has taken his trademark overseas with popular remixes of ScHoolboy Q, Rihanna, and King Krule – setting up a booming environment for the 2014 release of his anticipated first solo EP, Motifs.

Co-founder of On And On Records, 20Syl has imposed himself as a flagship of the expanding new scene. Passionate about visual arts, 20Syl designs his artwork and direct his music videos.

A free electron, he seduces the public with his sharp identity and his ability to turn his own original creations into major musical trends.

Welcome to Royal Spheres a collection of sounds and vibrations capturing the energy of a MentPlus show. "The Bay", presents a frenetic pace and hard drums; together with, peppered delays and glitches. While the first single, "Evil Room #1408", is an infectious groove---inviting you to vibe and dance along. Other highlights include the gamers tribute Put Ya Quarters Up Pt. 1 & 2 and Not To Say Goodbye which is sure to be a crowd favorite.

Former City is proud to share with you, the physical Re-release of Tyris White´s Album ''Flame & Elevation'' He is the originator of GJazz and well known for classic Beat-Tapes like ''Blacklight'' & ''WeatherMan'' or ''SeaThrough'' and many more.

''This tape is a huge checkpoint in my life. The tape created out of mystical sounds to represent the evolution of the spirit of Tyriswhite. ''

Midnight Nostalgia is HNGVR’s new sample based side-project. It's a mix of lofi sounds, hip hop, electronica, samples from dusty vinyl, cassettes, field recordings, experimentation and a melancholic nostalgia for the old way of making music.

Tewz Rock x Crystal Pharoah x Sucklord teleport back in time, and emerge in the Land OF THE Lost for this split 7" release. Expect dusty breaks, crystal caves, and cha-ka in a cloud of smoke! Dope head noddin’ hip hop/downtempo beats peppered with samples from the TV show. Very cool full pic sleeve.

Boogie Belgique was formed in 2012 by Oswald Cromheecke, quickly growing into one of the top artists in European trip-hop and electro-swing circles. A year later, the Belgian combo released Time For A Boogie, their debut for the Cold Busted label. The album made serious waves, exposing global audiences to Boogie Belgique’s unique fusion of old and new, vintage and modern. The band’s combination of nostalgic swing jazz samples, live instrumentation, and phat beats creates a sound that’s exciting to this day. That’s why Cold Busted has reissued Time For A Boogie, remastered and, for the first time, on vinyl and cassette. New listeners can thrill to the punchy uptempo breakbeat swing of album opener “Love In Your Eyes,” the worldly trip-hop excursion of “Broken Mountain,” “Swing Thing” and its familiar cut-ups mixed with hip hop attitude, and the infectious contemporary groove of the title track. And that’s just a taste of the album’s dozen phenomenal tracks. Time For A Boogie is an album that stands the test of time, reaching into the past to reveal sounds for future dance-floors.

After scoring a surprise hit in 2006’s red-hot 7” funk market with their cover of “C.R.E.A.M.,” El Michels Affair quickly turned around another smash 7” double-single of re-imagined takes of the Wu-Tang Clan. “Duel of the Iron Mics” sees the hypnotic piano hook of the “Liquid Swords”-classic elevated to intriguing heights with dramatic strings and Catch the blast of a hype version on the b-side, where “Bring Da Ruckus” is brought to life in imaginative ways not hinted at on the bulletproof original. The raw sample stabs and sub-bass of the stripped-down Wu-Tang stunner are replaced with mind-bending bass notes, and the re-played organ hook turned way up. Both of these tracks would eventually feature prominently on El Michels Affair’s landmark LP “Enter the 37th Chamber,” celebrating its 15th Anniversary in 2024.

Doctor Zygote is an alter ego I use for hip hop tempos alongside The Maghreban for the dancier stuff. I have a lot of beats lying around that I keep meaning to use for something. File under "Beats to Use". I thought I'd put them together on a little beat tape.
In my folders, my beats have random names like "beats 114 S_Z - 82" so in needing to give these ones names and in homage to "Special Herbs" I have named them all after drugs. Broadly these beats are pretty menacing, and have a big electronic influence. I use all the same sounds for this slower stuff and The Maghreban material.
I thought they sat well together and alongside the vocal feature from Jam Baxter. Some beat tapes are full of vocal samples or play continuously. I wanted this one to hark back to some of the beat albums of the late 90s that were meant for beat juggling with, cutting or rapping over. So here we are.

New release in the Gasoline EP series. This second volume features the following tracks: Introspection, Snap Your Neck back (part1), Danger Zone and 3 bonus scratch FX tracks.

Limited to 200 copies. Hand numbered.

"IAMPAUL is back on his boombap grind. 12 straight headnod beats with a unique and jazzy flavor."

The only way to cope with this loss was to communicate with my friend through these beats After recoup the Shorter family will receive all funds ❤️

A bright and colourful scenery: Shrill blinding sights, piercing foreign sounds, a fusion of disparate scents blended into a cocktail of curiosity. Fleeting attempts embrace a thousand senses in one single second. Bustling around in the shadows of buildings as high as mountains, an almost eerily overwhelming sense of contentment is omnipresent - but something doesn't appear to be right...
Stranded on a lonely island in the midst of a chaotic metropolis, disconnected - a feeling of drowning in an ocean of overstimulus and importunities of disproportionately inflated personalities, without ever even being registered or taken notice of.
What's left is nothing more than the ghost of a young soul, wandering about and curiously studying the surrounding, forever looking for answers that would otherwise seem trivial.

After “Kidsuke” the critically acclaimed collaboration project with Daisuke Tanabe, “Tokyorkshire” based producer kidkanevil continues his fascination with Japan and readies his latest solo album My Little Ghost. Inspired by a summer spent in Tokyo collaborating, exploring and generally refusing to grow up, the double vinyl is due May 2nd on Project: Mooncircle and features a wide range of guests including PMC's own submerse and Tokyo vocalist Cuushe.

'My Little Ghost' comes out worldwide on limited gatefold, double, pink vinyl (including download code) as well as a limited edition CD including a bonus track via flau records - http://www.flau.jp/ in Japan.

Apollo Brown’s Thirty Eight is a contemporary throwback, inhabiting the realm of reverent reinvention and innovation. It deftly bridges the gap between ‘70s Blaxploitation soundtracks (e.g. Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly or Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man) and the hip-hop records that sampled from them. Includes bonus 5" feat. Roc Marciano!

The genesis of "Nosthaigia" is as fascinating as the music itself. Onra spent several years living in Thailand, immersing himself in the vibrant culture and scouring local record shops for rare gems. The result is a collection of Thai songs from various genres, all sourced on 7 inches. These short instrumentals serve as time capsules, transporting listeners to a bygone era filled with nostalgia and longing.

Produced entirely on the Mpc1000 in 2017 and revisited in 2020, "Nosthaigia" is a testament to the power of serendipity and artistic evolution. What began as a casual exploration of unfamiliar musical territory blossomed into a deeply personal and meaningful project for Onra. Amidst a series of unfortunate life events, he found solace and inspiration in the beats he had crafted years prior.

Each track on "Nosthaigia" is a reflection of his journey, a sonic expression of longing and introspection. Onra describes the process of creating the album as a cathartic release, a way of letting go of old memories and embracing the present.

Despite the somber undertones, there is a quiet beauty to "Nosthaigia" that is impossible to ignore. Onra's vintage production skills breathe life into each track, infusing them with warmth and depth. From the haunting melodies of "Until The End" to the hypnotic rhythms of "Close Your Eyes And Remember" every moment feels poignant.

Onra's decision to "remove all the bangers" from the album speaks volumes about his artistic integrity and dedication to authenticity. "Nosthaigia" is not about flashy beats or catchy hooks; it's about raw emotion and genuine expression. It's a reminder that music has the power to heal, to uplift, and to connect us to something greater than ourselves.

In the end, "Nosthaigia" is more than just an album; it's a testament to the human experience. It's a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is beauty to be found, if only we're willing to listen.

The fourth Jet Set series is now repressed on colored vinyl. Vanilla’s beats are anything but. This master of rhythm and sample construction hails from the UK, crafting tracks with distinction and funkiness that reveal an assortment of flavors. Vanilla’s Bandcamp-released albums have garnered hundreds of thousands of downloads and fans and earned him a wide-ranging fanbase. And his appearance on Cold Busted’s Only On Vinyl 2 LP helped fuel its ‘instant sell-out’ status. Now, Vanilla reveals Pointbreak, his debut EP for Cold Busted that brings together all the elements that confirm this rising producer as a true artist of beats. It’s also the latest installment of the Jet Set series, showcasing sonic travels to exciting, soothing places. “Pointbreak” opens the EP with syncopated keys over a strutting rhythm, conveying the listener’s arrival to an ultra-hip, neon-splattered hotel lobby. The leisure vibes continue with “Surfin' Summer,” a soundtrack for cocktails on the beach while watching the boogie boards go by. “Remember” combines a phat break with loungey bossa nova, a reassuring timewarp to simpler days. The EP closes with “Breeze,” finishing things on a jazzy, quiet storm tip that would make Lonnie Liston Smith swoon.

Italian Library GEM Re-imagined BY Beatmaker Koralle AND Rapper Illa J

Four Flies is proud to present a new installment in the Reloved series, ‘New Levels / Chartreuse’, with an original track from late-70s Italian ensemble Modern Sound Quartet and a rework from producer and beatmaker Koralle featuring iconic rapper Illa J.

Almost a year after the previous work "Digital Church", which was created as a result of confronting his own music from the beginning and re-exploring music theory, etc., composed and expressed with new sounds ... It should be said that it is a sequel that could not be drawn in the previous work. The latest short poetry collection "Metamorphosis" is completed.

The concept of "Digital Church" that expresses how people understand each other's beliefs by being saturated, colliding and mixing in a cyber space called digital, with the intersection and saturation of synths and natural sounds. As it is, this work "Metamorphosis" is a collection of interludes, which was created as a sequel from the previous work. The work is expressed as a single album, including the development of the song, rather than being expressed as an individual song, and the work is finished so that it can be heard throughout. The 15th song includes a remix of "arne", which is one of the representative songs of haruka nakamura, which was co-written with the song "Ria" derived from the project of Isetan Shinjuku store. Repeat Pattern is in charge of the jacket photo.

A download code is included. Here it is! The first EP from "zero Netcost", a project by Romain Bezzina with the help of Simon Mills (Bent) plus a few guests. A sweet mashup of easy-listening and downtempo tracks with nostalgic and dreamy vibes. God damn, this is some good-ass ice cream.

With this project we will take you back to 2013…

Strictly limited to 300 numbered copies!

Another quickstrike from this damn fresh new label straight outta the Kiezes of Berlin. Each volume is dedicated to the Kiez (hood) and beats of a contemporary beatsmith which equals KEATS. After the much loved Volume 1 (Moabit) by Figub Brazlevic Q-Cut steps up to the plate an delivers a totally different take.
This one is called ‚Kaiju Dugu‘ and is not exactly dealing with his neighborhood (called Kiez) itself but the arrival of giant monsters (Kaiju) in his hood. The festivities (Dugu) surrounding this arrival give the inspiration to the dark soundscape of this Keats issue. It is obscure, gloomy and challenges the brain with twisted rhythm patterns, somwhere between, beneath or besides Madlib, El-P or Flying Lotus. Hundreds of records, a sampler and occasionally a Microkorg are the tools of choice, the ‚Kaiju Dugu‘ illustraion is by Q-Cut as well, the fresh frame is provided by V.Raeter as usual and Donald & Rave keep the Keats dropping, so what?!

Only 2 per customer!

Fresh new label straight outta the Kiezes of Berlin. Each volume is dedicated to the Kiez (hood) and beats of a contemporary beatsmith. Figub Brazlevic delivers Volume 1, a 12 track boom-bap-old-school-future love affair, freshly produced and arranged this spring and packed with a photograph from his neighborhood, shot by Figub himself. The whole series will be themed by a nice extra frame, drawn for each volume by one of our favorite illustrators, DJs & beatmakers: V.Raeter of Ecke Prenz.

Each volume is limited to 300 handnumbered copies and will be exclusively available at HHV!

Only 1 copy per customer!

The first Jet Set series is back in print and now repressed on colored vinyl. St. Louis producer Bonus Points scores high with Off Topic, an outstanding four-song EP for the Cold Busted label. With previous appearances on Chillhop Records, Sundae Sauuce, Horizon, and others, Bonus Points delivers a dazzling take on boom-bap beats and future funk. Bonus Points is a graphic designer by day and, in turn, his musical compositions reflect attention to color, form, and detail. These beats are visual. The release’s title cut opens things with a spacey intro before delving into some serious sunshine lounge vibes. A cool breeze wafts through these melodies. “Zoned Out” follows with a distant, romantic guitar and a lonesome, pensive feeling that’s perfect for seaside pondering. Next up is the old-timey jazz bop of “Coffee Lounge,” recalling the St. Louis swing of yesteryear over some phat beats. Off Topic closes with “Back And Forth,” featuring more cool, jazzy guitar riffs and a wanderer’s groove. Solid and ready for action.

Galaktic Rogue is a Beatmaker from Russia and presents 8 Songs, 2 Vocal Tracks feat. PEN PALS from New York / USA included the both Instrumental Versions of this Songs.

The other four Tracks are Instrumentals, inspired by old Movies. PLUIE DE JULLIET and GODARD is dedicated to the great French director Jean-Luc Godard, one of the pioneers of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s.

For Fans of MF Doom or Madlib.



This wonderful 7" called VIDEODROME EP is the 50. Release on Expanded-Art-Records, a German based Indie Label foundet 2010 in Bayreuth.

This is a limited Edition of 150 handnumbered Copies. Clear Green, with Black and White Marbled Wax and a full colored Sleeve and a Bonus Promo Sticker.



“With Videodrome, Galaktic Rogue teleports you straight into his universe. The ‘gritty poems’ by PENPALS lead both sides of the 7” into an instrumental odyssey with nods to vintage sci-fi horror, French new wave cinema, echoes of golden-era boom bap beats, and other library-tinged sample flips. It’s a trip—a highly recommended one!”

Danny Veekens (Rucksack Records, Amsterdam)



"A wildly tasteful bit of Hip-hop. You’ve got a beautifully chopped, library influenced backdrop, PENPALS on mic duties, and some stunning artwork. Plus extra points for any reference to Videodrome."

Spectacular Diagnostics (Producer from Chicago)



“Galaktiс Rogue makes beats dustier than my Dads VHS collection! Pen Pals flow effortlessly on each track, great collaboration and solid release!”

Ash The Author (Rapper from Reading, UK)

A remix of the popular song "Guilty Luv" by rare lyricist "bron-k" on the mellow side, the remix by "Kenichiro Nishihara" was a bigger hit than the original. This 7inch, which has been difficult to find for a long time, has been re-released in a new guise, coupled with the original. The melancholic and lyrical piano melody is matched beautifully with the heart-wrenching and melancholic vocals. In addition to a remix by Kenichiro Nishihara, the flip side features the original by Loptimist. It will be re-released as a 7-inch single with completely new spec.

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”.