Back catalogue: DJ Tools

Review: After a bit of time away due in part to the pandemic and other geo-political factors, Dusty Donuts is now back and serving up sugar hip hop treats. This new 7" packs in five fine beats from a mix of artists, namely DJ Robert Smith, Marc Hype, Naughty NMX and Jim Sharp. This is the second in the Weapons of Choice series and it is a mix of classic 90s beats and intoxicating samples. The joints go from deep and laid back to more jazzy and sax laced. 'Scratchdeeznuts 1 & 2' is a cut-up and chopped loop for advanced DJ deployment only.

Review: Talk about a time capsule. While the obvious nostalgists out there scour and share their cassette eight packs, desperately converting the mixes they contain to digital files before the inevitable unspooling renders the original recordings obsolete, here comes Death Is Not The End - a record label that lends its name to (well, hosts) a show on NTS Radio - with the ultimate trip back to a time many weren't lucky enough to live through.

As the name suggests, this is literally a collection of no less than 40 radio adverts that appeared at some point or other on London's once-plentiful pirate radio stations between 1984 and 1993. Many are poor quality in terms of production, a good number use samples from some of the biggest dance tracks of the day, loads namecheck some legends of the UK rave scene, and every single one would be loads of fun to drop into a mix or use as a sample for productions. Not that we're recommending doing anything without license.

Review: DJ Nu Mark is best known as one of the producers for West Coast hip-hop heroes Jurassic 5, but he keeps himself busy outside of those duties with a devoted studio practice in search of killer grooves by any means necessary. Last year he created the Creme De La Crate pack for use in Ableton Live, using vintage recording techniques and years of studio prowess to deliver heavyweight drum hits, breaks, loops and fills. Now he's committed some of those sounds to wax, giving turntablists something to get busy with if they like to do things the good old way. Here's hoping we get to see some seriously skilled jugglers creating patchwork delights from these dope beats and breaks.