First Word 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: First Word Records present a new album from Don Leisure with Amanda Whiting. Beyond The Midnight Sun expands upon ground first explored on Don Leisure's track 'All Praises Due', which also featured harpist Amanda (with Angel Bat Dawid), and featured on his previous album 'Shaboo Strikes Back'. This is a full-length project on which these two formidable Welsh artists have collaborated together. "The project is a journey down the road that was revealed to me on 'All Praises Due' on 'Shaboo Strikes Back'. I wanted to move in a different direction from the beat tape format on my previous releases while still maintaining the core Don Leisure sound, fused with live instrumentation and vocals etc". A seven-track affair comprised of delectable spiritual jazz fused with hip hop beats, psychedelic electronics and a touch of soul.

Review: Tyler Daley is a UK hip-hop mainstay and the vice of the brilliant Children of Zeus. Here he branches out with his own solo album, Son of Zeus - see what he did there? It comes on the band's home label of First World and bares plenty of their signature sonic hallmarks - dusty, undercooked production, lazy hip hop beats, and gorgeous vocals that sit somewhere between neo soul, golden era boom-bap from Tribe and something else a little unique. It's a warm world where yearning bars, lush harmonies and hooky melodies all float around the stripped back but bumping beats. Superb stuff.

Review: MC Essa is also a lawyer and Londoner known for being a firm favourite of the likes of Nas and Mark Ronson. He has played with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan and this 15-track record with Yungun is considered to be one of the finest samples of its sort from back in the halcyon days of the UK's golden era. The Essance comes with production from and features by stars such as Harry Love, Mr Thing, Lewis Parker, Kyza, Devise & Ben Grymm and this reissue comes with fine liner notes from Musa Okwonga who notes the record for its range. Listening back now it has stood the test of time and remains a standout in the UK's hip-hip history.