Rare & Unreleased…

I’m going to write about two albums I recently purchased that contain “Rare & Unreleased” tracks, but first I need for this FabricLive 24 by Diplo to finish playing, I cant possibly concentrate on Lord Finesse or Foreign Beggars while Diplo’s remix (and splice) of Way More and the acapella of Bucky Done Gun are blasting out of my speakers! So perhaps I’ll start by saying that this FabricLive mix is wicked. Starts on an early nineties electro trip, progresses to Window Licker, touches on Ludacris, moves onto that crazy Brazilian baile funk sound that Diplo loves so much, and ends up with a few rockier tunes and hot dancefloor breaks – a genuinely enjoyable mix that has tonnes of energy. I’m not one of these subscribers, or just people that make a point of getting the latest FabricLive (the fact that this Diplo one came out last year somewhat proves that!), but I listen sporadically and have such issues as; James Lavelle, AIM, DJ Spinbad, and Scratch Perverts. The Diplo one is well worth getting. Anyway, back to the topic at hand…

Last weekend Lord Finesse was in town (Brisbane) with Roc Raida, Q-Unique, and DJ Eclipse. They did an instore at Butter Beats in Brisbane City and plenty of people turned up for the momentous occasion. Finesse himself didn’t seem in the mood for idle chit-chat, Raida came across as one of those quiet-but-pleasant guys, Q-Unique seemed cool enough and Eclipse was a good laugh. I took the opportunity to grab some ‘squiggles’ from each of the guys and they were forthcoming in that – I got Lord Finesse to sign my Rare & Unreleased album of his, and I have to say it is a class record. It contains 22 tracks that have been previously unavailable on CD and it touches on all aspects of his work, from the proper old skool stuff, right up to a few r&b productions that he worked on. If anything it gave me a stark reminder that some of this old skool stuff sounds as fresh today as it did way back then!

Ground Floor Featuring Lord Finesse – Dig On That
>> download track (YSI)
>> buy album @ Amazon UK
This download link will expire on 1st December.

The other rare & unreleased album I purchased comes from UK hip-hoppers Foreign Beggars. They recently dropped Bukkake Ski Trip on the Dented label, their compilation of previously unheard tracks, vinyl-only releases, bootlegs, collaborations and remixes, all put together by Foreign Beggars DJ Nonames. There’s plenty of UK talent showcased on the album, not to mention a few other nice surprises, such as Stones Throw’s very own Wildchild on the track Million Skill March. Enough people have previously voiced their opinion that Foreign Beggars are one of the best UK hip-hop acts around, and this album does nothing but re-highlight that fact. For anyone new to the ‘Beggars, this album would be a perfect starting point, an 18 track extravaganza of different sounds that these head-nodding fellas produce. Foreign Beggars manage to finely balance the elements of the UK sound that can so often fall wide of the mark with a heavy emphasis on aggressive, dark vocals and a lack of sound production – their stuff manages to sound gritty, but still showcase tight beats, clever lyrics, and intricate flow. Above all, it really gets your head nodding – two thumbs fresh!

Foreign Beggars – Cold Breeze
>> download track (YSI)
>> buy album @ Dented Records
This download link will expire on 8th December.

I’m currently working on a bumper blog entry (in my mind at least) that will be focusing on the best albums that have been released this year – so if you have any suggestions, give me a shout. I think at the mo my list is bout 20 albums strong.

Useful links:

• FabricLive website
• AG/DITC MySpace page
• Download – Ground Floor Featuring Lord Finesse – Dig On That (YSI)
• Buy Rare & Unreleased @ Amazon UK
• Foreign Beggars MySpace page
• Download – Foreign Beggars – Cold Breeze (YSI)
• Buy Bukkake Ski Trip @ Dented Records