VersesBang: Versace Rings & Chest Pains

There is a big album from TrollGang affiliate, VersesBang, which came out yesterday and deserves to find a way into your collections. If his recent posts on FB are anything to go by, then this album is not the by-product of happiness, rather the opposite, but that is often the best catalyst for brilliant art as far as I’m concerned. Having enrolled fellow TG member and prevalent producer Oozhe to build all the foundations, the result is 11 tracks of perfectly blended beats and rhymes.
There is definitely an emphasis on life’s ups and downs, but all laced with Verses’ brand of humour and wordplay, which brings any notions of self-pity and self-deprecation into a more palatable mix. There is only one feature, from Tommy Dockerz, but that’s good cos Verses is rightfully the star of this show. The album is available to stream below and you can download your copy over at Bandcamp.

Manchester With Love

Since the events in Manchester a few weeks ago, the outpourings of love and charity for the city have been inspiring to say the least. Especially with division and hate seeming to be at an all-time high in the UK right now. Up there with the best of them is this new compilation, Manchester With Love.
Featuring over 220 tracks, from Manchester’s musical community, this album does two things – it shows the rich diversity and unity within the various Manchester scenes, plus it also shows that the great city and it’s residents will not be brought down or divided by these horrendous acts.

Lee Scott: Dead Canary

Lee Scott recently unearthed this previously unreleased track, which was originally intended for his 2014 Tin Foil Fronts album. Dead Canary features production from Herrotics’ finest, Broom Man. You can stream it below.

Lunar C: Chicken

Great track lifted off Lunar C’s new mixtape, Jake, which was released yesterday. The video contains a skanking granny and the tasty beat was produced by Bradford’s other finest son, HashFinger. Jake is out now at all the usual spots. Got an interview with Lunar coming in the next few days, so keep an eye out for that.

The Mouse Outfit ft. Ellis Meade & Dr Syntax: Revolution

Nice headnod vibes on the new track from Manchester-based collective, The Mouse Outfit. Revolution features Dr Syntax and Ellis Meade, with production from Pitch and Deese.

Children of Zeus: Interview

Children of Zeus – aka Tyler Daley and Konny Kon – have spent the last couple of years releasing a smooth blend of rap and soul. In the process they have scored a whole new batch of fans, plenty of critical acclaim and some crazy live shows – including a set in the infamous Boiler Room. I got the chance to speak with both Tyler and Konny about why they started making music together, their influences and the possibility of hearing a full album from them.

Remulak ft. Melody Myla: Passing Time

Nice serving of hip hop and soul fusion from Remulak’s new LP, Earth. Passing Time features beautiful vocals from Australian singer, Melody Myla. You can cop the full album here.

Upfront: Contagious

Bristol MC, Upfront, is hitting us with a new album shortly, the follow-up to his Upfront & Personal LP from 2014. The Split Prophet member has obviously been putting in the work in the meantime, as is demonstrated on the first single from the project, Contagious. The track is produced by fellow Bristol artist, Chris Lucas (Arun Productions), with cuts from DJ Rogue and a wicked video from Parallel Media.

ExP: Trivia

We all know knowledge is power, so thank fuck for ExP and his new track Trivia. The Flamegriller representative has crammed a whole load of facts into a three minute, piano laced track, on subjects ranging vinegar to from Bill Nye’s mum. ExP is also doing a crowdfunder at the moment, so that he can do a vinyl run of his album RemarkableUnremarkable, from which this track is taken. In the meantime, you can download Trivia here and you can donate to his Kickstarter page here.

RayOfLight & Mook: 5000 Kelvin

New project from Ray Vendetta – aka RayOfLight – as he teams up with Sons Phonetic producer, Mook, for 5000 Kelvin.
Written in seven hours, the project is a testament to Ray’s prolific output, following on from his Odd Couple intro EP with Tesla’s Ghost and various other releases over the past few years.
Mook brings a nice range of styles to the table, giving enough creative room for Ray to test his abilities. 5000 Kelvin is available to stream below and you can download it here.