Lucid and palpitating, navigating personal hardships while permeated by the shared traumas of the past, this week Lotic blends juddering club breakouts with crystalline vocal harmonies as her second album Water marks her definitive statement as an artist. The saxophone squalls of Patrick Shiroishi signify fortitude and dignity, as he traces the life of his grandfather after confinement in the Japanese American concentration camps. Debby Friday figures her creative awakening through the crack of bullwhips and the flurry of avalanches. And Makaya McCraven and Bitchin Bajas reinterpret the free jazz departures of Eddie Gale and Sun Ra.
Yaeji and OHHYUK drag each other out of writer’s block. The London producer Subculture and New York native Goya Gumbani spin fresh sounds out of grainy jazz loops and sun-kissed soul. And on the tenth anniversary of LIVE.LOVE.A$AP, the swaggiest mixtape of the past decade finally arrives on streaming services, with a contemporary ode in the form of the bonus track ‘Sandman’. Reminiscing on his come-up while paying tribute to A$AP Yams, Rocky proves he’s still the prettiest motherfucker in the rap game over production by Clams Casino and Kelvin Krash.
‘Only reason that I stay here cos I can’t give you pain’ splurts Blackhaine on ‘Saddleworth’, as the Preston MC stalks the moorlands of North West England ahead of his debut EP And Salford Falls Apart. ‘This life is exile from home! You can’t go home until you’re ready’ goes the coda to ‘[ Maternal ā„ Havening ]’ by Fire-Toolz, after all the scabrous beatmaking adding the stricture ‘You gotta pass your exams’. The Congolese trap star Chrisman fires off on Hakuna Kulala, Jessy Lanza enlists Loraine James for a mix session on DJ-Kicks, Curren$y and Harry Fraud take it easy on Regatta, plus Holy Other, Mary Lattimore, Presha, Anonymous Club, and Wednesday Campanella in the latest tracks.
Playlists: Spotify Ā· Apple Music Ā· YouTube
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Yaeji & OHHYUK – ‘Year to Year’
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Wednesday Campanella – ‘Buckingham’
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A$AP Rocky – ‘Sandman’
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Goya Gumbani & Subculture – ‘Letter To Pooh’
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Patrick Shiroishi – ‘Tule Lake Like Yesterday’
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Curren$y & Harry Fraud – ‘Sellin’ Cereal’ (feat. 2 Chainz)
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Makaya McCraven – ‘Black Rhythm Happening’
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Weirdcore & Gooooose – ‘Trans-Aeon Express’
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Mary Lattimore – ‘Pine Trees (Home Recording)’
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Bitchin Bajas – ‘Outer Spaceways Incorporated’
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Jessy Lanza – ‘Seven 55’ (feat. Loraine James)
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Holy Other – ‘Groundless’ (feat. NYX)
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Anonymous Club – ‘Frosty’ (feat. LEECH)
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