1)   Blu No York! (New World Colour/Greenstreets)

This long lost experimental album from Blu finally gets an official
release.  The album No York! was originally supposed to be released by Warner Bros Records, but a change of staff got it lost in the woodwork and the project was eventually shelved.  The album has been floating around as a bootleg for some time now, but this is an official fully mastered version of it that’s sure to satisfy Blu fans worldwide. Features production from Exile, Flying Lotus, Samiyam, Daedelus, Dibia$e and more.  Get it!




2)        Eric Lau Makin’ Sound (Octave)

         


1) Casual Respect Game Or Expect Flames (Nature Sounds)

2) JJ DOOM Key to the Kuffs (Lex Records)

3) 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story (Deluxe Edition) (Def Jam)

4) Blu & Exile Give My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them (Dirty Science)

5) Thavius Beck The Most Beautiful Ugly (Plug Records)

Thanks to the ever knowledgeable E-Lit at the Berkeley Amoeba for this latest top five chart and run down of many of the great new hip-hop releases dropping around now. These include the highly recommended new Casual album Respect Game Or Expect Flames on Nature Sounds in which he wisely teams up with skilled producer J-Rawls (J-Live, Black Star, Count Bass D etc.) plus some mic collaborators like fellow Hiero crew member Del The Funky Homosapien who appears on the title track of Respect Game or Expect Flames.  As usual E-Lit has many great tips on new music in both CD and vinyl formats, including lots of indie/underground hip-hop, in this week's video clip above. These include the new A-Trak 12" single (one side has a collab with Danny Brown), the new anticipated Blu & Exile album Give My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them on Dirty Science, Dark Time Sunshine's full length (scroll down to see newly released music video from this Four Tet released ANX album), and the very underground CD (at a budget price too) from Mind + US & DJ Hoppa Everything is A-OK which, as E-Lit points out, includes tracks such as one dedicated to a dead cat and another to girls who like to smoke weed.

For his latest release the ever-evolving San Francisco turntablist / producer and "synth-freak"  Teeko Shimon (aka DJ Teeko) has taken things a little further and deeper into the land of funk via his new collaboration with fellow San Francisco artist B. Bravo (of Bayonics and solo fame): The Starship Connection EP on Frite Night. Teeko describes the collab, that drops next week on September 18th, as " West Coast-inspired funk, modern dance music and classic analog electronics."

Teeko has really advanced and grown as an artist over the years from his days on the skratch DJ scene to his role in 4OneFunk and F.A.M.E.   B. Bravo has appeared on compilations from Gilles Peteresonʼs label, Tokyo Dawn as well as solo release on Londonʼs Earnest Endeavours label and together with  Teeko (for this new Frite Nite release) he finds good company. Together B. Bravo and Teeko serve up a nice fat slab of funk on The Starship Connection EP which is being released by Frite Nite next Tuesday.