Hopefully this mix will make up for the lack of them from us over the past few months. Comprised of mostly unreleased material, World Class focuses on the deeper side of tropical bass music by New York artists. (Image before text by Archan Nair and Parris Whittingham.)

00:01 – Nguzunguzu – “Mirage (Brenmar RMX)” [Forthcoming Silverback]
01:48 – Old Money – “Mothership” [Unreleased]
03:35 – LoveAvalanche – “Less Corruption Feat. MC Benjammin (Sabo RMX)” [Urban World]
05:32 – Jeremih – “Down On Me (DJ Ayres RMX)” [Free Download]
08:00 – Miss Doctor – “Appietus Feat. 4X4 (Secret Agent Gel RMX)” [Unreleased]
09:52 – Nguzunguzu – “Strut (Lamin Fofana Transition Mix)” [Unreleased]
11:13 – Contakt & Mayster – “Korak” [Unreleased]
13:37 – Ill Pharaoh – “FunkMofo” [Unreleased]
14:58 – Old Money – “Awehva” [Attorney Street]
16:48 – DJ Abstract – “Secret Weapon” [Unreleased]
20:08 – N-Ron – “Baile Faroleste (Instro)” [Forthcoming Giant Corporate]
21:51 – Atropolis – “NYChero” [Forthcoming Dutty Artz]
23:23 – Jahdan Blakkamoore – “All Comes Back to One (Ticklah Remix)”
[Forthcoming Lustre Kings/Liondub International]

This is hip hop, only because it’s made by an artist who mostly produces for rappers. The cut lacks signifiers self consciously announcing its affiliation. It just is. Dancehall has developed along these lines, with riddims that are all over the place, pulling sound palettes and tempos from everywhere and anywhere, really only becoming a part of the genre once someone gets on the mic. That was one of the earlier appeals of hip hop; the willingness to borrow breaks from anything, offering a diversity of sound unparalleled by most other genres. Hopefully more emcees and beatsmiths will open up like Ken-I has here, who is also one-fifth of the Queens-bred 85th clique. The track is very short, saying only what’s needed, then dipping before anything superfluous is added. Unlike a lot of short beats, it isn’t cut off due to its offering nothing more than a simple loop that could get boring if it were any longer. The slow burn of church bells and crushed percussion belie the tempo set at 120 BPM, while its narrative is divulged with the conciseness of a novella. True, we might be biased towards the record’s dark persona and choice of instrumentation, but it really is a refreshing addition to the local hip hop lexicon. It sounds great with vocals, first appearing as the intro for Jeff Donna’s Lost & Found Pt. 2. It’s the instrumental that deserves shine though. (Painting by Kngee.)

New Linton Kwesi Johnson, casting a bleak eye back over the Brixton riots of ’81, when a people shaded in darker tones were bent so far they finally snapped. Sparse, burnt out shell of a beat by Hiatus. Drops April 11th, the 30th anniversary of the South London day of unrest.