06: BOK BOK feat. BUBBZ
‘CITIZENS DUB’
(BLUNTED ROBOTS 12″)

“If you thought that was seasick, then it’s nothing compared to ‘Citizens Dub’, Bok Bok’s new 12″ for Blunted Robots. No female vocal this time; Jinder’s cooing is replaced by drunken rambling from rapper Bubbz (“the floor’s gone all swervy and shit … they can’t all be cute, that’s the drink”) who’s effectively describing his own backing track – the synths here roll harder than before, their spinning heads practically at right angles to each other at times” - full review here

07: ERYKAH BADU
‘STRAWBERRY INCENSE’
(from NEW AMERYKAH PART 2, UNIVERSAL MOTOWN)

“Fans now have a chance to hear more material from New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), in the form of a collaboration with Madlib, titled ‘Strawberry Incense’ … Badu’s vocals perfectly complimented over a harp-centred production by the Stones Throw man, who himself has released three albums already this year. Or something like that.” - stream here

08: ACTRESS
‘MAZE’ (LONG VERSION)
(HONEST JON’S 12″)

Darren Cunningham’s first 12″ for Honest Jon’s was essential listening, not for A-side ‘Paint, Straw & Bubbles’, nor for the excellent Zomby remix of that track, but for the extended version of ‘Maze’, a track from his forthcoming sophomore LP. A slight departure from the claustrophobic techno sound he’s increasingly known for, ‘Maze’ is an expansive electro mood-piece that put us in mind of Chris & Cosey, John Carpenter and, in a roundabout sort of way, Kraftwerk.

09: FUDGE FINGAS
‘ME & U’
(from ABOUT TIME EP, PRIME NUMBERS 12″)

Crikey, it’s difficult to take seriously – let alone fall in love with – an artist called Fudge Fingas, but when said artist presents us with this kind of pacey, heartstring-tugging future-boogie, we have to reconsider our position. Fudge’s way with a Rhodes chord, not to mention his overall grasp of arrangement, bear really strong fruit on ‘Me & U’; there’s no jazz noodling, the groove is succulent but streamlined, and the melody is pure gold. Top marks.

10: ELEVEN POND
‘WATCHING TREES’
(from COLD WAVES & MINIMAL ELECTRONICS VOL.1, ANGULAR LP)

You wait  20 years for a cold wave compilation and then two of the buggers come along at once. Having been blown away by  The Minimal Wave Tapes on Stones Throw, we were worried that Angular’s Cold Waves & Minimal Electronics Vol.1 might prove something of a damp squib. How wrong we were. Focussing on flamboyant synth-pop primed for the dancefloor, its a treasure-trove of divine obscurities; it’s difficult to pick a favourite, but none has made us grin quite like Eleven Pond’s ‘Watching’.

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