MINT

Clave House debuts with 4 cuts of laid back Midwest grooves. Appian kicks things off with 'For Warm Weather Pt2', a breezy melodic summertime anthem. Gerald Norton answers with 'Wilbert Cobbs' in his usual hypnotic low-slung style. Segv starts off the B-side with sub-120bpm dub echo chugger 'Uhxhxh', and is rounded out by jazzy rumble 'Pitchblack' from Minneapolis mainstay Berndt.

Banoffee Pies Records launches its first white label to date, and it's a three-pronged collaboration by new and exciting faces in the scene. First up is Philou Louzolo and his excellent ''Afrofuturism Dance'', a solid house jerker with lively tribal influences, folloed siftly by Wendel Sield and his moodier, jazzier piece entitled ''History Of Black People''. On the flip, Huntleys & Palmers MMT proceeds to drop some Gipsy King house in the form of ''Ton A Ton'', backed by the more funky disco shades of ''Pangae Flute''. Nice and diverse for ya!

Ill Camille, LA hip hop's female perspective. Ill Camille has been a vital member of the LA music scene for some years. Kendrick Lamar used her vocals prominently for the "good kid, m.A.A.d city" track "Sing about me", she has been working with other TDE artists occasionally and spend a lot of time writing for different projects Terrance Martin was involved with.At the same time Camille was developing her own material with her fellow peers such as MNDSGN, Iman Omari, DJ Battlecat, Like (Pac Div) Georgia Anne Muldrow & SIR who are all featured on her album “Heirloom” just like TDE co-president Punch. “Heirloom” productions range from smooth, g-funk esque west coast beats to live & organic soulful beats, working as the perfect backdrop for Camille's powerful, intelligent and thought thru lyrics.The album is deeply personal revolving around the issues that mater in her life from friends and family, her role as a woman and the heirloom of her and her surrounding: “I feel like everyone are heirlooms of our mothers and fathers. An heirloom is just something that’s passed down through a family. We get heirlooms in the form of game, encouragement or wise words. I know everyone has an aunt or uncle that’s given them some bars about life in general. I have a village around me that have given me heirlooms in the form of conversations”.

It took the former high school mates several years of pursuing their interests in different cities and moving to Berlin to reconnect and decide to collaborate on a record together. The result is quite different to the output both are usually connected with. "Even" is a multi layered cake exploring accidental jams and tape machine workouts. The main focus was spontaneity first and think about the concept later.

Illa J takes us on a trip to his hometown Detroit with his third solo album HOME. following his self titled LP, Illa J sometimes known as "John Regal" (born October 13,1986 in Detroit, Michigan) is a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, multi instrumentalist. He takes us on a trip to his hometown Detroit with his third solo album HOME. His last LP successfully took Illa J out of his brother and hiphop legend J Dilla‘s shadow to show he is in his own lane. Yet, Yancey still felt as though he was in a box labeled rapper. Teaming up with producer Calvin Valentine, who entirely produced the album, HOME is Illa J‘s first album to properly showcase the full extent of his vocal range to put him in the singer-songwriter conversation. The listener can feel the soulfulness of this LP through Illa J‘s singing and Valentines‘ smooth production.On „Sam Cook“ which is an ode to Illa J‘s father who ghostwrote for Motown, Yancey dives into his falsetto that is reminiscent of D‘Angelo, Bilal and Al Green. While keeping his focus on singing. Illa J sprinkles the album with rap verses. On „7Mile“ his vocals smoothly float over the more raw/alternative cut laid by Valentine. The album title track „Home“ completes his album and solidifies Illa J‘s artistry as a well rounded singer who can rap.Illa J is a solo artists, former member of legendary group Slum Village. Active in the music industry since 2006 in L.A and Detroit, Illa J has released two solo albums, 2008’s Yancey Boys via Delicious Vinyl and 2015’s self titled LP Illa J via Bastard Jazz Records. In 2014, while refocusing on his solo career and stepping out of Slum Village, Illa J relocated to Montreal for a fresh new start. He has since entrenched himself in the Canadian music scene by collaborating with some of Canada’s finest emcees and producers including Moka Only, Potatohead People and Kaytranada.His recent collaborations have been with jazz legend, Robert Glasper in concert and on record for his Miles Davis tribute project Everything’s Beautiful. Illa J also had the privilege to collaborate with hip hop legend Phife Dawg from ATCQ on his double LP nutshell. Other features include Slum Village’s critically acclaimed album YES & famed UK producer Tom Misch Beat Tape 2.