We’re not gonna lie, we’re kind of fascinated by James Franco. Sometimes it seems like he’s trying too hard to be arty, but then other times I’m just glad he’s got other pursuits going on beyond hanging out at The Double Seven and banging Polish models. Either that or going all Hansel from Zoolander — […]

If any album deserves a re-issue, it’s Massive Attack‘s 1991 masterpiece Blue Lines. The Bristol collective have spent some time in their studio piecing together original recordings to produce a fully remastered version of this groundbreaking debut. Influenced from the glories of downtempo, electro, soul, reggae, jazz, hip-hop, and god knows what else, the innovative album […]

Brothers Guy and Howard from London have been creating smooth 2-step, garage and dubstep beats for a couple years now under the moniker Disclosure, starting at the ripe ages of 19 and 16 (don’t feel too useless, they still live at home with their parents). They’ve put together a nice 40-minute mixtape including prime downtempo […]

Seminal Finnish trip hop/downtempo/breakbeat outfit Pepe Deluxé just dropped their fourth longplay, Queen of the Wave, this week. They’ve come a long way since their 1999 debut Super Sound, their electronic output taking a deeper delve into live breaks and organ-led rhythms. To illustrate their influences and direction, Pepe Deluxé — aka Jari Salo and […]

DNTEL joins Nite Jewel in dropping a mixtape for the “Check Yo Ponytail” party. With the various aliases that James Tamborello produces under (including The Postal Service, Strictly Ballroom and Headset), you never quite know what you’re gonna get from the Los Angeles producer, but via his DNTEL moniker you can expect some quality downtempo […]

There are no words for my love of Ninja Tune. They have put out so many of my favorite records, and filled my life with so much sonic joy, that to try to assemble words to explain my love would only sully our magical relationship. And now they’re celebrating 20 years of awesomeness, and to […]