Featuring guest appearances from Roots Manuva and Micachu, UK rapper Speech Debelle’s debut has already garnered a Mercury Prize nomination.

An introspective, emotionally stark offering, Speech Therapy finds the young hip-hop artist exploring every facet of her own psyche, revealing the highs and lows that come from love, heartbreak, homelessness, and recognition. The album was produced by musical innovator Wayne Lotek after the two met at the offices of pioneering record label Big Dada. Read More »

Manchester’s Andy Carthy is best known for his whimsical, Sharpie-drawn doodles and the equally snazzy, jazzy music of Mr. Scruff. The culmination of two years of work, his latest album, Ninja Tuna (Ninja Tune), features collaborations with Quantic, Danny Breaks, Alice Russell, and Roots Manuva.

That’s all well and good for the recently established tea baron and English pie connoisseur, but he has another signature skill: the all-night DJ set. He often hauls lively stacks of Afrobeat, Latin funk, reggae grooves and soul-jazz gems across the Atlantic. Beaming in via Skype from his record den in Manchester, Carthy revealed to Flavorpill’s Tomas Palermo the five rare wax revelations that he considers his champion cuts.

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