Archive: Week of Feb 19 - Feb 25, 2026
12 slept-on albums hand-picked from the crates — spanning underground hip hop, trip-hop, jazz, electronic, soul and beyond.
Cortex — Troupeau Bleu
French jazz funk that sounds like it was recorded in a smoky basement where everyone was absolutely locked in. The rhythm section on 'Troupeau Bleu' hits harder than most stuff coming out of New York at the same time. Totally overlooked outside of crate digger circles but it deserves way more ears.
Yussef Kamaal — Black Focus
Yussef Dayes on drums and Kamaal Williams on keys just locked into something special here — it's jazz but the rhythms are drawn from UK funky and broken beat. 'Strings of Light' and 'Joint 17' are the ones but the whole thing flows perfectly. Insane that this duo only made one record together.
Actress — Hazyville
Actress before he got the critical attention, and honestly this might be his rawest record. The textures are corroded and wobbly in ways that feel alive rather than academic. 'Maze' and 'Hubble' hit this strange emotional frequency that's hard to explain but impossible to ignore.
Recondite — Corvus
Melancholy minimal techno that actually makes you feel something instead of just nodding your head. The bass on 'Dusk' moves in this slow tectonic way while pads drift over the top like fog. Perfect late autumn listening when you want electronic music with actual emotional weight.
Axel Boman — Family Vacation
Swedish deep house with a weirdo warmth to it — every track sounds like it was made with a grin. 'UID' and 'Holy Love' have that rare quality where the groove is simple but you genuinely cannot stop moving. One of the best house albums from the 2010s that almost nobody talks about.
Emancipator — Soon It Will Be Cold Enough
Made this when he was a teenager in his bedroom and it sounds better than most fully produced downtempo albums. 'First Snow' and 'Anthem' feel like watching weather through a window — calm but genuinely moving. The sample choices are impeccable and nothing outstays its welcome.
Mulatu Astatke — Ethio Jazz
The record that basically defined what Ethiopian jazz sounds like — Mulatu's vibraphone sits at the centre while the band weaves pentatonic lines around it in this totally hypnotic way. 'Yègellé Tezeta' is one of the most evocative tracks ever put to tape. If you haven't gone deep on this you're genuinely missing something.
Jedi Mind Tricks — Violent by Design
Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind built beats here that sound like horror movie scores over boom bap drums, and Vinnie Paz raps with a ferocity that hasn't aged a day. 'Animal Rap' and 'Blood Runs Cold' are the standouts but every track delivers. This is the one that put them on the map and it still holds up completely.
Killah Priest — Heavy Mental
Killah Priest raps in dense Biblical and esoteric imagery over beats that feel ancient and cinematic at the same time. 'B.I.B.L.E.' and 'Tai Chi' are genuinely stunning and the whole album has this heavy, contemplative quality most Wu-adjacent stuff doesn't reach. Slept on hard outside of true heads.
Zion I — Mind Over Matter
Bay Area conscious rap with electronic production that was way ahead of what was happening in West Coast hip hop at the time. Amp Live's beats on tracks like 'Coastin'' and 'Intro' have this liquid, spacious quality that lets Zumbi's bars breathe. A foundational record for the Bay underground that barely gets its due.
Blue Scholars — Bayani
Geo's bars are political without being preachy and Sabzi's production pulls from jazz, soul, and global music in ways that feel genuinely informed rather than decorative. 'Sagaba' and 'Morning of America' hit hard on first listen and keep revealing new things. One of the most underrated conscious rap records of the 2000s.
Marlowe — Marlowe 2
L'Orange and Solemn Brigham just locked in on this one — the beats are dusty and cinematic and the rapping matches the mood perfectly without trying to outshine it. 'Alligator Boots' and 'Thunder Road' are the ones. Exactly the kind of album you play front to back without skipping.