This morning, it’s our delight to welcome dear guest 2nd Exit for a Sunday morning of fresh selections. Based in London, duo Lester Duval and Alfa Mist strike rhythms melding jazz and hip hop movements in their releases.

2nd Exit’s selection

wnbl feat. Mike Nasa - Still Not In Space

2nd Exit: ” Had this track on repeat when we first heard it. It’s a beautiful hip hop/jazz hybrid - top shelf rhyming from Berlin-based Mike Nasa over a rhythmically and harmonically rich bed of live instruments from German collective wnbl. The Hargrove-esque horns top it off nicely. This one will remain in regular rotation for a loooong time. “

Oakstop Alliance, Homeboy Sandman,A-Plus, Michael Sneed, Dakim - Look at the Rim

2nd Exit: ” We’re both big Homeboy Sandman fans…everything he does is…well, he just doesn’t seem to miss. This track is no exception. It’s from a compilation album with Oakland-based nonprofit Oakstop Alliance showcasing Oakland’s homegrown hip hop talent. The track (produced by Dakim) is weird enough to catch the ear, but still has that boom bap thing we love, and all the rhymers on there match feet with Homeboy Sandman so there are no weak spots. “

Imaginary Friend, Donnie Moustaki - All Cats Are Beautiful

2nd Exit:**“**This one’s from a homie, Imaginary Friend (from London by way of Berlin), one of our favourite rappers and one of the most formidable writers we know. Love the double entendre in the title/its acronym. He rhymes about his love for cats (or perhaps his dislike for something else) over a juicy beat from elusive multi-instrumentalist/producer Donnie Moustaki (these two have dropped a few tracks together - all gold and worth checking out). We have a joint EP dropping with Imaginary Friend this year…keep an ear out…!. “

MailTape’s selection

2nd Exit - Understand

Sarah: ” Last track on 2nd Exit’s most recent album, Tangent. Love the subtlety of these jazz backings, esp. the bassline. The spoken chorus surprises, only slightly slanting into song and yet effortlessly in rhythm with the key section surrounding it. Lester Duval and Alfa Mist pass sections back and forth between each other with such flow, the track is seamless. “

Isatta Sheriff & Koralle - Will They Try

Sarah: ” Isatta Sheriff regards this track as the most important off of her recent album, Eat The Kiwi Skin, in that it seeks to address exploitation of Black women in hip hop. Reflecting on this in the album’s writeup, addressing the principle implementation gap as she writes, ‘People often ask the same questions regarding women’s position in hip hop, and I ask will they try to understand the full scope of the problem and then DO something, because the conversation is stuck and needs to progress.’ Koralle’s production work here so intricately meshes sampling, jazz horn and key sections, while still adding punchy hip hop beats underneath. Wonderful collaboration spanning between (Isatta Sheriff based) East London and (Koralle based) Bologna. “

Theo Croker, Ego Ella May, D’LEAU - GOOD DAY

Sarah: ” Such a hypnotic mesh of synths and percussives, only elevated by Ego Ella May’s silky vocals. Theo Croker’s trumpet accents at once mirror the synths and break apart from them, dancing around Ego Ella May’s vocal sections. Love the stand out trumpet solo later on, especially once the synths and vocals grow into one by the track’s end. “

2nd Exit - Say It Is

Sarah: ” To finish off our morning, a track from 2nd Exit’s first album release, 2nd Exit. Still obsessed with the softness of this chorus, velvety with these soft landing key chords. “

That’s all for this morning’s selection! Thank you for joining us :) Our love to 2nd Exit for these wonderful Sunday selections, and many many thanks to the guest illustration by Jade Wade for this episode’s fantastic artwork!