Amazon.co.uk Review Blockhead is best known as an NYC-based hip-hop producer who has turned out beats for underground rappers such as Aesop Rock and Slug. When he's not working the boards for such leftfield luminaries though, he runs a dope line in downtempo sounds, a selection of which are presented here. You may well be thinking at this point that there is quite enough instrumental hip-hop in the world already, thank you very much--and you'd be quite right. But it's testament to Blockhead's talent that this debut collection of night-baked nuggets sounds anything but superfluous.

Contrasting his bright, tight beats with melancholic moods (that swing between the lugubrious and the filmic), Blockhead's game is consistently on point. He wafts in weightless jazz smoke and incorporates uplifting melodies when needed, has a wicked way with a vocal sample and knows just when to change up the flow. Not essential perhaps, but highly recommended ear candy for all true beat heads. --Ern Bay