5 tracks that have no theme - selected by Judaah

"This track appears on the first studio album by The Diplomats, aka Dipset. There are quite a few big hits on that album (“Dipset Anthem”, “I Really Mean It”, etc). The track is produced by The Heatmakerz, who are behind a large part of the group’s sonic identity.

The vocal sample of Barbara Mason (which inspired the track) loops continuously, in a repetitive and sped-up way, giving it a melancholic, nostalgic, emotional feel, almost childlike and fragile.

It’s quite paradoxical, since the lyrics deal with street life, street cred, success, bling-bling, women, drugs, and so on.

I listened to this album a lot as a teenager, like many people I guess. I rediscovered it a few years ago and have been coming back to it regularly ever since. It brings back a lot of good memories: the Roc-A-Fella Records era, AND1 Mixtape, mixtapes from DJ Clue, DJ Kay Slay, etc. That’s cool."

"This is a major classic of conscious roots, where Earl Sixteen pays tribute to Malcolm X and to all the African-American struggles of that era. I think Winston McAnuff is behind the original version of this track. Sixteen’s calm, steady voice gives the song an almost meditative, spiritual dimension. It’s simple and it hits hard!"

"I kept coming across tracks by Klaus in mixes by Ben UFO, Will Bankhead, etc., without really knowing what it was. Then Hajj introduced me to the label and the artist, and I thought it was incredible.

All the releases blend dub, dub techno, ambient, and dubstep. The sound design is insane: there’s a strong work on spatialisation and textures, the rhythms are deconstructed, and the basslines are round and super clean.

There’s a hypnotic, almost immersive quality. It reminded me of Burial, but pushed even further.

I picked this track, but honestly the whole catalog is top quality. It’s really worth checking out."

"This track is straight-up fire. Nothing else to add."

"This is a song that’s been covered by Nina Simone and many other artists. My favorite version is by Sly and Robbie.

They’re masters at transforming a track and giving it a real vibe. It grooves naturally. As always, Sly is rock-solid on drums, and Robbie’s bass is round, heavy, and perfectly locked in. You get delay, reverb, and subtle percussions that enrich the track. It’s an absolute banger."