“Not strictly plod” is what Honest Al (The Boss) said when we were going to stick this in the plod section but he was hard pushed to find another place to put it. No wonder really, this album is a real step up (and a little bit away) from LA. More organic with a tonne more jazz inflections and dare we say it, a bit easier to swallow, as a whole, than LA. On Cosmogramma, Flying Lotus (we hate it when people write artist’s real names like they think they’re really on the ball coz they know his name booo) mixes electronic chaos with smooth and lush orchestration to create something that transcends genres. In time this album will be regarded as a little bit special. Other so called “wonky” producers could learn a lot from this. This is a really good album and if you liked LA you will love this.

Beat Dimensions Vol2 was on repeat in the warehouse at the end of last year and one producer in particular stood out. Dizz 1 from Sydney in bleedin’ Australia. That intro lead to this full EP release on the ever genre smashing Kindred Spirits label. Packed with heavyweight bass and head nodding hip hop beats, Dizz 1’s sound grabs the baton from Harmonic 313 and adds more beef and more bounce to the beats. If you like H313 and the Beat Dimensions albums then you will frickin love this. It really does take that genre up a notch in production terms. Get this.

Fat City the shop closed it’s Mancunian doors recently to move to that London place. Luckily Fat City the label is going from strength to strength. This album a case in point. Chock full of head nod bizz and none of it verging on IDM, which some of this gear tends to do. So as a tribute to a once great real record shop, from an up and coming virtual record shop, Honest Al is serving this up for you our punter.

What can you say about Sam “Floating Points” Shephard? Well how about every tune he has released so far is genre defying, opium for your ears. Or you could just say he’s bloody good init. Crisp beats wrapped in hallucinatory chocolate, you could almost eat these tunes. Judge for yourself but chances are you already have. Peterson, Benji, Mary Ann are all big fans. Albion has been spinning all FP tracks on his Bondi FM show. You must have this music in your life.

Our Assistant Manager, or Assistant to the Manager more like, Albion has his own radio show. He keeps going on about it and thinks he’s the next Gary Crowley. Anyway on it he’s been spinning the Lone remix of All the Flowers and it is because it is a lovely slab of beatstrumental electronica or Plod as we like to call it. Cosmic folky electro. Lovely stuff all round.

Quentin (the new boy) has been rinsing the Bullion mix of Slow in the shop. Honest Al (the boss) walked past and quite literally fell on the floor when he heard it. He wasn’t too happy when he found out we hadn’t been stocking it for our lovely punter. So here it is quick smart. Be warned, make sure you have something soft to land on when you hear the Bullion mix for the first time. The boss fell and chaffed his leg quite badly actually.

To London is dusty 2 step plod. Nutstep for the 09 gettin’ rinsed from here to Benji to Alex Nut and back. Looks like Ramp have just produced a big green blip on the radar. Another label for you to add to your already oversized list of labels to check monthly/weekly/daily. Full time job this init and the reason why Honest Al’s do what they do.

Smurf Hop anyone? Hud Mo with very off kilter beats and melodies. Verging on unlistenable sometimes but somehow very listenable. Polkadot Blues is ace as is Overnight which seems to be the track most people are picking up on. Straight outta Glasgow and into your record bag. A must have for 09.

Debut album but H313 is no debutant. You know Global Comms, Jedi Knights and Troubleman. This man’s productions reach the pinnacle of every genre he touches. This album packed full of Plodness, dub, electro and techno. Koln especially sounds like his Reload work with updated beats. Mark Pritchard does it again!!!

Review soon come

Funkineven’s on the rise with this EP of Sa Ra influenced beats with the sultry vocal of UK diva in the making Fatima. Part of a rich vein of new UK music, this track has been getting nuff rotation on Benji n Hobbs etc. Mutant RnB with a dash of neon. The 2 other tracks are reet tasty too.

Recent Honest Als discovery. Slap on the wrist to Albion for not stocking this sooner. Dope beats in a Prince/Neo Soul/Sa Ra stylee. Get on it.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR Honest Al (the boss) got us all to write the name of our favourite album of 09 on a piece of paper, fold it and put it into his manky, early 90s Tag Records record bag. He then took the bag away to count the votes. This, he declared, would be the first Annual Honest Al’s Records: Album of the Year Awards. Not surprisingly we all voted for Butter. Hud Mo’s brand spanking new album dropped just in time to be included. In a year that has seen a resurgence in exciting, quality underground music and Warp Records celebrating 20yrs in the game, this album has had a lot of people rubbing their hands in anticipation. Impossible to categorise and very original. Upon first listen you think you are on a bonus level of Super Mario Cart. Loads of melodies and cheap keyboard sounds mixed with heavy bass and a an unmistakable hip hop bounce, on almost live sounding synthetic drums. There is a definite RnB feel to some of the tracks, which have had some journos labeling it as “mutant RnB” or “day-glo soul”. A couple of tracks featuring Olivier Daysoul highlight Hud’s Sa Ra influence and show why some big playas from the US are looking in his direction. There are possible collaborations with Erykha Badu on the horizon and no doubt more will follow as his “sound” begins to make sense to more and more people. As the name suggests this album is definitely smoother than some of Hu Mo’s earlier releases and has more of the head nod factor to it. However some people may listen to this and scratch their heads with a “So what?” look on their face but we think most PMS customers will love it. Hands down the best album cover of the year too!!

Honest Al (the boss) was down the pub with an old Swedish psych-rock guru friend of his called S.T. Mikael. Mikael was telling him how he recently granted a young producer by the name of Paul White access to his whole back catalogue. Paul snipped, sampled and edited his way through it and came up with his sophomore album entitled Paul White and The Purple Brain. The result is an endlessly inventive showcase of what’s possible when armed with just a sampler, a few studio toys and a fertile imagination and marks a significant step forward from 2009’s cult hit ‘The Strange Dreams of Paul White’. This is the first EP taken from the album. Signature sampladelica and fun to boot. Props to One Handed yet again.

B-B-B-B-Bullion!!!!! The man with a midas touch. His output may not be as prolific as fellow One Hander Paul White but it’s the quality that counts. Nuff hype on this guy since last year’s fantastic Get Familiar and he is back with a vengeance. Say Goodbye to What is a whoozy vocal track with a light psychadelic touch while Crazy Over You is a bona fide Bullion classic that has been doing the rounds on mixes both by Bullion and Paul White. Quentin (the new boy) has been listening to the in store previews non stop since this bad boy came in. He’s looking a bit weird actually…......

FULL REVIEW TO COME Albion’s been playing an extended version of Dreamstate on his Bondi FM show as has Benji B on 1xtra. Big fans round this way of course, so much so that we can tell you Paul White himself has decided to give this EP away FREE FREE FREE!!! Side A available here SIDE A

The boss reckons Paul White is the “Rick Wakeman of plod hop sampladelica” and who are we to argue? I mean he does pay our wages after all. He’s got a valid point though as we are sure Grimy Light samples a big Tangerine Dream synth line. The usual skewed wonky beats underpin a melange of charity shop dusty samples. He churns em out with wild abandon does Mr White and he has a new album out soon as well. Melange? Quentin’s been at the dictionary again…..

Finally available on Honest Al’s dusty digital shelves. The Parisian beatsmith heats, shapes and sculpts his sounds into a cohesive lo slung, beatdown horseshoe of super duper future funk. One Handed on point with the usual high standards. Jimmy Edgar from Warp turns in a tasty treat of a remix too. This EP should be nestled on your hard drive next to all the other essential One Handed releases. Siiiick!

You know Honest Al loves One Handed and Paul White like a brother from another mother right? Well this LP is more eagerly awaited than a jury’s verdict at a Phil Spector trial, well i’m sure his wigmaker wanted to know, how’s he meant to feed his kids now? The King of Psyche Plod Hop takes a handful of Prog, a sprinkle of British psyche whimsy, a dollop of Dilla and a pinch of Pythonesque humour to create a magical many layered debut album. If only they could create digital quilted pillow case sleeves like wot they done for the CD release. Absolutely essential!!!

Paul White releases are made to make yo mouth water and we’ve been dribbling baby! Easing off on the electronics for this EP and turning down the Plod factor!! This one’s a bit more subtle than the previous two. Alien Nature is the track that’s been getting the most rotations on the usual radio shows but for Honest Al it’s all about Time Wars with it’s Krautrock slo mo psyche rock angle. Mr White is a fan of Tangerine Dream we think! Bullion turns out a tasty remix as well. One Handed not letting up with the quali. A worthy addition to your collection.

One of the best things to come out of 2008. A “Deviation classic” after about 1 play and now an Honest Al’s Classic and Psychadelic Plod Hop anthem!. Can’t wait to see what else Bullion has up his sleeve. Get that head nodding!

Yes! Bullion drops his second EP on One Handed. Very smooth lazy beats under 60s psyche soul vocal snippets. All chopped up, thrown on the floor and put back together in the wrong order. Time for Us All to Love fuses all of the above with some deep Moodyman style beats. You need this.

More One Handed craziness. This time from the Field Marshall of Plod Hop Paul White. This tune will have you marching alongside 10 foot tall wind up robots through a field of lime jelly. This could be the soundtrack to a 21st Century remake of the Magical Mystery Tour. Roll up roll up and bring ya wellies!

Can someone please tell me where this label popped up from and how it can be so amazing from the word go? 3 or 4 releases and they are all top notch. This early offering from Paul White a case in point. A Silent Cry will stay in my virtual record bag forever. So deep and that synth line will fill every room from Patsys to Fabric. Headphones or club. Get on the Plod bandwagon it leaves in 5 minutes!!