A State of Mind's playful, golden vibes nonchalantly sidestep the gnarliness of archetypal cutting-edge UK hip-hop with this godsend of a record. Diversity is key, down to the finest detail. The Funky Poet and Green-T (note his bassy verbosity: he is the UK's Charlie 2na incarnate) have recruited the granular wisecracks of Dented Record's Dinner Lady Pimp Skrein to catalyse their rounded vocal flow. Deckspert DJ Sativo comes into his own on Everything Stays the Same, warmly embracing instrumental samples with a nod to KNO's Takin the Loss. Selecting a single gem track is tricky on a flawless release, but I kid you not in saying that the title track has potential to be Buddy's successor. It's true that a tangible affection for the old skool (plus soul, jazz, reggae) informs the structure of the melodies, vocals and the album as a whole, but without infringing on the imaginative faculty which prompted DJ Vadim to dub them "the leaders of the new school". A rare hybrid of quality and accessibility, ASM is a band to watch out for. And if you like them, check Ninja Tune's similarly upbeat master-of-fusion Kid Kanevil. But for fuck's sake buy this first! [Rosie McLean]
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