FEATURED ALBUM: V/A - 'Breakin' Bread - dirtybreakinfunk&hiphop' (Breakin' Bread)

After nine years of running their club night Breakin' Bread and its' subsequent offshoot record label, Skeg and Rob Life have a decent amount to celebrate. BB is arguably the finest jazz / hip-hop label in the UK, proving what success can still be achieved with this classic fusion of genres. From the start, focusing on homegrown MCs as well as producers set the label apart from contemporaries like the now-defunct Grand Central, and arguably this is one of the many reasons for the label's flourishing longevity. Perhaps too, its lack so far of a crossover act, such as Aim. This compilation showcases the highlights of their roster. DJ IQ, whose scratches have appeared on many BB releases, provides an intro. Nostalgia 77 and Natural Self deliver 'Heavy Heavy' under the pseudonym Keno 1 & The Hermit, a driving funk loop with Shadow-esque drum patterns. Rising star Ghost's 'Flip It' is Gang Starr territory, while Tufkut resurrects Beats In Progress with Kashmere and DPF for the loping, Slick-Rick sampling 'Trouble.' Edinburgh's own The Abdominal Showmen feature on the trippy, lo-fi funk-hop of 'Organic.' These highlights indicate the excellent level of quality throughout, with Latin and afrobeat-leaning breaks rubbing shoulders comfortably with jazz-heavy bangers from Cappo & Sero Theory, and more from both Ghost and Natural Self. Seriously, you'd have to hate the funk to not like this record. And everybody loves the funk. DIG IT. [Bram Gieben]