Pawcut - The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of (2012)

Pawcut is from Germany, but you wouldn't necessarily know that from listening to their music. Their new record, The Stuff that Dreams Are Made of, is a choice bit of downtempo hip-hop that could accompany a late night drive through a headlight illuminated city.

Just knowing that this was a German act brought to mind groups like 13 and God, which contained members of the Notwist and the Anticon crew. With its gentle piano lines and driving basslines, Pawcut have created a nice slice of instrumental music that should reach a larger audience. Thus far, my favorite track is Elegy, but since the whole record is free to download, there is no reason not to hear the rest.

L'Orange Remixing Old Jazz Records

I am a huge Billie Holiday fan. Her work is one I have consistently go back to over the years for inspiration and enjoyment, so I was thrilled to discover the North Carolina Hip-Hop outfit L'Orange. They (he? she?) have put together a record dedicated to Holiday, mixing her records effortlessly with rap vocals and deep beats. This is highly recommended stuff to anyone who enjoys chilled Hip-Hop, with a jazzy experimental flavor.

Oakland's Mara Hruby

I came across Mara Hruby on accident: I was looking for a recent mixtape from a vocalist from Oakland, and I ended up stumbling upon Mara and her newest record. Playing cool, breezy soul music, I will definitely be on the lookout for her future releases.