Ninja, Roots, Lotus and Robots

Ninja Tune, label, stable, tastemakers, beatmakers and curators of cool turn 20 years old this year. The UK indie dance label is going all out with a massive box set, in like, a box and everything.

In the box you gets CDs, you gets limited 12" vinyl, you gets a book and many, if not all, new and exclusive tracks and remixes from their incredible squadron of Ninjas. 

Some notable acts on the label include Mr. Scruff, Cinematic Orchestra, Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, Cut Chemist, Wagon Christ and Roots Manuva. Read a full tracklist here. They're also offering freebie tracks (after sign-up). Go ahead and grab this new one from experimental dubber Kevin Martin a.k.a. The Bug.

Speaking of Mr. Rodney Hylton Smith, the madman ragga-fied South London MC and court jester of the British bashment scene known as Roots Manuva has a new album dropping September 21 on Big Dada.

Featuring cover art (see left) by Greensleeves and reggae cover designer legend Tony McDermott, the album features digital reggae remakes of Manuva classics like "Proper Tings" and 'Lick Up Ya Foot," plus a brand new collaboration with Ricky Ranking on lead single "Jah Warriors." The original "brain splitter" and beans-on-toast addict comes wicked and wise on the new release with cohort and producer Wrong Tom providing the new rubs and dubs. Get "Butterfly Crab Walk featuring Riddla" here (via RCRDLBL).

And while we're out here in leftfield, West Coast beatmaker and Coltrane relative Flying Lotus is dropping a new EP, Pattern+Grid World on Warp Records, and touring out West in September (see dates below). The EP drops Sept 21.

Listen to "Camera Day" here. 

Fly Lo Tour Dates:

Sept 22 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom

Sept 23 - Seattle, WA - Decibel Festival

Sept 24 - San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine 

 

BELOW: Special bonus!

Also on the beatmaker tip, this new Alex B mix of Mexicans With Guns from the forthcoming Friends of Friends Volume 3 comp out October 5!

From XLR8R's blurb: For its third installment of the ongoing split-release series, the Friends of Friends label has paired up Texas' masked music maker, Mexicans with Guns, and German beatsmith Robot Koch. Each producer contributed three original tracks with their peers Mux Mool, Alex B, Salva, King Cannibal, Free the Robots, and Lunice handling all the remixes on the release's second half. Excellent artwork by designer Martin Allais (see left).