Emapea "Beat Catz Jazz" (Instrumental Album)

Beat Catz Jazz is an instrumental album from Polish beatmaker Emapea. The LP is full of chilled jazzy beats created with variety of dusty jazzy samples from vinyls, tapes and cassettes. Sounds been crafted with vintage samplers such as Akai s950 and s3000XL to add that lo-fi character. If you're into this such a vibe you'll definitely enjoy it. Using vintage samplers such as Akai s950 and s3000XL, you really get that throwback feel to the beats, and Emapea is really putting in the work to find some interesting samples and flipping them in creative ways to keep the music varied, funky, and fun to listen to. He’s also putting the work to make sure the tracks are nuanced and he develops them in such a way that you’re taken on a nice journey with each song. It’s not just a beat tape where he establishes a groove and then just stays there, these are fully formed songs with memorable melodies and beats that will keep your head bobbing. Beat Catz Jazz isn’t doing anything new, but it’s doing it very well. Certain styles persist because people like them and boom bap built from jazz samples is certainly one that has lived on because of this. Emapea is delivering an album in that style that is accessible, well-made, and just a lot of fun to listen to. - Scratched Vinyl. Dig in...

Emapea "Bees, Trees and Flowers" (Instrumental Album)

Emapea is a producer from Poland who started releasing music in the mid-2010s, with a great run on Cold Busted Records. Stateside, he’s probably best known for his 2020 collaboration with L.A.’s Kid Abstrakt, Jazzy Vibes. Now he’s back with a solo instrumental album, Bees, Trees and Flowers. If you’re not already familiar with Emapea, don’t worry, because Bees, Trees and Flowers is a great place to dive in and get started. From the jump, Emapea is hitting you with some heavy and funky drums, paired with some thumping piano and killer horn hits with just a touch of eeriness that hints at Deadringer-era RJD2. Not to worry though, because Emapea isn’t just aping RJD2, he’s also veering off into some trip hop and dub and downtempo as well, reminding you of the give and take of influences across the Atlantic. Most importantly, though, Emapea knows how to make some instrumental songs that are fully developed and take you on a journey across the course of the album. Emapea can deliver some great grooves, but he’s not just building around the one groove, he’s putting these grimy boom bap beats in dialogue with these trippy spaced out beats and then folding in the dub and bringing that back around to the boom bap and finding some brilliant connecting points that makes everything flow together and keep the party going. It’s an album you can absolutely groove to and throw on any track at a party, but it’s also an album for the heads who will love to dig into all of Emapea’s clever sample flips and rhythmic interplay. A lot of the time, when producers drop projects like this, they turn out to be nothing more than a simple beat tape. It’ll be enjoyable up to a point, but not developed enough to have you coming back time and time again. With Bees, Trees and Flowers, Emapea has given us an enjoyable instrumental album that bumps, but is also complex enough to have you coming back for repeat listens and discovering something new each time through. - Scratched Vinyl. Listen to Bees, Trees and Flowers below...

Emapea "Reflection" (Instrumental Album)

Reflection is a collection of 8 tracks from Polish beatmaker Emapea that were originally found spread across various releases. All songs have been remastered for this special 'inside-out' vinyl and digital release. This special 12 Inch Vinyl plays from the I N S I D E - O U T. Place the needle on the Inside of the record and watch it spin to the Outside! Only 250 copies of this inside-out version will be pressed. If you haven't heard Emapea's collaboration with Kid Abstrakt of Revolutionary Rhythm, it's called Jazzy Vibes, and it's easily one of the best releases of 2020 so dig into that and more in the archives. In the meantime, stream Emapea's Reflection below - the title track is butter!

Kid Abstrakt & Emapea "Jazzy Vibes" (Album Stream)

Kid Abstrakt and Polish beat magician Emapea have teamed up for an intriguing new album called Jazzy Vibes, a throwback to ‘90s Golden Era hip-hop updated with a 2020 spin. Kid Abstrakt, a Los Angeles native born to a Nicaraguan father and Brazilian mother, formed his first group Revolutionary Rhythm in high school, which ultimately led him to touring with some of his hip-hop heroes, including members of the Pharcyde. “I fell in love with hip-hop when I first heard A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde,” Abstrakt says. “It was crazy to hear Q-Tip, Pete Rock and J Dilla sample jazz records and have MCs dropping conscious rhymes I could relate to. “While mainstream hip-hop found different styles throughout the years, we just wanted to make music that was similar to the records we bought back in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. We wanted to tell our story over jazz and soul samples.” As the title suggests, Jazzy Vibes retains the tried-and-true formula of mellow, jazz- infused production and boom bap style rhymes, but Abstrakt’s lyrics are bursting at the seams with deep, introspective musings on his private life delivered in a continuous barrage of flawlessly executed bars. “The lyrics go beyond just rhyming words and trying to sound hard on a beat,” he explains. “The album dives into days where I struggle to stay positive and find a balance between work and what I love, and almost quitting on my passion because I needed to focus on supporting my family. “Tomorrow is not promised and my music has helped others through their struggles. It’s deeper than rap and this journey has truly humbled me.” The 10-track project boasts contributions from DJ Million Faces, Predominance, Innate and Young Dreamer. Highly recommended!

Emapea "Jazzy Tape" (Instrumental Album)

Jazzy Tape is a 17-track instrumental project from Polish producer Emapea. In his own words, these are some "Raw, dirty, rugged and chilled jazzy beats." Indeed. I'm really enjoying this one and look forward to future collaborations, I can hear several artists on beats in this lane or similar. Trippy rhythms that flow from instrumental to instrumental; a really dope vibe throughout. Click play below and look out for more to follow, for sure - including a CD release with additional beats. Also, if you haven't already check it out, listen to Seeds, Roots & Fruits in the archives. Go ahead and dig in...

Emapea "Seeds, Roots & Fruits" (Instrumental Album)

Accomplished Polish beat-maker Emapea has made memorable appearances on many Cold Busted label compilations – such as in the IWYMI and Bust Free series – and has been selected for inclusion in Mark Farina’s next Mushroom Jazz installment. All this activity has mouths watering for the debut full length album from Emapea, and the appearance of Seeds, Roots & Fruits doesn’t disappoint one bit. Featuring sixteen exceptional tracks ranging from hip hop to acid jazz to psychedelic trip hop in the style of Mo’Wax, Emapea’s long player is indeed, as a wise man once said, “a journey into sound.” Seeds, Roots & Fruits rises above the average beats album to reveal the enduring depth of this young producer. Cop it on CD, vinyl and/or cassette, plus listen to it below...