'The Russian R3volution' - Manny Moscow (free download)

Blimey, yeah! It's Manny Moscow again! After featuring him on the first ever 'On The Radar' he's hardly been absent from my blog or the scene. Having hooked up with Tricksta he's already released to mixtapes, one with him and one with DJ Easy and is gearing up for another as we speak (with the UK mixtape messiah DJ Ames called ‘No Games’ which drops in August). But aside from any of that, UK Hip Hop producer Beat Thief (known for his work with Poetic Pilgrimage) was allowed a selection of Manny Moscow to work his magic on. The result is 'The Russian R3volution', brought to you by DowntownSoul and Heavy-Handed.

His beats draw on some of the lesser sampled corners of the musical spectrum which makes for some real fresh vibes, not to mention the fact that Manny's verses are of high quality and the match between beat and vocal is flawless. At half an hour long this is a great snapshot of what both MC and producer are capable of and since it's free, you'd be daft not to, eh?

Stand out tracks are the bluesy 'Phoenix Memories', the bouncy but strangely unnerving 'Black Da Beat' featuring Spectral and the breezy 'Things on my Mind'.

This is the first of a trilogy of remix albums from the Beat Thief, which sees him remix and re-conceptualise a project - keeps your eyes open for more.