Live At Home

Despite Adam Fenton having proven that U.K. hip-hop production has much to offer via his all-star Kaos project, it still comes as something of a surprise to see a U.K. schoolteacher skimming his beats across the Atlantic from the comfort of the home counties north of London and into the Brooklyn offices of Wes Jackson's respected U.S. independent, 7 Heads. Like Fenton, Pitch — real name Parker — prefers the studio desk to the microphone, drafting in an array of collaborators to an album that charts the day in the life of a b-boy, replete with the occasional time check and scene setting. Great vocal contributions from the likes of El Da Sensei, Apani B, J-Live, and Mr. Complex accompany unusually full arrangements and turntablisms from notable deck technicians Mr. Thing, First Rate, and the Nextmen's Dom Search; classic themes attach themselves to a happy-go-lucky musical agenda that is nothing if not endearing. One to watch.