Progress

Two popular underground DJs from Brighton, England, AJ Kwame and Joseph 2 Grand call themselves Runaways UK, but the general vibe of their record Progress is more L.A. underground than it is British. The guest rappers, which includes L.A.'s own Iriscience from Dilated Peoples, are all on the positive tip, while the Runaways borrow liberally from the lo-fi squeaks, bleeps, and simple drum-machine thumps of early old-school records, which are also favored by many of the current crop of L.A. underground acts. To this, they've added some trip-hop and house-style grooves, which is about the only thing that's British-sounding about them. After a swing-inspired opening number called "Do What You Wanna Do," Progress kicks in with "Express Delivery," featuring Masta Ace. Sounding like something straight off Jurassic 5's Quality Control, Ace raps, "These days rappers embarrass their DJs/when they step onstage and start spitting the clichés/damn shame/because they rap about champagne/when they stole they flow and they promotional campaign." Progress also boasts a trip-hoppy ballad called "Broken Love," featuring Sylvia Powell's mournful vocals, set to scratchy, old-record noises (adored by all vinyl-addicted DJs), some moody keyboards, and a not-too-shabby sax solo. Then there's the instrumentals (this being a DJ record and all), which vary greatly from your standard scratch-and-sample hip-hop soundscapes. "Momentum" is an unusual tune with a live violin, which sounds partly like the music to a Japanese Playstation video game. It's a little bit cheesy, but in a good way. One of Progress' grooviest tracks is "Sanctuary Part II," an extremely bugged-out number with a slight trip-hop vibe, but the bumpin' drum-machine beat is strictly 1984. Though they borrow a bit from the past, Runaways UK are all about the new, forging the future sound of hip-hop with a down-to-earth, player-free groove.