Stumbling across small, yet awesome imprints is an accidental skill of mine. Before Soundcloud became an over-populated graveyard for below-par one-timers, it was a real goldmine for up-and-comers. It’s now way too saturated to really find good music directly on the site. The majority of put-ons come from external sources.

Hot Record Societe was one of my early finds back in 2014. I specifically remember it because a Belgian beatsmith called Shungu had dropped The Capricorn Tape, and it was during a time when I was developing a (since deceased) interest in the horoscope. It was also late January and I remember having absolutely no money.

Something about his method of collaging rhythms — predominantly odd samples and wisecrack snapshots from Slum Village and co — particularly stood out to me. The project was cohesive and sounded and felt like a warm hug; it seemed to be curated with a lot of love from both producer and label owner. And so I kept following.

Although two years have passed, that aesthetic has remained a cornerstone of the HRS output. Unbounded by geography — their discography includes entries from Japan, Paris, and St. Louis to name a few — the love still remains. And even though he prefers to remain lurking in the background in true Gatsby style, props must be fed in Jamie Whelan’s direction. He’s a humble, Oakland-based dude with an uncanny ability to excavate uber-talent.

In true HRS style, their Upfront offering is PVA-glued tight with an overarching community feel. It’s a 40+ sized family affair flavoured with enough boom-bap to take you through this week and way beyond. Protect your neck though, it’s a head-knocking marathon.