As they are apt to do, the label dropped their annual holiday gift, its Two Syllables sampler, just recently. On the heels of celebrating their first decade in business, label boss DJ Gilla lovingly handcrafted Volume 11 as if it were made out of only the finest Colombian extruded poly-vinyl. Obscure Monty Python references aside, TSV11 “includes highlights from the past year (Jon Phonics, Fulgeance & DJ Scientist, Mr Thing, Yosi Horikawa, Ross McHenry & Essa), a couple of re-edits (Souleance, Sleepin’ Giant) as well as a brace of exclusives: Frameworks’ ‘Under Management’ ahead of the release of his debut LP in 2015 and Eric Lau’s alternate remix of Quiet Dawn’s ‘New Dawn’.” Standout tracks here include the Fulgeance Disco Aishiteru Remix of Yosi Horikawa’s “Beer,” Ross McHenry’s “Distant Oceans,” and “Thousand Year Forest (One for Yoshi) by kidkanevil. In light of D’Angelo’s brilliant “Black Messiah,” the remix of his “Brown Sugar” makes it seem like First Word might well have Irene Adler on the payroll, too.
