decks tipp

female soul vocals

raw funk / soul nuggets

14 track double lp

from indie / pop and synth

first word enters 2017 with a bang: a 28-track album courtesy of eric lau. this, his third instrumental album, is a veritable tapestry of vibes, ranging through hip hop, soul, jazz, funk & brazilian beats. a mere taste into the genius production skills of london’s mr. lau, it’s easy to understand why he’s so revered by djs, artists and producers across the world, including rich medina, 9th wonder, bobbito, dam funk, gilles peterson, james poyser (the roots), phonte and ali shaheed muhammad (a tribe called quest), amongst others.

first word records proudly presents *the misadventures of a middle man*, the new album from essa. despite being a firm fixture in uk rap for over a decade, this will be essas first full-length since 2006s *grown man business* with dj mr thing. early releases *liquid love*, *city breaks* and *dancing shoes* (under former name yungun) established him as one of the uks most insightful mcs. collabs with guru (gang starr/jazzmatazz) and praise from nas and mark ronson followed. all of this whilst pursuing a parallel career as an entertainment lawyer.

feat. amanda whiting, tip!

new album >shaboo strikes back<

for fans of bonobo

the second album from children of zeus on double vinyl.

two non-album tracks from children of zeus on limited 7 inch vinyl.

kaidi tatham masterfully fuses broken beat, jazz, boogie and hip hop.

some excess baggage from the children of zeus plus 2 zed bias remixes.

first word records is thrilled to announce the next lp release of 2019.14kt presents iamabeenie: for my sanity.

eric lau returns to first word for “examples volume two”. the vinyl release includes a download code.

first word records is very proud to present a brand new ep from yazmin lacey - ’when the sun dips 90 degrees’.
this ep follows on from her two recent singles, ’90 degrees’ and ‘something my heart trusts’, both of which are included here, along with three previously unreleased tracks, ’heaven’, ‘body needs healing’ and ’burn & rise’. this set illustrates again yazmin’s candid songwriting delivered in her uniquely laidback soulful style, whilst a glorious fusion of neo-soul and jazz performed by pete beardsworth and her trusty band rides throughout.

first word records is very proud to present the triumphant return of the uk’s finest hip hop soul duo, children of zeus, with a double-header of brand new material.

first word records are very proud to present a heavyweight ep in collaboration with seminal groove collective, coop: selectors assemble . it s been almost two decades since a bunch of music makers, bored of the genre constraints of their time, began toying with time signature and syncopation to birth what is now known as broken beat. summer 2017, the selectors assemble ep is in our laps and we have a fitting reminder and long-overdue renaissance of one of london s most valuable musical movements.

taking influence from reggae, lotek explores the evolution of hip hop by way of the reggae sound system culture. he looks to jamaica for inspiration and takes pride in continuing the tradition of uk artists working with, and interpreting, the sounds of jamaica.