Visioneers - Dirty Old Hip Hop 2LP (Black Vinyl)

Visioneers' Dirty Old Hip Hop returns to vinyl for its 20th anniversary, newly remastered and pressed across heavyweight double LPs. Originally released in 2006, this acclaimed album from 4hero's Marc Mac has grown into a cult favourite among hip-hop collectors, beat heads, jazz listeners and DJs. Rather than simply recreating familiar breaks, Marc Mac reimagines the musical foundations of classic hip-hop, rebuilding them with live instrumentation, rich arrangements and an unmistakably soulful production style.

Working with musicians Somatik and Luke Parkhouse, alongside vocal contributions from Voice and Capital A, Visioneers transforms recognisable hip-hop reference points into something fresh and expansive. The record moves effortlessly between jazz-funk, cinematic soul, bossa nova and boom-bap, retaining the swing and immediacy of golden-era hip-hop while opening the music up through warm bass, fluid drums, guitars, keys and carefully layered melodic detail. Tracks including Replay, Runnin', The World Is Yours and Dirty Old Bossa Nova showcase an approach that is reverent without being nostalgic, taking inspiration from the source material behind iconic samples and placing those ideas into newly performed grooves.

Nominated at the Worldwide Awards on its original release, Dirty Old Hip Hop remains one of Marc Mac's most distinctive projects. Its appeal lies in the way it bridges generations: listeners familiar with the sampled classics will hear subtle connections throughout, while newcomers can enjoy it simply as a beautifully played and tightly produced instrumental hip-hop album. The combination of crisp rhythms, jazz-inflected harmony and understated vocal appearances gives the record a timeless quality that still sounds natural two decades later.

This 20th anniversary edition is remastered and pressed on heavyweight double black vinyl, giving the album's detailed production and low-end depth plenty of space. A highly recommended reissue for fans of 4hero, instrumental hip-hop, jazz rap, broken beat and sample culture, as well as anyone drawn to live-band interpretations of classic hip-hop aesthetics.