Mo'Wax was a phenomenon. Started by DJ and label baus James Lavelle in 1992 with Tim Goldsworthy, Mo'Wax would be at the forefront of trip-hop, turntablism and alternative hip hop throughout the '90's. In 1996 Mo'Wax released the seminal hip hop / electronic / generation-defining album Endtroducing by DJ Shadow, followed swiftly by Psyence Fiction by UNKLE (aka Lavelle, Shadow, and a host of guest musicians) in '98. Still argued about by heads to this day, Lavelle signed partial ownership of Mo'Wax over to A&M (now part of Universal), leading to the eventual downfall of the label. Man From Mo'Wax is the album from the documentary of the same name, which traces the rise and fall of Lavelle and Mo'Wax. Unearthed from over 700 hours of footage - including personal archives from Lavelle and Shadow - the film is an exhilarating ride through the highs and lows of the trailblazer and his label. Definitely one to check out if you appreciate musical history + unseen studio footage of Shadow working on Endtroducing. This 2 LP pressing features tracks from the film, including: artists that inspired Lavelle to create Mo'Wax, such as Hiroshi + Kudo, Zimbabwe Legit, Marie 'Queenie' Lyons + The Wild Bunch; trip-hop classics from Mo'Wax artists DJ Shadow, La Funk Mob, Dr. Octagon, and DJ Krush; and essential Lavelle productions / co-productions with Thom Yorke and Queens of the Stone Age. 19 tracks in all pressed onto 2 LP's, red and blue vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve with director notes and download code. Released by Universal Records UK.

• blue and red vinyl pressing
• gatefold sleeve
• download code included
• music label: Universal Records UK 2019

reviewed by Richard Cashmere 4/2019