Released in 1994, Dummy is the debut album from Portishead, formed by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley.

The record blends hip hop-inspired breakbeats, analogue textures and filmic arrangements, creating a sound that became closely associated with the Bristol scene alongside acts like Massive Attack and Tricky.

Tracks such as Sour Times, Glory Box and Roads define the album’s structure, built on repetition, space and mood rather than traditional song progression. Much of the instrumentation was recorded and then sampled back into the tracks, giving the record its worn, looped character.

Dummy went on to win the 1995 Mercury Prize and remains one of the most distinct albums of the 1990s.

Its strength sits in control.
Nothing wasted.

Carboot Soul is the third studio album from Nightmares on Wax, the project of Leeds producer George Evelyn, released on Warp in April 1999. Arriving four years after the beloved Smokers Delight, it deepened his dreamy, soul- and jazz-soaked take on downtempo hip hop, this time bringing in live players for strings, bass, guitar, and keys alongside the breakbeats. The title nods to the crate-digging, second-hand-record culture the music is steeped in, and the record plays as a set of head-nodding grooves cut with muted horns, Rhodes and moody funk basslines. Anchored by the much-loved opener "Les Nuits," it reached number 71 on the UK Albums Chart and has endured as one of Warp's defining downtempo records. This gatefold double-LP reissue includes a download code.

Collapsed In Sunbeams is the debut album from west London singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, released on Transgressive in January 2021, pressed here on 180g deep red vinyl. Built mostly with producer Gianluca Buccellati, with contributions from Paul Epworth and Bad Sounds, it pairs hazy, soul-inflected bedroom-pop with plain-spoken, diaristic writing about mental health, tenderness and growing up, "Black Dog" among the most quietly devastating songs written about depression in recent years. Clairo guests on "Green Eyes." Warm and unhurried, the record reached number three in the UK and went on to win the 2021 Mercury Prize, making Parks the first winner born this century; it was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.