Hudson Mohawke - Butter

In some strange alternate universe, young Glasgow producer Ross Birchard (aka Hudson Mohawke) is as famous and respected as Timbaland, The Neptunes or Diplo. His productions, a fierce amalgam of R&B, wonky rave and smooth 80s soul, demonstrate that a unique musical imagination has arrived.

As usual when that happens, though, people will love it or hate it. True, there are a couple too many short and quirky interludes through this 18-track record, and some of the narking speeded-up vocal samples are reminiscent of Rezerection circa 1991. Pair him with a singer, though (like Olivier Daysoul on ‘Joy Fantastic’ and ‘Just Decided’, or DaM-Funk on ‘Tell Me What You Want From Me’), and he’s got more soul than Prince has had in 20 years.