Since bagging a copy of Music For Babies back in the 1990s, I’ve been a big fan of Howie B’s exploits. Hot on the heels of that abstract wonder, came Turn The Dark Off, a simpler instrumental hip hop record, but still with tons going on and some exceptionally good beats. Similarly Snatch and Folk both demonstrated an incredible inventiveness, probably a result of being a long-standing producer being let loose without the restrictions of pleasing another artist.

As seems to have been the case with my previous career retrospectives, like Luke Vibert, Funki Porcini & Amon Tobin there’s at least 2 hours of excellent tunes that need to be heard, so this is another two part mix. Part 2 to follow next week, hopefully… So consider this The Best of Howie B, Part 1.

But anyway, as usual, long story short, etc. Give it a listen and leave me a comment on HearThis if you like it, or if you want to rage about the tracks I omitted (there’s always some tough choices!)

Enjoy!