The Vaults award for best newcomer 2010 has to go to our boys Homework. They’ve come a long way since we interviewed them at the beginning of the year, gracing the rosters of not only Exploited and Made to Play but out and about playing with the Dirtybird crew too. No matter who the DJ or their associated genre, a contribution from Homework sneaks its way in and manages to adapt itself to any dancefloor, and Tom and Zip have honed their sound from something that was always highly intellectual into being deep yet bouncy, culminating in the absolute bangers Fissa Tune and I Got One, which I’d say were pretty much the must-haves of 2010.

This little joy of a mix sums up the Homework sound nicely – play on repeat and it never gets old. It’s a precursor to their EP Hudson Square, out on Exploited in February 2011. Including my favourites In The City by Andre Crom, new album material from the Round Table Knights and Homework’s own Kadenza. Great for those snowy journeys home.

Homework – Cutting Against The Grain Mixtape

0. Introduction by Cornel West
1. Tornado Wallace – Whispering Twirl – Delusions Of Grandeur
2. Mass Prod – 72 Minutes Of Scrubs A Day – Bosconi
3. Nebraska – Arrondissement – Rush Hour 4. Andre Crom & Martin Dawson – In The City – Off
5. Huxley – Shapes – Neurotraxx Deluxe
6. Mr. G – Sunday Blues – Bass Culture
7. Mark Chambers & Cris Slater – Daze – Snubb8. Matthias Meyer – The Rear Window – Liebe*Detail9. Steve Bug – My Sweet Vital Angel – Ovum
10. Ian Pooley & Spencer Parker – Kinderteller – Ovum
11. Zappe – Larrys Exotic Blend (Remastered Version) – Bouq
12. Round Table Knights – Cat Power (Extended Version) – Made To Play
13. AFMB – Backup Days – Drumpoet Community
14. Makam – You Might Lose It (Kerri Chandler Kaoz 623 Remix) – Sushitech Purple
16. Leonel Castillo – Stone Peach (Delano Smith Remix) – Sushitech Purple
17. Fritz Zander – For Your Love – Suol
18. Homework – Kadenza – CDR