First ServeJesgrew ***

Gorillaz guest appearances and Nike ads aside, it's been nearly eight years since De La Soul lobbed anything new this way. With the long-overdue follow-up to The Grind Date due apparently within months, rappers Posdnous and Trugoy the Dove team up with French production team Chokolate and Khalid for a concept album about two old-school rappers battling their way to the top. It's a cheesy concept to be sure, and the storyline is a bit hokey, with the pair poking fun at the very era which produced and defined De La Soul, but the French touch on production does create a warm, beautifully honed sound. The funk is to the fore on tracks such as the fantastic Must B The Music or the sublime Tennis, with Chokolate and Khalid pulling out all the stops to keep the melodies, hooks and grooves flying high. One for those still yearning for the Daisy Age. wearefirstserve.tumblr.com

Download tracks: Must B the Music, Tennis