Neoteric / Various

For the third instalment in his Indie-Cent Exposure mix-tape series, Neoteric breaks out just a handful of vinyl tracks: DFE’s "Headphones,” Touch and Nato’s "It’s the SP12,” and Ira Lee & Factor’s "Cafeteria Food,” all from the Abstrakt Vinyl EP; as well as "Slobberknocker” from Wordburglar, "Jorun’s Way” from Jorun, "Audio Accupuncture” from Stace Prints, "I Ain’t Lazy” from Skratch Bastid, John Smith and Pip Skid, and one of the few non-Canuck tracks with "The Age of the Sacred Terror” from Jedi Mind Tricks. The rest of this 38-track mix is a combination of unreleased exclusives and verses from a cross section of Canadians coast to coast, including Josh Martinez, Governor Bolts, Ira Lee, Kaboom, Mindbender, John Smith, and Americans Sleep and Joe Dub. There’s a lot of Canadian talent in evidence here, with heavy emphasis on Neoteric’s Dirty Crew compatriots and their affiliates, which makes 3 The Hard Way a great introduction to the independent, underground hip-hop scene in Canada. In addition, the exclusive Birdapres intro track with a slick Batman beat by Moves, the return of Governor Bolts on "I’m Back,” and the controversial "She’s Only 12 Years Old” by Ira Lee, make this CD a must-have for the already educated.