Proving that Irish hip hop is in fabulously rude health, Dublin five-piece The Elements are taking things in a slightly more melodic direction with their jazz, funk and R&B-infused take on the genre. Where MCs Lethal Dialect and Costello echo the flows of Tupac and Nas, The Elements have their eyes firmly fixed on the territory marked out by A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr and, with a little imagination, The Roots. With a decade of rhymes already behind them, Richie Lewis (Mr. Highspeed), Sheriff Ibrahim (Gemsmiff), Adam Swords (Swords/D1) Keith Connell (ThaBoy) and Neill Whelan (NdLZ) had plenty of material to choose from when it came to putting together their latest release. Lost Archives ‘06 - ‘08 is a 12-track trip through two particularly fruitful years in the group’s career; a hard-hitting, groove-bringing, Bill Withers-sampling, nod-alongable collection of very, very clever rap. Get it here.