No Passion, All Technique
January—August 2026
Back again!
The fateful return of the legend-in-the-making No Passion, All Technique is here! The stack has grown a bit since the previous edition, so, for the uninitiated, No Passion, All Technique is a column-style round-up of the best albums, mixtapes, EPs, loosies, and leaks since the release of the previous installment.
As always, thank you for rocking with NOTS!
More of this crap is on the way.
REQUIRED LISTENING
NO PASSION, ALL TECHNIQUE
This installment is heavy on the hip-hop, but rest assured, it’s well-worth your time. Next time, maybe it’ll be different, but who knows? The music hasn’t come out yet!
Let’s ride.
ALBUMS & MIXTAPES
IF YOU KNEW by Jaeychino
Jaeychino, the de facto leader of the TooManyStrikers collective out of the DMV, has been one of the scene’s hardest workers since the beginning of 2024, and he shows no signs of slowing down, having released four tapes in 2024 and three in 2025. This year, he’s only released one, IF YOU KNEW, and that shit really rocks! If it remains his only release, he’ll still deserve the year’s MVP award because IF YOU KNEW is a truly transcendent release, even among Jaeychino’s previous transcendent releases.
Who in their right mind would combine the producorial likes of Snow Strippers, Loukeman, Woesum, Gud, and all the avengers of the DVM with the visceral, stoic tough talk of free car and the whispered sorrow of indie-twee? Just Jaeychino, and this record unlike anything that’s come out all year. IF YOU KNEW isn’t a victory lap for nearly a half-decade of hard work; rather, it’s a celebration of how far Jaeychino has come, a memorial for everyone and everything that he lost on the way, and testament to the power in putting your head down and grinding.
EPs and Compilations
Can You See Me Now Asshole? presented by junkiesRpeople
Milwaukee lowend historian and film buff junkiesRpeople has long had his finger on the pulse of shit that needs to be heard, but he’s taken this digging shit to the next level by collecting the who’s-whos of the real underground and matching them with producers who really don’t play-play. The result? A beautifully muddy confluence of muttered vocals and transcendent instrumentals that anyone who really loves rap will really love. Plus, the roster is truly stacked. This shit is not to be missed!
B4NTB by Pz’
One of my favorite albums is Ignorance is Bliss by Skepta, one of the great scene-blenders of the world. Pz’, one of the few truly great emcees of the new school, is a lot like Skepta in many ways. They both have a clear delivery, jump from different styles like they’re playing a solitary game of leap frog, and appreciate visuals and album artwork, so it makes sense that Pz’ paid homage to Skepta and Ignorance is Bliss with the album cover of his new EP, B4NTB. On B4NTB, the precursor to the released-one-day-later No Turning Back, Pz’ delivers four tracks that show his range and his influences in a way that a lot of recent hip-hop releases attempt to but fail to deliver on.
PLAYAZ DON’T DIE by 10kdunkin
10kdunkin, once thought to be a relic of the plugg movement, has recently endeared himself to the heads once again, thanks to his idiosyncratic, dub-inspired brand of rap in which he whispers out fly shit over instrumentals that could soundtrack an freestyle house open deck set at a DIY venue if the 808s were removed. PLAYAZ DON’T DIE calls as much on soul and disco as it does hip-hop and rap, and it effectively cements his comeback as true to this, not new to this. Peep game.
LOOSIES AND LEAKS
“Who’s Gonna Love You Now?” by the Tubs
Young-enough jangle pop greatness from Wales is back! Album on the way, and it’s more of the shit we’ve come to love and none of the shit that we’ve come to hate!
“must not know” by Shameless
Somebody connect me with Jameson Williams of the Detroit Lions so I can become his music curator. I want to be a part of something beautiful, starting with this masterpiece from Shameless.
"Bond Girl” by John Glacier
This steady, ice cold, and deliberate instrumental with some serious bounce is the perfect accompaniment for John Glacier, the mysterious and gelid Hackney musician. This shit is made for motion. Ladies, this one is for you.
"Goose Chase” by Cletus Strap
Punny, clever turns of phrase delivered under a wink-wink guise will always get me, but they’ve become hard to find in the modern day. Thank god for Cletus Strap, who does exactly that with a twinkle in his winking eye.
“When You Miss Me the Most” by Nino Paid
NIno Paid’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow is some of the realest shit out, and “When You Miss Me the Most,” a reflection of the pain and addiction that haunts him despite his long-burning trail toward success, might be the realest of the 19 songs. The left-field indie guitar beat and glacial 808s flecked with percussive flourishes are a nice touch, too.
“Bars” by Pretty V
“I’m in a band with bad bitches like I’m part of Boy Genius” is too rich, and it’s one of the tamer lines on this track. It’s a serious song of the year contender for guys like we.
“Dark Summer” by Ceremony
The new Ceremony album largely rules, but this song? Different. Downtrodden lyrics delivered with a tear-stifling smile, shimmering and bright in timbre and tempo, and anchored by a nearly four minute-long two-step rhythm. To call it “on repeat” would be an understatement.
I wish you didn’t include the ceremony video. Unfortunately, those fellas are no longer looking “young enough”