DJ Alex Corton – Vinyl Reviews

Good Looking Records

Presents / Paul SG – Hustlers Don’t Cry / Chapter 3 Lesson 4

2013

This is the last week of Good Looking Records and the 12” single, vinyl releases, as we reach the closing of one of the most incredible record labels of the jungle and drum and bass world. It was June 16, 2025 that the journey with reviewing this label began, and I have to say that it has been a major highlight for me personally. For all the amazing music we have traveled through, I did think the atmospheric thesaurus would run out. Every time I listen to the tunes though, new chapters and emotions flow, leading to the articles you read. It’s an honor and pure joy to put together. 

    I hope everyone had a decent weekend and make to find some gaps in the rigmarole of life and squeeze in some of those magical musical notes? 

   Today’s plate has another brand new artist to the label, called Presents. I’m sure it is pronounced, as in “proudly presents” rather than “let’s wrap presents”. The artist did not really have any more releases that I’m aware of, which sounds crazy when you get attached to a label like Good Looking. You never know what people go through or how life moves, so there is always a reason. 

  Side A is ‘Hustlers Don’t Cry’ starts with sample from what sounds like a gangsta spool but who knows? The funk splays out here, with a throaty jamming bass, simple stepping liquid beat and a groove twisting funk which really slides a love note of music under the door. It’s nicely produced, masterfully cut and polished. The volume is really cranked up on my headphones listening to this track, resonating that bassline and smoothing out cracks with a filler of decent sound. It’s a bloody short tune though, which sums up the way things were, and still are with a lot of tunes. Sometimes music needs an attention span that works its way into you. Occasionally it doesn’t. If the tune runs out of breath, so be it. 

   On Side AA we have the return for the fifth time on Good Looking, for Paul SG. He did have a release on the Solful label that was a little one off, set up by Bukem in 2009, so I suppose you could say this was his sixth release really. There was also Spacefunk which Bukem set up with about 4 Furney releases at this time too. Again, I did not get any of these but I do know a guy that does..Mr. Bendall. You may have more of the backstory on them? 

    I do wonder where Paul gets the title of today’s track. Side AA is ‘Chapter 3 Lesson 4’ which sounds like it’s about to be preached to the drum and bass congregation. The intro reminds me of ‘Drum Tools’ by Conrad & Furney, with its galloping high end rattles and taps. The crashing and erratic sidecar then ejects off and soothes. Once the beats arrive though, holy shit it gets real. We have a real banging and infectious barrage of drums, all sorts of interesting comings and goings in the background, while we whisk up the dance floor with a vibrant and free styling fashion. The voice that’s sampled in here sounds familiar but I can’t place it..any takers? Paul throws the radiant darts for a 180 right here. It’s a real belter of a tune, picking you up and carrying you right across the plateau of full on liquid brilliance. This is the hands down winner on this plate, a tune that shows a masterclass in elevating the game in a sometimes monotonous world of similarity’s. A massive big up to Paul for this utter beauty. 

Tomorrow we have our next white label in the series. My blog is here too. Just in case you didn’t reach the bottom of any of the last 745,000 reviews….only joking. 

I do want to eventually put all my reviews on the blog, if they’ll fit. I do wonder how it’ll work going back over 3 years..maybe a new section or label blog? I don’t know. I’m taking ideas though as I’m winging this one by the skin of my teeth. Ha ha!