Rae & Christian's debut album, Northern Sulphuric Soul, was more than just the best album to emerge from Manchester in 1998. Here was a collection of tracks which went far beyond their appearance as smart, modern hip-hop blasts. There was a pedigree invested in each one which took you through all manner of seminal movements, from the northern soul all-nighters of the late 1960s to the flash experimental jazz of the 1970s and beyond.

Mark Rae and Steve Christian certainly know their sounds. As DJs, producers and remixers (everyone from Texas to Natalie Imbruglia), they have found many ways of putting their take on hip-hop and soul into the charts. Before their current run, you would have found them behind the counter at Manchester's Fat City record shop, running things at the Grand Central label or promoting hip-hop nights such as Daisy Age and soul shebangs at Precinct 13. When they moved into record releasing, their fascination with hip-hop came with them.

Northern Sulphuric Soul is a blueprint for a new 1990s sound. Blending all manner of hip-hop and soul influences, showcasing the remarkable Veba (a diva in the Shirley Bassey mode - check her vocal power on Spellbound) and collaborating with Sharleen from Texas as well as legendary rappers Jeru The Damaja and the Jungle Brothers, it's a debut album which can stand tall alongside the classics, Blue Lines included. This is 21st century soul music.

Rae & Christian play the Temple Bar Music Centre on Friday April 30th