The title Comin‘ In Tough makes Freddie McGregor‘s latest release sound like the offerings from a mean-mugging gangster rapper. But the roots and lover‘s rock legend, now in his 40th year in the business, is more like Common and less like The Game. Socially redemptive tunes include “Bangarang” (patois for commotion) and “Lock it Down,” where Freddie frowns on bad-man-ism: “All those crazy talk dem a carry roun‘ town/Right ya now we come to lock that down.” Unfortunately, a cover of The Five Stairsteps‘ “Ooh Child” misses, but link-ups with Anthony B and Morgan Heritage make up for it. Tuff, but smooth.
Someone Else/Ezekiel Honig Macrofun Vol.3
Someone Else‘s comfy bassline and solid snares on “Goink” keep the body grounded as the mind swirls within a static cloud that envelops kaleidoscopic laughter and vocoded phraselets. Scratchy percussion tumbles into time while a moody bassline strolls, and handclaps keep you oriented within Ezekiel Honig‘s wistful “Transportation Application.”
Frivolous Kevork Motion EP
Frivolous‘s “Poularde Artificielle” is a sweet and pleasantly bumpy ride with soothing pans and insectile frequencies that cut through the thick honey deepness. “Lazy Dazy”‘s long-patterned bass makes for a song-like jam with crickets in the distance, story-telling vocals and the occasional violin interjection.
Troy Pierce Run
Troy Pierce pushes the minimal techno pattern in “King Contrary Man” with tweeky blips and sharp metallic wisps that cut through a bouncing bass. In “Scene 15,” the sky may as well be falling with atmospheric washes and twisted bells while a stompy bass keeps the time.
Kode9 And The Spaceape Kingstown
Flyers for the Digital Mystikz‘s DMZ dubstep night read “Come meditate on bass weight.” “Kingstown” closes a single mournful riff around The Spaceape‘s growling indictment of societal violence and alienation until listening becomes a spiritual, introspective experience. Triangle and tablas beat out a twitching post-R&B rhythm and yet there‘s no sex in this: rather, purpose and a cold anger.
Shackleton I Am Animal
“Mystical Warrior” is dubstep on Skylab-skittering synth arpeggios with a huge Reese bass underneath and hisses like escaping air. “I Am Animal” puts the roots back into the bassline and lays out a spare percussion groove only to steadily push up the intensity with cymbal rolls; it‘s great at either midnight or 3 a.m.
Jason Mundo Keep On Moving
Dallas native Mundo turns out a classic bumpy UK garage tune with a squelchy Todd Edwards feel. Strings get processed and filtered within an inch of their life and the snares have a rough metallic snap to them, so the whole piece leaks funk like oil out of a bad engine, wetting up the dancefloor.
Jackson And His Computer Band Rock On
Think of French house while listening to Jackson And His Computer Band and you begin to gain an entirely new sense of the status of dance music in the Gallic state. This single, like its mind-numbing cover art, is dark, dense and at times abstract. It‘s mid-tempo house for the darkest crevasses of the mind. Jackson‘s clearly trying to tell us something, but what is it?
Diverted Tholid
With a nasty groove that walks a tightrope between nu-skool breakbeat and electro-techno, Diverted (Steve Baxter and Lee Richardson) filters, twists and freaks the synth bass into all kinds of funky shapes. A remix by Breakneck‘s Vlad Sokolov has a sensual, 2-steppy swing. Hot!
Recloose Hiatus On The Horizon
Living on the edge of the earth in Wellington, New Zealand serves Matt “Recloose” Chicoine‘s creative juices well. His acclaimed 2002 release Cardiology brought the classic “Ain‘t Changin‘” (with Justin “Just One” Chapman) onto grateful dancefloors everywhere. Hiatus On The Horizon boasts another stellar single, “Dust” (featuring Dallas from Fat Freddy‘s Drop), also destined for legendary status. The strength of Hiatus lies in collaborations with Chapman, vocalist Genevieve Marentette and an immensely talented cadre of Wellington musicians. Overall, Hiatus lacks a little spark, but the exceptional musicianship makes it worth adding to your collection.
