Atmo-headz got two more reasons to smile; not only for the pairing of these two liquid funk dons, but for the two equally tight tracks they dispense. Where “Six Hills” builds from a passionate and darkly melodic full-drum intro into a dramatic 32-bar breakdown, “Ready With This” harkens back to Peshay and A-Sides‘ early jams. Brimming with tuneful optimism and female vocal snippets, this one keeps rolling like a Ferrari gunning the gas pedal.
Questionmarks Swingbea
If y‘all thought that Kompkt shaffel shit swung hard, get on this see-saw bass ride. Shifting back and forth between 4/4 kicks and waltzing triplets, Questionmarks logs dancefloor mayhem that encompasses DJ Hype-type breaks, Jon E Cash-style dank sublow bottom end, and the aforementioned swinging speed garage sound. And if ya ask me, that‘s the type of quality and variety you deserve for your £5.95 (US$10.99) plus tax!
D Double & Chronik And Double & Shorty S Younger Slew Dem
Alright MCs, step up and get ready to war. Slew Dem have brought out their automatics and AKs-both rapid-fire lyrics and riddims punctuated with gunfire sounds. As far as flow is concerned, these four MCs define the grime genre with lyrics that roll, repeat and reload. Closest thing we‘ve heard to authentic crimeys busting out since MC Shan defended the Bridge back in ‘86.
Smif N Wesson Feat. Talib Kweli Crystal Stair
Producers Da Beatminerz always come with some ahead-of-the-curve funky hip-hop; dusty crates and MPCs roll thick in every groove. The Minerz don‘t skimp on this rare groove-built gem. For their parts, the balance between Kweli‘s wordy, imagistic lyrics and Smif N Wessun‘s solid steel tough talk mirrors the music‘s rat-a-tat drums and sentimental melodies.
Various Artists Fauna Flash: Worx the Remixes
The Compost label gives us all another reason to smile, letting the Fauna Flash boys loose with this superbly mixed collection of their own remixes from the past few years. Things kick off on a spacey acoustic tip with the FF remix of “Flowers” by Roberto Di Gioia‘s Marsmobil, sliding smoothly into the subterranean jazz pulses of Fon-Kin‘s “Montininja” before their global house sound takes over completely. The rippling cabasa shuffles of Rivera Rotation‘s “Delicado,” Grupo Batuque‘s Afro-Brazilian football anthem “Ole Ola,” and even some retooled Hidden Agenda all get woven into the lively Fauna flow. This is one spicy meatball.
Michael Manning Public
Manning‘s stream of consciousness flows deep and clear, meandering into fresh territories with the unmistakable resilience of a young producer simultaneously attached and detached from his craft. From the wall-punching glitch-hop grit of “Today” and kaleidoscopic delay of “Sound Check” to the artificial serenity of “Cautionary Tale” and “Waiting for Closure,” the album just drips with beauty throughout. The organic appeal of angelic female vocals, subtle atmospheres, and rich instrumentation is gently atomized by Manning‘s light cybernetic touch and cortex-tickling beat production in a manner that continues to make AI one of the most collectible electronic labels around.
Beatfanatic The Gospel According to Beatfanatic
Championed by Soundscape Records this time, Beatfanatic again flexes his fusion of breaks, disco, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Yet unlike his work on the Raw Fusion label, this project seems uninspired and gets real old, real fast. Tracks like “Boom Bangin‘,” “Let Us Pray,” and “Holdin‘ Out” begin with bland drums-monotonous 10 seconds in, and dreadful by the two-minute mark. Some songs-like “African Love” and “Pete‘s Funk”-are indeed colorful, but don‘t make The Gospel worthwhile. Though this project is being touted as a summer party album, you‘re better off saving your money for the refreshments.
Alexander‘s Dark Band Dobutsu Bancho
Note to all you aspiring turntablist champs-J. Saul Kane is sick to death of hearing you scratch the word “frrrresh!” while doing that Run D.M.C. routine of yours with double copies of “Peter Piper.” It‘s tired, it‘s wack, and if you truly want to lay waste to the competition you‘ll pick up this, his third DJ tool under the Alexander‘s Dark Band tag. A Kane production is always a bit twisted-witness the slab-like drum breaks and the buzzing analog synths in the background. Dobutsu Bancho is no different, with bizarre animal noises and snippets of soundtracks peppered throughout. Who needs “frrrresh” when you‘ve got the bark of a sea lion at your fingertips?
Various Artists The Free Design: The Now Sound Redesigned
Soft-psych cult faves The Free Design chose that moniker for their first release, an album brimming over with boundless enthusiasm and melodies to match. Despite The Free Design never having achieved large-scale commercial success, the remixers that Light in the Attic has assembled for this release pay testament to the influence of this quartet. Madlib, Caribou, Koushik, Dangermouse, and more all take their turns reinterpreting the sonorous sounds of the originals, while Nobody lovingly curates the entire collection with spliced samples of dialogue and musical interludes.
Cage Hell‘s Winter
Cage has been releasing music for over a decade-long enough to gain him a cult-like following of fans and a sizeable gaggle of haters. But Hell‘s Winter, his debut on the Def Jux label, is indisputably well produced, no matter how much folks may want to dislike it. With beats by some of the best in this new wave of hip-hop production (DJ Shadow, El-P, RJD2, Camu Tao), Cage would be hard pressed to mess this album up. His lyrics may forever be teenage angst-y, depressive and angry, but this album is far from amateurish.
