Comprised of the Crown City Rockers‘ rhythm section and sit-ins from members of the Broun Fellinis, Soulive, and more, this funk-hop hybrid feels like a Madlib fever dream come to life. Sure, it may have more jazz than hip-hop, but where do you think DJ Premier got all those dope-ass beats? Like a mindmeld between Hancock‘s Head Hunters and Alphabet Soup, Plate Fork Knife Spoon builds instrumental jams worth rocking. Whether it‘s the Yesterday‘s New Quintet-ish “Turbulencia” or the breakbeat-happy homage to Do the Right Thing‘s “D M#$%er F#$%er D,” PFKS‘s debut is cash in the kitchen drawer.
Wicked Lester The Sasquatch EP
Funky, hooky, cheeky, breaky-if I were blindfolded I‘d swear Bigfoot‘s second 12″ release was Mr. Scruff or Up, Bustle & Out. With its deft horn arrangements, string samples, and funk drums these three tracks skip between downbeat house, UK breaks, and laidback Latin-y grooves. Invite friends, mix a batch of mojitos, drop this EP, and take the party outdoors.
Zap Mama Show Me The Way
Pairing the hottest style of the moment (broken beat/soul vocal hybrids) with two dope remixers (London‘s Seiji and Toronto‘s Moonstarr) you might as well just click juno.co.uk now and transport these to your turntables. Ivana Santilli‘s voice flutters sweetly like Jill Scott or Alicia Keys while Moonstarr takes original production from Dego and Kaidi and lets fly an evolving array of diverse drum skins. You‘ll need a game of Twister to figure how to dance to it. Meanwhile, Seiji takes Zap Mama‘s rejoicings to a street dance soundsystem via his fat jump-up riddim, which will command every hip bone in sight.
Fog 10th Avenue Freakout
Helmed by Andrew Broder, Minneapolis‘ Fog moves from Ninja Tune to Lex for its fourth release. Volleying between forceful and quirky, the avant-garde approach of this album gets closer to the human side of jazz than any digitized hip-hop beat. Catchy songs meet melancholy discord creating an uncanny effect similar to that of Broder‘s side project, Hymie‘s Basement. The Fog live band adds analog presence, setting this apart from the program-heavy sense of past productions, and Broder‘s focus on singing/songwriting results in touching lamentations and bright lyricism. Experimental as it is, 10th Avenue Freakout hits both cerebral and emotionally exciting keys.
Martux-M Exceptio
By using a moniker that invokes images of a tricked-out anime robot, Italian artist Maurizio Martusciello may give some the impression that he creates dense, crushing industrial tracks. His music-atmospheric recordings of gurgling static, almost ambient drums and ethereal synths-is actually quite the opposite. But the crushing part still applies. Over the course of Exceptio, Martusciello gradually pulls opposing sounds together, creating flashpoints of interest where friction creates crackling dissonance. Too bad many of these tracks linger without making much of the built-up tension. Opposites do attract, but without any guidance the spark fades.
Various Artists Fabriclive.20: Joe Ransom
Making a claim as an heir to Norman Jay‘s feel-good missives and musical history lessons, Joe Ransom‘s mix of party-friendly beats on Fabriclive 20 exemplifies his future forward approach. Ransom‘s track selection, a modern British block party where island rhythms mingle with hip-hop and dusty grime tracks, paves the way for a hassle-free, head-nodding set. Dizzee Rascal, Ty, and M.I.A. are all invited, and Ransom‘s cuts and deft mixes keep the party running without overheating. The first half doesn‘t let up, and the moment when the brash Evil Ed party anthem “Nico Suave” blends with the dusty bassline of Ali B‘s “No New Style” is sublime.
Earatik Statik Feelin‘ Earatik
A talented Chicago crew that‘s not afraid to show some brawn and balls on the mic, Earatik Statik is MCs Celo and Abstruss Tone and DJ Rude1 of the Single Minded Pros. Much like their manic live shows, they start Feelin‘ Earatik in battle mode, aggressively assaulting the mic with sharp disses and calls to get hyped and grab your nuts. But they do live up to their name on this mature debut, bouncing between dark, dense tracks like “Illstatik,” which recalls the claustrophobic beats of the Wu-Tang Clan and “Smile,” a rollicking joint tied together with a Latin guitar line.
Masha Qrella Unsolved Remained
Armed with a gentle voice, sparse guitar lines, and atmospheric electronics, Masha Qrella can sometimes sound like Morr Music‘s answer to Aimee Mann. And though the music on her quiet sophomore solo album, Unsolved Remained, shares some of the dramatic qualities of Mann‘s work, it‘s a little too subdued to be soundtrack-ready. Qrella doesn‘t hurry on this album; whether she‘s gently strumming guitar on the folksy “Sister, Welcome” or crooning on the upbeat “Feels Like,” she moves at her own measured pace. Unsolved Remained isn‘t as immediately captivating as anything by labelmate Ms. John Soda, but repeated spins will endear you to Qrella‘s fragile pop.
Maximilian Hecker Lady Sleep
A Berliner busker introduced in 2001 by Infinite Love Songs, an album of downtempo beat-borne lullabies, Maximilian Hecker is now on album three, an affair that tickles the ivories more than tweaks the tempo. Downplaying programmed beats for lightly brushed piano and cello arrangements, Hecker has put together a much more sparse outing, one that moves at glacial pace. Hecker‘s key strength is his voice, a croon with reverent, hymn-like inflections that swoons across the breathy-to-constricted spectra of Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley, and Thom Yorke. With Lady Sleep, Hecker shows much more in common with the longing of troubadours such as Antony & The Johnsons and Nick Drake than the shuffle of studio artists.
Panico Subliminal Kill
For all its production nuances, music by “dance punk” powerhouses The DFA is at times imbued with too much cheeky influence-checking, giving it an aloofness. Meanwhile, Chilean post-punk funk quintet Panico‘s music says, “Fuck aloofness.” Operating from Paris, the decade-old Panico‘s sawtooth sleeze draws on Os Mutantes, ESG, and The Stooges. And Subliminal Kill-featuring production assistance from Super_Collider‘s Cristian Vogel and Tigersushi‘s Joakim-is the electrofied strut of 21st century street walkin‘ cheetahs, especially the skuzzy, cowbell-pocked come-on “Transpiralo” (feat. Crazy Girl). Fans of The Rapture, Bloc Party, and Los de Abajo will especially want to take note.
