Fresh purveys more of that cocaine-freak funk on this long-awaited platter for Adam F’s Breakbeat Kaos imprint. The anthemic and instantly recognizable “Dalicks” celebrates the joy of synth pads as it constantly switches up different robotic melodies over a thorough break ‘n’ growling bass workout. The flip, “Temple of Doom,” is an equally compelling experiment in booming dancefloor drum & bass.
Raiden Pitbull Attack
Ascending star Raiden gets stupidly aggressive on “Pitbull Attack,” which sounds like vintage Metalheadz at its best moments and bad sampler patches at its worst. The flipside’s “Mind Bombing,” on the other hand, is a compelling slice of drummy machine funk that stitches together riot sirens, bouncy toms and clever machine gurgles into a quirky acid d & b roll-out that avoids all the old-skool traps.
Gridlok & Ill Formants Witch Hunt
The West Coast’s Gridlok shows his versatility on a pair of rollers that mine different dancefloor vibes. On the A-side, he teams up with fellow Bay Area producers Illformants (a.k.a. Controlled Substance and Angel Zero) for a punchy tech roller that’s well produced, but ultimately formulaic. “Bad Luck” rules the flip, with warped technoid touches that are buoyed by an early-morning melody-it strains and releases, switching back and forth between loopy bass/pounding drums and an easy roller.
Open Thought Force Of Life
Bearded Brooklyn trio Open Thought breaks out with their debut single, putting the indie hip-hop world on notice that there’s a new, serious humanist crew in town. Vague though his positivist philosophy may be, MC Baba skillfully sluices his rhymes on the title track between beats by fellow Thinkers Yako and DJ Center, and Michael Irwin’s nifty trumpet riffs. Unfortunately, Baba’s awkward inner-city narrative on the flipside’s “Cold Cut” comes off a little too imagined. Time will tell if they can bring it a bit stronger than this.
Various Bf002
Is Brooklyn in the house? This new label run by borough boys Scottie B and Sneak-E Pete brings its second multi-artist EP full of funky explorations. Moody Eva’s minimalist “6 Minute Man” flips a bit of the Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” until it sounds like it’s being played by Liquid Liquid, while The Shift’s “Soulville” rolls live guitar over a breakbeat house skeleton, to middling effect. On the flip, saxophonist Mike DeVellis recalls early-’90s live acid jazz on his uptempo “Post Boogie,” and Miss Bliss and Sneak-E Pete close up with their decently written “Electrofunk.” Solid, though not exactly groundbreaking.
Basil feat. Digital Divide Another Way
Name your label after pasta sauce if you want, but you better come with the phat. This new German imprint doesn’t disappoint, as Basil weaves casual trumpet riffs and gentle Rhodes chords around a tenacious beat that carries Digital Divide’s heavy-lidded jazz croon. Top it off with a more electronic remix by John Dahlback and a filtered, more percussive take by Pino Shamlou, and you’ve got a smooth, saucy jam on your hands. Molto bene, sehr gut, ya know?
More Fire Feat. Dean Chohan What’s The Point?
With our hero Sticky twiddling the knobs, More Fire throws down a soulful, street-conscious vocal/MC choon, as Dean Chohan croons his hook “What’s the point of soldiers falling/when we’re never gonna win the war?” over weeping string riffs and a steadily charging riddim.
Al-Haca Soundsystem Inevitable EP
German roots/dancehall hybridists Al-Haca do us all a favor and bring four highlight cuts from their debut album, Inevitable, to vinyl. From New Yorker RQM’s street poetry over buzzy dancehall on “We Sick” to Sizzla’s Sizzla-isms over the minimalist bounce-step of “Break the Silence,” Al-Haca’s all about steady rootsy bass vibes and masterful vocals lording over a truckload of solid, risk-taking beat structures. This’ll probably irk more than a few reggae purists, but that’s a good thing.
Human Race Human Race
Re-Joint, the re-issue sub of San Francisco’s Dis-Joint label, unearths this spare, funky little 1971 gem from this obscure Miami five-piece otherwise known as the Miami Soul Review. The title track is almost garage band-like in its structure, with congas, yeah-yeah vocals and a twangy two-note guitar slide leading the way. On the flip’s sly, Meters-ish “Grey Boy,” saxophonist/bandleader Mike Edell strings a night-clubby melody line through the proceedings, rounding out a satisfying document.
macabre Unit taurus
Britain’s Macabre Unit hits us with some stealthy 2-step bizness. “Dem no ready yet,” mumbles the vocal sample on this one, as piping high-register synths bounce atop meandering bass and quietly thumping percussion. One to put on way early in the morning, seen?
