The problem with rap music today is that nobody knows shit about it. I’ve been sayin’ lately that these days, some blonde girl in a Juicy Couture outfit driving down Rodeo Drive in a 2003 Range Rover on a cell phone could be noddin’ her head to the latest 50 Cent exclusive 16-bar battle verse on a mixtape by K-Slay. Thank you Five Deez for puttin’ out great music that still feels like I’m up on some new shit that hasn’t been tainted by a Sprite endorsement. And secondly, who else can put out a track that’s 132bpm and still sound so “Funky”?
Canibus Spartibus
One thing that really has me scratching my head is this: Why would XLR8R, a magazine that promotes “accelerating music and culture,” even hand me a Canibus 12″ to review? There even happened to be a press release that came with the single. Let’s see…”Dear Friends, Rip The Jacker is a concentrated form of lyrical mastery that does not cut any corners with the rhyme content or imagery.” Hmmm…sounds good. “
SKC & Longman Battlefield
Hungary’s SKC is on fire at the moment. With all the top dons hammering both his darker material as well as his jazzed-out stormer “Limelight,” he’s now taken to collaborating with some of his fellow Hungarians, and by and large the results are off the hook . “Battlefield,” SKC’s joint effort with Budapest DJ Longman, is our personal fave at the moment, as it evokes memories of when dark drum & bass didn’t entail just the aggro, evil shit. This is both dark and decidedly funky a la classic Konflict and Ed Rush & Optical material.
M.I.S.T. Jam Hot
This double a-side single finds this Manchester duo’s undeniable wealth of talent on full display. While “Jam Hot” treads similar territory to previous works by M.I.S.T. (i.e. housey textures and vocals, rock-solid beats and a giant 808 bassline), it’s the flip’s “Outerspace” that surpasses any expectations we may have had of Marcus and S.T. Very much inspired by Detroit techno-with its soaring pads and snare rolls, it’s no wonder “Outerspace” is an outright anthem.
D. Kay 7 Epsilon Come Easy
The Austrian bad boys who gave us the sublime Balearic drum & bass hit “Barcelona” unleash their debut single for the esteemed Defunked imprint, and what a single it is. Where “Barcelona” was somewhat straightforward in its delivery, “Come Easy” is on a deeper vibe, yet still has the tuff beats and bass to keep it firmly rooted in dancefloor territory. Here’s hoping there’s more to come from D.Kay and his collaborative efforts with Epsilon.
Essential Logic Fanfare In the Garden
The late-’70s post-/art-/avant-punk cake is not wholly eaten. There’s a piece left for everyone at the table, and apparently these days it’s up to labels like Kill Rock Stars, Soul Jazz and Acute to serve the platters. Enter Essential Logic. Back in the old X-Ray Spex days (1977), Logic’s eardrum-shattering sax outbursts were the meaty substance to Poly Styrene’s evocative, stripped-to-the-bone sass-funk. But the friendship lasted for only one summer. Abandoned by her bandmates, Logic founded her own band, Essential Logic, in 1978. EL triggered all the stimuli of the English post-punk scene: listen to “Wake Up,” which walks the thin line between dangerous intensity and explosive disco-ness. Over the years, Logic worked with such divergent bands as The Raincoats, Swell Maps, Scritti Politti and Red Krayola. Some of the contributions to this astonishing double-CD aren’t really necessary. But even the Tori Amos-like later stuff does refine this detached beauty, which elevated Essential Logic above many of their contemporaries.
Bunny Striker Lee The Cool Operator
Although it’s impossible to cover master Jamaican producer Bunny Lee’s whole career on one single CD, the existence of The Cool Operator is justified by the fact that the songs on this compilation were picked by Lee himself. In addition to his famous “flying cymbal” drum patterns, Lee was one of the first producers to re-use his own riddims for different singers. Listening to Johnny Clarke’s “Move Outta Babylon” alongside Max Romeo’s “Natty Dread Take Over” or Clarke’s “No Woman No Cry” versus Derrick Morgan’s “Some Women Must Cry” shows how much potential Lee’s beautifully layered productions contained. But the comp’s absolute highlight is without any doubt the legendary heavyweight slamfest between I-Roy and Prince Jazzbo. Straight to your head, Natty!
Steppah Hunta walk This Step (Seiji Dub)
As if the original remix was not heavy enough with its live bass and sensual female vocal licks, the one like Seiji puts the emphasis-with a capital E-on the beatz. Live latin percussion atop progammed precision, with microsamples of the vocals, bass and ’70s keys sprinkled for full effect.
Season Juice (Afronaut Remix)
What a way to start off a label! Bumping up the tempo a bit, Orin strips the track down to a funky-arsed skeleton whilst leaving Ernesto’s r&b-influenced vocals intact. Almost a broken techno feel, with a cracking snare and analog bass growling at you.
Mawo Pathways
This one’s a Forward anthem. Serious dubstep flavors with a heavy African influence from this brand new artist. One of four tracks on the next Big Apple Records release. It’s great to see so much of this tribal sound coming through in the dubstep scene.
