Buju Banton is the Don Dada of dancehall, period. When he traded in his gruff, sexually explicit toasts for soul-stirring roots reggae, he proved he was a champion there too. Friends For Life will become a classic because it crosses musical boundaries, with stops in hip-hop, r&b and African rhythms. Collaborations with Bounty Killer, Beres Hammond and Fat Joe are indicative of the musical journey this offering travels. Here is a mature Banton-Afrocentric, contemplative and apparently no longer a sexist. “Up Ye Mighty Race,” a Nyabinghi romp, calls for justice, while “All Will Be Fine” places Banton in the great Rastafari pantheon alongside Marley and Tosh. More than simply Jamaican music, this is music for the world.
The Hacker Danse Industria
MY ROBOT FRIEND WALT WHITMAN
Various Artists Universal Funk: Re:Done
Nine of Europe’s future-jazz luminaries get to grips with Universal Funk’s debut. Instead of releasing a remix album with a dozen (often pointless) re-takes of three or four prime cuts, April have chosen each artist to remold a single track. Andreas Saag’s uses a nifty elasticized guitar, keys that hit the nail on the head and distraught vocals from Elsa to create a heart-stopping Swell Session re-take. Cai Bojsen-Moller’s remix of “Kuta” pleads for brotherly love and understanding, with heavy, swaying percussion, a gleaming synth and an intense, staring bass. A stylish remix collection to rival many original artist albums
Vincent D.Moo EP
The first track on the b-side, “d.moo (2nd edition),” is a modernized glitch beatbox mix reminiscent of Kraftwerk’s “Boing Boom Tschak,” with some trippy piggy-snorting noises and a super-cool bounce. On the flip is the “more funky version” of “d.moo” and a chunky and bass-heavy “Bartending.” Makes ya wanna do a little jig!
Fink Presents Sideshow Sound of Today
Veteran Ninja Tune producer Fin Greenall signs his Sideshow project to London’s future beat-fostering Simple label. Both “Sound of Today” and “I Don’t Know Why” mix clipped, alarm-clock ticking kicks and snares with dusky, sunset-hued melodies, even a little blues slide-guitar. Like former production partner Hefner, Greenall’s sound is uptempo narcotic, like a bag of hash for the dancefloor.
Various Artists Floorplay 3: House Broken EP
Titonton Duvante is broken techno’s most fearless beat programmer right now. His infinitely funky tech-soul contribution to the new comp on Toronto’s Play Records seethes with erratic snares and snorting hi-hats, as aqua waves of synth melody crash on his beat beachheads. A nice cut from Augusta, and Legion of Green Men’s ambient-broken remix of Marc de Breyne further affix a blue ribbon to this remarkable collection.
Apeanaut Go Away
Brooklyn dubmaster and Antibalas keyboardist Tiklah offers his label’s first 12″, and it’s pure talent. Live bass from Ninjaboy, sultry vocals from Diana Blain, and big, thumping beat structures that balance foggy, haunted dub bass and cracking hip-hop snares like a holy mix of UK artists G-Corp and Spacer. Galliant.
Various Artists Playlist EP: Compiled by Jazzanova
The range that Jazzanova-Compost Records achieves with their output is only comparable to Blue Note or Atlantic during their late-’60s heights. The punchy, low-slung-bass-driven hyperactivity of Rima’s stab-and-run mix of a sumptuous Underwolves vocal number, and Faze Action’s samba polish of Victor Davies make for an abundant sonic palette. Pick your choice and take a spin.
Donae’o My Philosophy (Bounce)
Sticky gets sick wid it on this one, laying down a cantankerous, dark and breaky garage riddim with plenty of clever change-ups to keep that ass dropping. Donae’o doesn’t slouch on the vocals either, delivering some rough anti-gun talk in a fast, hip-hop-inflected style-kind of like Prodigy of Mobb Deep if he was both Cockney and on crank. Nasty!
DJ Narrows House of Pain
Two slabs of noir-ish, chugging UK bass, driven by heavy-handed cymbal rides and twisting, warping low-end. Narrows always tells the traditional 2-step sound to fuck right off with his heavy, grimy 4/4s. This is what the term “hard house” should really apply to.
