That’s right’n-Flight’s back by the power of the man like Danny Mac. This sampler from the new In-Flight Sessions 02 comp features two from ol’ Dan and his partner Adam McEvoy. The title track is a juggernaut: a bass-heavy rumbler with string stabs. The flip’s “Momentary Reason” spreads out a bit more in its tech-funky way. Breaks both big and bad-ass.
Architex Feat. Ayah Dance Child
Architex come on with some nicely soulful shit. The title track features Ayah singin’ ’bout the music in an arrangement that’s equal parts Roni Size and West London broken beat, while the flip’s “Funk Odyssey” builds jump-up style on the horn riff that opened Public Enemy’s “Welcome to the Terrordome.” For your sheer boogie enjoyment.
J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science Try me
Bay Area don Justin Boland previews his upcoming album, lacing some thumping beats, muted trumpet, buzzy flute and whooshing keys with the dolce vocals of Goapele and suave rhymes of Capital A. Old-school devotees People Under the Stairs’s tight and summery hip-hop remix and King Kooba’s moist ‘n’ dubby take round things out. But hold up-our Boogie knows the value of a bonus cut, and delivers with Gina Rene and Crown City Rockers MC Rashaan on the smooth ladies-hop of “Get The Party Started.” Too sweet.
A Hundred Birds Georgia
Tokyo producer Yoku corrals his reputed 15-piece (!) live group to deliver this year’s sleeper summer house jam. With its symphonic strings, Balkan-style vocals and rollicking Afro-Latin-tinged rhythm, “Georgia”‘s got some good stew fixins. Will the global house massive bite?
Alphamotive Thus Far EP
Producers Brendon Moeller (a.k.a. Beat Pharmacy) and Will Thomas team up with Brit singer Dina Richardson to crank out a nice slab o’ that off-boogie. The smoothly uptempo “Better Day” works wonders on the floor in both its dramatically shuffling nu-jazz and relentless house remixes, while “Not Alone” runs a nice late-night café ambience. Solid.
Rey De Copas Frontera Del Ensueno (Ray Roc Rmxs)
Ray Roc uplifts this old-school Latin house classic with a nice wall-of-sound-approach. Thumping beats, shrill keys and understated bass buoy the vocals on the Black Latin Soul Remix, while the flip revisits the flamenco guitar-filled Jerez De La Frontera Mix, just to remind you how loping the original was. An intriguing artifact.
Circle Research Speak & Read
Toronto DJ/producers Nix, Astro and Chris B check in with three chunky bits. “Speak and Read” runs a tight rhythm under Smooth B-ish rhymes by local Abdominal dueling a Speak ‘n’ Spell toy. Meanwhile, Psy swallows two million words to little effect on “Psy’d Tracked,” but comes through nicer on the T-town posse cut “Fade,” featuring eight MCs, including Yushin killin’ it in Japanese. Rhyme styles: B+. Beats: A+.
Breakneck Uplink
Nice to hear such a simplified sound come from a production trio on this, their fourth slab. For the title track, Pete Voyager, Tamsin and Vlad throw down a grounded rhythm and top it with a sweet two-note bassline and ragga samples to create a fundamental dancefloor burner. The flip’s “Chinese Burn” runs the same essentalist territory with more understated, squiggly techno effects added to the mix.
Fireclap Begin Without End
Southern Cali represents on the indie side with panache yet again. Rhymers LMNO, Zaire Black and June 22 coolly ride a bad-ass jazz-funk riddim by DJ Westafa. Spacious lines, no garble, no emo indulgence, just Emmoworks smoothness. “The beginning/of what is to be endless,” whines the scratched phrase. We hope so.
Various Artists It’s a Berlin Thing Vol. 2
If the first volume of this series from last year didn’t put the world on notice about Berlin hometown’s exploding beat culture, this 30-track double-CD will leave no doubt that the city’s truly on fire. Though Dangerous Drum’s focus since it’s ’01 birth has ostensibly been on uptempo breakbeat, It’s a Berlin Thing Vol. 2 runs the gamut from power-breaks (ed2000 and Circuit Breaker’s remix of Sir Real’s “Boingers”) to electro (Doigts de Poisson & Deckart’s “Troubled Guirars” and DJ Vela’s “Ol Witch’s Jig”), to dubby and groovy breaks (Ekkotrooperz’ “Roll the Bass” and Crash House Brothers’ “Crash House”), to downtempo (WIPPKRIEM’s “Tears”), to spoken word (Jammin’ Unit vs. Sketch’s “Magnetic”) and much more. Think of the exploratory spirit of such legendary comps as the Kickin label’s Elements of Jazz or Stud!o K7’s Freestyle Files, then ponder the fact that all of the artists on this comp live within a bus ride from each other.
