Conch Records
Roots Manuva Meets Wrongtom - Duppy Writer (Big Dada)
Available on CD here & 2LP here
Mini Mix via PopMattersTracklisting:
1. Butterfly Crab Walk 2. Chin Up 3. Duppy Writer (Skit) 4. Worl’ A Mine 5. Big Tings Redone 6. Jah Warriors 7. Proper Tings Juggled 8. Dutty Rut 9. Dub Decay 10. Lick Up Ya Foot 11. Rebuff 12. Son of Bodda 13. Motion 82
Fire up the barbecue, crack a Dragon Stout, mix up yer Guinness punch, carry out whatever cliched act of Caribbeanism you can think of, because it’s summer at last and a new Roots Manuva album is here! And with artwork from the legendary Tony McDermott (who was responsible for the illustrations on Greensleeves classics by the likes of Scientist, Mad Professor and the famous “Carnival of Reggae†12†sleeve) it’s a thing of beauty.
Okay, let’s clarify that ‘new’ a little. What you hold in your hands is in fact largely a series of re-works by a talented producer who, for reasons best known to himself, goes by the moniker Wrong Tom. Big Dada first came across Wrong Tom a few months before the releaase of Roots Manuva’s album, “Slime & Reasonâ€. The DJ and producer (whose previous credits includes work for Lynval Golding’s Pama International, Trojan Records and his Staines homeboys Hard Fi) got in touch asking if he could bash out a dub version of the lead single for that campaign, “Buff Nuffâ€. As it wasn’t costing and we’re cheap like that we said he could have a go on spec. When we heard the result we immediately commissioned a series of mixes which, turned round in about a fortnight, became the bonus disc for the limited edition version of “Slime & Reasonâ€. The responses we received were pretty ecstatic so we asked Tom if he would be up for expanding the work into a full album.
Two years on and Tom, with moral support from Mr Manuva, has turned in an album which covers all four of Roots Manuva’s main albums, plus tracks from “Dub Come Save Me†and “Alternately Deep†and a brand new collaboration with Mr Manuva and Ricky Ranking on lead single “Jah Warriorsâ€. Tom decided to re-imagine each track as if his re-work was in fact the orignal version of the tune from a previous decade. Hence “Motion 5000†becomes classic roots groove “Motion ’82,†whereas something like “Rebuff†sees “Buff Nuff†return as vintage digi-dub. The project is approached with such conviction and skill that many of the tunes become hard to place in their orignal context, so it really does feel as if these funky, skanking, shuffling little numbers are in fact the ground zero of the Manuva experience.
And while this album is, in effect, a bit of summer fun to keep us all satisfied until Roots comes through with a whole new batch of material, the re-works are so well done, and lock so tight with Rodney’s vox that they actually achieve more than anyone could hope for. Often when people are dealing with Mr Rodney Smith they’re so concerned with his ground-breaking productions, his convoluted back story and his Genuine UK Maverick status that it’s easy to forget just what a good MC he is, how clever with words, how funny and insightful, how relaxed and easy and plain beautiful he sounds on the beat. It’s all here, one of the best UK lyricists and voices of the last decade as you’ve never quite heard him before, but probably secretly always wanted to. Sit back and enjoy while the sun still shines…
Duppy Cast by Banana Klan
Bilal - Airtight's Revenge (PLUG RESEARCH)
Available on CD here and 2LP here
A small 10 years after his debut 'First born second' (and 4 years after the shelved 'Love for Sale'), soul sensation Bilal drops his new album!
A provocative genre-bending album that dissects love, politics and relationships, 'Airtight’s Revenge' demonstrates the Philly-bred singer’s growth as an artist. “It’s a mix of jazz, hip-hop, soul, blues, and experimental free music,†says Bilal. The differences in economical social classes inspired the track “Robots,†which scrutinizes societal and governmental effects on people. After watching the 2007 documentary, “Zeitgeist: The Movie,†Bilal wrote “Who Are You.†“Of all religions, I drive to be human,†says Bilal. At the end of the day, we are all one. We need to connect with the spiritual side of ourselves; we don’t need to inflict that on others. It’s OK to have free thought. “Little Ones,†a smooth track with a soulful sound is dedicated to his sons. “My youngest son has Sickle Cell and my oldest son has Autism. This song is for them,†stated Bilal. Steve McKie (Jill Scott, Estelle, Kindred, Vivian Green) co-produced the album with Bilal, recorded in Philadelphia, Virginia and Los Angeles. The album also features production by Nottz (Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Drake), 88 Keys (Mos Def, Macy Gray, Musiq Soulchild), Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra and Tone Whitefield.Track List & Sound Clips:
| 01 | Cake & Eat It Too | clip | ||||
| 02 | Restart | clip | ||||
| 03 | All Matter | clip | ||||
| 04 | Flying | clip | ||||
| 05 | Levels | clip | ||||
| 06 | Little One | clip | ||||
| 07 | Move On | clip | ||||
| 08 | Robots | clip | ||||
| 09 | The Dollar | clip | ||||
| 10 | Who Are You | clip | ||||
| 11 | Think It Over | clip |
Gonjasufi - The Caliph's Tea Party (Warp)
Available on CD here or LP+MP3 here
It's a tricky thing, re-working a completely unique and peerless piece of music. It is made even trickier when the personality behind the original music is so vivid and otherworldly that it is almost sure to continue to cast it's long shadow over whatever new form is chosen for it.
Of course the questions of whether or not to remix Gonjasufi's classic A Sufi and A Killer arose, but with that voice and those songs, it was never going to fail. Of course the fact that Gonja had made fans out of quite a few incredibly talented artists didn't hurt either.So, The Caliph's Tea Party was slowly summoned to life. Like the Caliphs of the Ummahs of the 7th century, orchestrating affairs from their palaces, Gonjasufi has assembled a collection of artists in his musical world and invited them to exchange ideas. In this spirit, the symbolic and musical centerpiece of the album, as well as its namesake, is the result of the mutual admiration formed between Gonjasufi and Broadcast and The Focus Group. A bewitching, drastic re-working of 'DedNd' it takes the form of a suite of layered compositions and radiophonic transmissions.
Elsewhere, reinterpretations from new talents shine while established artists continue to surprise. Mark Pritchard channels Ennio Morricone with epic orchestral dystopia on his remix of 'Ancestors' while retaining the inherent gravity of Flying Lotus' original production. Young guns Shlomo and Jeremiah Jae eschew their labeling as 'beatmakers' and tap into a fractured emotional core within 'Change' and 'Holidays', respectively, giving them new leases on life as subtly mechanized melancholia. Bibio smooths out the rough edges of 'Candylane' for a remix indebted to the 1980s R&B leftfield, while Brooklyn's Bear In Heaven and Oneohtrix Point Never deal in heavy motorik meditations and ethereal musique concrete. That The Caliph's Tea Party lives up to it's concept as a companion piece to A Sufi & A Killer is not only a sizeable accomplishment, but also a testament to the source material. Gonjasufi has emerged in 2010 as the most striking new voice in a vast musical landscape that continues to outrun true classification. With so many errant strands of creativity moving in all directions, it may well prove fortunate that a Caliph has been selected.Tracklist & Sound Clips:
| 01 | Ancestors ((Dreamtime) Mark Pritchard Rmx) | clip | ||||
| 02 | Candylane (Bibio Remix) | clip | ||||
| 03 | Ageing (Dam Mantle Remix) | clip | ||||
| 04 | The Caliph's Tea Party (Broadcast & The Focus Group "DedNd" Remix) | clip | ||||
| 05 | Kobwebz (Jeremiah Jae Remix) | clip | ||||
| 06 | Love Of Reign (Bear In Heaven Remix) | clip | ||||
| 07 | She's Gone (Oneohtrix Point Never Remix) | clip | ||||
| 08 | Holidays (MRR Remix) | clip | ||||
| 09 | Change (Shlomo Remix) | clip | ||||
| 10 | My Only Friend (Hezus Remix) | clip | ||||
| 11 | DedNd (agdm Remix) | clip | ||||
| 12 | SuzieQ (Dem Hunger Bowel Blood Remix) | clip |
Jazz Chronicles - Jazz Chronicles (FUTURISTICA MUSIC)
Available here on CD & on the remixes 12" here
Jazz Chronicles is a project by Futuristica´s Simon S and is heavily influenced by his love of classic era hip hop and deep, spiritual jazz. Simon is joined on this set by horn player Ben Hadwen, who has worked with Recloose, Mark De Clive-Lowe & Emanative and award winning Vibraphonist Corey Mwamba who has recently played alongside Quantic & Robert Mitchell. The sound sits somewhere between 90´s Mo´ Wax and 70´s Strata East with Simon´s heavy, break laden tracks and Ben & Corey´s free-flowing solos. The album includes the single ´One For Joe´ (FM010) and forthcoming single ´Bologna´ with remixes from K15, As Valet & Emanative.
Track List & Sound Clips:| 01 | Intro | clip | ||||
| 02 | Land | clip | ||||
| 03 | Maybe | clip | ||||
| 04 | As If I Knew | clip | ||||
| 05 | Interlude | clip | ||||
| 06 | One For Joe | clip | ||||
| 07 | Done It | clip | ||||
| 08 | My View | clip | ||||
| 09 | Time For… | clip | ||||
| 10 | Bologna | clip | ||||
| 11 | Interlude | clip | ||||
| 12 | J Bounce | clip | ||||
| 13 | Cm Vibe | clip | ||||
| 14 | Interlude | clip | ||||
| 15 | Thoughts Of You | clip | ||||
| 16 | Untitled Suite | clip |
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