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Led by Spank Rock producer XXXchange and featuring the talents of Amanda Blank, Pase Rock (Five Deez), !!!'s Tyler Pope, and Sylvia of Kudu, the Fully Fitted crew has been steady infiltrating clubs this year, and the takeover can only get stronger...
expand review with this, their official debut release on Money Studies. Leading off with an intro from French rap clown prince The Genevan Heathen, the EP hits the ground running with a remix of DJ Class' blazing, "Rump Shaker" horn-sampling "Roll It(1)" with Pase on vocals (instrumental also included). XXXchange's dirty south / French electro hybrid "100 Million(2)" is sure to blow some heads; ditto for his rework of house favorite "He Not In(3)," which features insane original synth work and even some dancehall flavoring. And that's just the A-side! Every wondered how Paul Simon would fare in a grimy Bmore club? Chipset & Devlin give you the answer on the much anticipated "50 Ways(4)," which has literally been years in the making and now features a verse from fellow Spank Rock associate Ms. Blank. (Got the instrumental for that one, too.) The terrifying trio of XXX, Devlin & Darko round things out with the extra hype party break "New Day(5)," and "Shake It(6)," which transforms DJ Blaqstarr's "Shake It To The Ground" into a Rong-style slow burner. Pic sleeve designed by PH. Definitely recommended. -el generico
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Reissued with original picture sleeve!2000 Madlib production as Lord Quas. The original version of "Come on Feet" is from "The Unseen" LP. The instrumental gives hints of the upcoming YNQ sound. Also includes the Remix(1), "Boom Music(2)" and instrumental, and "MHB's (Money...
expand review Hungry Bichez)(3)." I wanna open up a Subway franchise. They got good bread. -the mgmnt
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This sentiment pops up often enough in my reviews that it's bordering on self-parody, but seriously, do y'all REALLY need me to sell this record? Really? I mean, its not like anyone has ever, you know, written an article on girl before,...
expand review or talked about her on the internet or anything. You should already own, like, seven of these. So far, Arular is the bang-alang-ingest record of the year - if you like your dance music even the slightest bit "different," this shit is the shit. "Galang(1), Sunshowers(2), Fire Fire(3)," and "Bucky Done Gun(4)" have hit 12" already, but it's nice to have them all on a handy 2LP for the crates, along with slow-burner "Amazon(5)," the tweaked electro dancehall of "Pull Up The People(6)," and more. All 12 tracks are blaze to blaze, with something to drop in almost any DJ setting - if you've been bumping a promo (or an illicitly downloaded version of the LP) for the last few months, it's not even too much of a bummer that the b-more sampling "URAQT" got left off (psssst it's supposed to make the Japan pressing, rare-spotters). -Nick Catchdubs
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Anthem of the moment! Wiley has finally hit the real pay dirt with this undeniable retro-future-smash. Brilliantly sampling garage-house classic "What Would We Do" by DSK (circa 1991), all Wiley had to do is come up with ANY halfway decent hook, to...
expand review complete this club bomb. Maybe this is the one that's gonna put the UK acts over the top. Essential 12" format with extended version(1), instrumental(!), and remixes by Agent X(3) and Niteryders(4). Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Diplo's adopted Brazilian siblings are all grown up, and here's their first release on Domino to prove it! "Solta O Frango(1)" is a certified favela smash (got the ringtone on my cell) and if you missed out when we had the limited...
expand review tour 7", this is your chance to make right. If you've seen them live, you know this is the Bonde track that really tears it down - everyone chants along to that brainworm of a hook, Marina wrecks it on the verses and Afra from the Incredible Beatbox Band even provides some sick background effects for the head-nodders. And if you're wondering what they're saying in Portuguese over that heavy Playskool beat, "solta o frango" means "release the chicken" - you can connect the dots. Another live favorite, "Rap do CB(2)" is on the flip, along with the instrumental and acapella for "Solta O Frango." Nice full color artwork by Pedro's cousin. Recommended! -Chris Lemon-Red
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Straight up: this is the best track from CSS' album and I'm really happy to see it getting a proper single release. Their first single was nice and dancey and all, but this is the realness! CSS are no joke and "Alala(1)"...
expand review shows their harder side, perfectly contrasting the shimmery disco guitar and synths from "Let's Make Love" with buzzsaw guitars and a thick-as-fuck beat. I can't get enough of that little noise in the chorus – sounds like the girl from The Grudge! Maybe I'm a bit biased, but Bonde do Role's remix(2) basically rips shit up. Gorky and Pedro throw some baile drums under the dark, spooky keyboard sound from the original track and then proceed to chop the hell out of Lovefoxxx's vocals ("b-b-b-b-bitches!") while fading effects in and out of the mix. Awesome shit, and infinitely more mixable than the original version. Princess Superstar contributes a remix(3) as well, and the girls are kind enough to tack the acapella on the end for you lunkheads. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Many people consider this their favorite battle record. Simplest, most effective layout. Includes "stop frontin' and use your head" beat. Two of the nicest skratch sentences that include "scratching... what is it; uh... raang.... it's fresh; break it down like this." Hours...
expand review of skratching enjoyment ( = less time beating off). Buy 2 copies. Classic. -the mgmnt
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SPECIAL DEAL: Get this free Heliocentrics "7 with 2 tracks not on the album, when you buy this 2LP. Limited supply.
The promo sticker on the front of this album highlights these selling points: "the drummer that backed DJ Shadow on his tour,"...
expand review "the drummer that Madlib sampled," etc. All I gotta say to that is... NOISE! Get outta here with that! It should say, "DJ Shadow and Madlib were lucky enough to work with and sample the man himself, MALCOLM CATTO!" It's kinda ass backwards when they hype up DJs over the musicians, you feel me? Anyways, if you don't know the name, here's your chance to get familiar. It's Malcolm Catto, biz-natches, together with Mike Burnham, Fake Ferguson and a whole band of astral players to make The Heliocentrics. I've been a die-hard fan (like most people into Catto) since his Popcorn Bubblefish EP on MoWax and The Curse of the Evil Badger off Stones Throw. Finally, after years of waiting, something entirely fresh and new. It's a mostly instrumental album, with a heavy dose of inter-dimensional space funk, laced with worldly sounds, astounding musicians and the ever-changing rhtyhms of Catto. My suggestion, pop this in your player and soak it in like you would a movie. It's that epic. But for reference, check these selections: "Distant Star(1)," "Joyride(2)," "Age Of The Sun(3)," "Before I Die(4)," "Nico - Winter Song - Heliocentrics Remix(5)," and "Second Chance(6)." Like Sun-Ra and other astral musicians, the whole album gives you a chance to transcend the planet once again. Get lifted. Hiiighly recommended. Double vinyl, nice pic sleeve. -C'mish
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Pic sleeve of the year? The illustration on the cover of Spank Rock & Benny Blanco's latest single is almost as dirt as the track itself, and that's saying something considering "Shake That" samples Splack Pack's "Shake That Ass Bitch" AND 2...
expand review Live's "Fuck Shop." Early viral internet MP3 circulation = this is certified club killer material that everybody already knows the words to. Spank hates on "anorexic vegan bitches"... and the crowd goes wild! Includes dirty, clean (haha), instrumental and acapella versions. Check the single for "B-O-O-T-A-Y," too. -Larri Byrd
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This 12" was actually the first from DMZ on Soul Jazz records back in 2006 and is available here once again in a super-limited one-off repress. Get it while it lasts! Mala and Coki make for a formidable force when the team...
expand review up and form South London's premier dubstep team Digital Mystikz. This is dubstep with an emphasis on the heavy-heavy side of tings - with bass, drums, and delays going off. Check the intense, almost tribal sounds on "Walkin' With Jah(1)" and the ruder- than-rude bass line action on "Earth A Run Red(2)." It's no surprise these cats got releases on labels as diverse as Soul Jazz to Rephlex. Top notch dubstep indeed. -snackmaster
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Soul Jazz give the sleepers another shot at this classic pair of Mystikz choons from 2006. "Misty Winter(1)" is an appropriately chilly number with deep tunneling bass, icy bells and dubbed out rasta vocal yelps. Turn it over for the equally intense...
expand review and heavily percussive "Conference(2)." Limited repress. Plays at 45. -Chris Lemon-Red
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This might be the weirdest gang of remixers ever assembled on a single 12". 33Hz have invited all their friends along to remix "Paris, Texas," their new track featuring the transatlantic duo of Devin The Dude and TTC's Teki Latex. And remix...
expand review it they did! In fact, Gentlemen Drivers lead off with a version that bears almost no resemblance to the original. Curtis Vodka's synthy, housed out remix(1) keeps more vocals in tact, but Architecture In Helsinki(2) own the A-side with their quirky and minimal (yet irresistibly melodic) style. Flip it over and - surprise! - In Flagranti(3) turns in the strongest remix of the bunch, tossing the original's vocoder'ed hook over a strutting new disco beat with a killer bassline. Also includes a grimey electro remix from Max Pask(4). Check the 7" for the original version and yet another remix. -Larri Byrd
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Sophomore albums are always tough to produce, especially when your debut is as critically praised as Burial's. But with Untrue, Steve Goodman (the creative mind behind Burial and Hyperdub label head) seems to be unaffected by the sophomore slump. Untrue manages to...
expand review stay true to the style and mood of the first album and is in someways more focused and affecting. With an introspective, melancholy vibe throughout, this isn't exactly you're typical dancefloor destroying dubstep (it's actually much closer to 2-step garage), Untrue is perfect for solo listening to soak in through your headphones on a rainy day, a hazy night or on a long drive. Listen to the lush, lo-fi production on "Archangel(1)," "Near Dark(2)," "Shell Of Light(3)," "Homeless(4)," and the steppy "Raver(5)," all of which use Burial's clever vocal editing techniques to create his unique brand of futuristic soul. Unfortunately, the ambient tracks have been removed from this, and the tracklisting is entirely messed up on both the jacket AND the spindle. The correct tracklist is found above. Fans of the first album will not be disappointed. Recommended. -snackmaster
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Real heavy, super chopped-up Bmore sounds from the man Al Ripken Jr. The obvious pick here is "Sexual 'Ruption(1)" where Al and DJ Yadi inject enough freshness into Snoop's mega-hit to make it playable again; the less obvious but equally effective choice...
expand review would be "Age Ain't Nuthin'(2)," a hard-nosed re-rub of tweener favorites Pretty Ricky (not Aaliyah, sorry). Strong tracks all the way through with the useful and synthed-out "Space Club Intro(3)," "One Night Stand(4)" (it's like Lil Jon meets "Heartbroken"), plus "You'z A Trick(5)" and "Go Hard(6)." 6 tracks total. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Maryland's Al Ripken Jr. and Alaska's Curtis Vodka team up for this split EP of DJ-friendly Baltimore club edits. Ripken takes the A-side with the heavy "Soul Sonic Bmore(1)" (where he chops up Bambaataa's "Planet Rock"), the spacey "Sippin' On Long Island(2)"...
expand review and "Turn Up The Bump(3)," which flips one of my favorite tracks from last year (8-Ball & MJG's "Turn Up The Bump") and makes it a crazy dense club joint. Curtis Vodka turns in the flip: we got the middling R&B joint "Hey Girl Pt.2," the Lady Sov-sampling "Love Me Or Hate Me(4)" and the self-explanatory "Bollymore(5)." -Chris Lemon-Red
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