Dance

Rip It Up, Issue 204, 1 August 1994, Page 36

Dance

• ftrand New ÜBavSP

MJW- ®oßs®mgß Q ICE CUBE — You Know How We Do It (remix) This slow tempo low ridin’ jeep booma featuring K-Dee is a tune just to remind you who’s hittin’ on the west side, buggin’, on the east side, slammin’ on the south side and makin’ noise on the north side. Ice Cube reproduces this track about just chill-

in’, giving it a much slinkier feel by toning down the moog and sedating the bass loop. K-Dee and Ice Cube’s team up on this single gives it a cruisy flavour — yes that’s right, Ice Cube has done it again, dope rhymes and wicked production. * * * * QcoOLIO — Fantastic Voyage Coolio is here! With Tommy Boy records to boot, Coolio has risen to the top in the States charting laaaaarge in the last month. With a chunky bite of ‘Fantastic Voyage’ by Lakeside, this beat rocks along with Coolio laying down some smooth lyrics about his mission. Dave Bellochio’s ‘Street Mix’ really makes this track flow by seemingly stripping it down to an R&B groove with slip slip sliding bass while QDIII’s reworking adds a somewhat annoying keyboard loop and pulsating atmospheric effects throughout. No doubt the success of this single is partly due to the Snoop Dog ripple, but still a worthwhile addition to your new hip hop menagerie. * * * BRAND NEW HEAVIES — Back To Love Thank god the Brand New Heavies are back — what would Acid Jazz be without them!! ‘Back to Love’ is the second release from their long awaited second album Brother Sister. This album has shown a strong development in the Heavies style, they’re more soulful, more energetic than ever. ‘Back To Love’ is a lowdown song with Donna

Summer-esque N'Dea Davenport (now a permanent member) providing sexy vocals. Partytime keyboards like something from an old Stevie Wonder album and a swinging beat makes the ‘Opaz club mix' stand out on the single. . — Son of a Gun On the Hooj Choon label, JX (aka Felix) busts his way into the limelight with his cheesy yet unique style of progressive house. Without a doubt the standout mix on this single is the ‘Alex Party Mix’. This is a great tune complete with pul- . sating keyboards, whomping bassline and tastefully stylish house beat. The vocal bites throughout are sharp and catchy — “A man that’s on the run he’s a dirty son of a gun". In fact the vocal sample is so cool that by the halfway point of the track you’re just hanging out to hear it again and again. ** * * Qpj DUKE — Turn It Up DJ Duke’s new creation is indeed wicked. ‘Turn It Up' is packed with a healthy array of toms, echoing snares and sub bass — something you can really mooooove to. Forget the Eurotec mix — the Radio edit and Sound Factory mix are enough to make this record a classic. Junior Vasquez, DJ for New York gay club The Sound Factory and music producer, comes up with an awesome remix unlike a lot of the handbag house he has been releasing lately. This mix comes complete with an appreciative crowd at the top, booming kettle drums and silky loops throughout. OF MOTION — Do You Want It Right Degrees of Motion have been really spasmodic in the chart stakes over the past few years, reaching high with some material but then falling out of the scene with some chessy attempts. This package comes with four different mixes. The King street edit is a poppy handbag version aimed at the mainstream. Richie’s 94 edit is acceptable but still lacks. The King Street mix is the same as Richie’s edit except with more irritating keyboards. Last of all is Richie’s 94 mix — his raw, housey working shines through to give this record minimal appeal. * * ' ALBAN — Look Who’s Talking Now Points for trying a house and ragga cross-over but it doesn’t really work. I love hearing ragga being crossed over with ,the dancefloor (shut up and dance circa 91) it really works if you go in boots and all but this single just isn’t gutsy enough. Dr Alban’s toasting is lazy and too slow for a dancefloor single. The mix on this EP that manages to drag it out of the mud is Stonebridge’s Club mix. Hopefully more artists will try their hand at producing some more progressive ragga house. * * QtRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND — Transglobal Underground are an outfit who just seem to get better and better every time they release something. Their label Nation is shouting out loud presently — it’s taken them a while to get recognition around the world but with outfits like TGU, Fun-da-mental and Loop Guru it’s hard to ignore this intelligent label. ‘Templehead’ is a brilliant low tempo track with a pounding piano line, African chanting and a positiv message.

■ This EP in particular features remixes of two other tracks from the album, Dream of 100 Nations. ' : ' The Drum Club and Delta Lady are called in to give ‘Earth Tribe' and ‘Slowfinger’ trancey reworkings — both these remixes work incredibly well — tribal dance with dignity. Watch the skies — keep lookin!! ***** ( anc then some!) - LeFONQUE — Breakfast @ A spoken word at the top of this track by comedian Jay Leno sets the scene for a journey through slinky production and sax solos by Branford Marsalis, wicked wild-styling courtesy of DJ Premier (of Gangstarr fame) and crazy jungle samples. Buckshot Le Fonque take their inspiration for this track from an incident which occurred a few years ago in the USA, where a Dennys restaurant in Marylin flatly refused to seat or serve six African American secret service agents. This track goes off with a type of finesse which we will see much more of with the release of their debut album. The album hosts an all-star jam of well known and new jazz musicians. Crucial selection. NDEGE’OCELLO — Outside Your Door Talented bassist, pianist and vocalist Me’shell follows up her last hit ‘Dreadlock’ with this sexy midnight ballad. Again Me’shell draws you in with her sexy talk! The track which really stands out on

Dr Alban

ANGRY 808

this single is a cool R&B extended mix of ‘lf That’s Your Boyfriend’. Me’shell’s beautiful voice and song writing ability holds ‘Outside Your Door’ to the light as being a great follow up to her last release — it confirms her flexibility as a song writer/producer. * * * . - ANGRY 808 ©O!]©© ATBOJWS fey AKIW ®©ib CAPPELLA — U Got 2 Know Just by looking at the cover of the single you get the impression that this is Euro crap. Lightning bolts! Purple vinyl! Sexy babe! Rapper homeboy! Is this a joke? It sucks! The well established media label sports mostly mainstream dance acts, Cappella just happens to be one of them. If you have good knowledge of new dance music you will realise when you hear this that it’s just one big muddle. On the opening track ‘U Got To Know’ it sounds like Cappella have tried to incorporate every single part of a song they’ve heard over the past year that they’ve liked. . Don’t touch this one with a barge pole. * ‘ (C DUB SYNDICATE — Classic Selection Volume 3 ' This is a selection of all the Syndicate’s best for those of us who find it hard to keep up with their

high turnover of albums and singles. Certain members of the On U Posse are there giving this album its distinctive ring — names like Style Scott, Jah Wobble, Skip MacDonald, Martin Fredrix, Steely, Doctor Pablo and to top it off all the production is mastered by the incredible Adrian Sherwood. . The last quarter of the album has taken four track from Tunes From the Missing Channel. This chunk of dub is my pick as the most exciting phase of this compilation. An outstanding compile of old and new selections from the masters — watch out for more Dub Syndicate classics next year. * * * * DANCE SQUAD — Persona Non On first hearing this album you could compare UD’s new material to the one and only Rage Against the Machine BUT that wouldn’t be fair because the squad were kicking science in this style waaaay back. Rudeboy, Magic Stick, Sil and Tres Manos are back after a long break to bring us this fresh, hard, funky LP. Their last album Mental Floss for the Globe featured one or two tracks with a pure hip hop funk manner best observed in their big hit ‘A Deeper Shade of Soul’. But UDS has totally abandoned this for their hardcore appeal. Rudeboy’s vocal style holds some great lyrics with some hard, realistic political commentary. ‘ Tracks which stand out (and kick you in the head) are ‘Demagogue’ and with its tennis match

samples, ‘Self-Sufficient Snake’. * * * ROBERTS — Natural Thing Juliet Roberts joins the Cooltempo lineup in style with her debut album Natural Thing. This soul. singer is already a total success overseas. On the list of artists she has worked with in the past are LA Mix, Funk . Masters, Working Week and Courtney Pine. She’s also a fully trained classical vocalist as well. . . , ! ' ■ The best tracks on the album are Caught in the ’ Middle’ and the song she co-wrote with DJ Pierre, ‘I Want You’. Most songs on the LP have been ; touched by the masterful hand of Dancin’ Danny! D. . ' ■ ■ . , - .y This album is good and her voice impeccable, but at times the slow soulful tracks just become: too much and tend to ruin the whole flow. You get the impression they’re just fillers for the real hits. * * * D AND THE BOYZ — Nuttin’ But Swingin’ back on the scene, old skool hero Heavy D comes at us catching Mad Props and respect at the top of the album from hip hop bigwigs like Q-Tip, Pete Rock, LL Cool J, KRS 1 and Buju Banton — this is impressive, but it gives you the feeling that to put something like this on the album he must have an inferiority complex about his re-emergence. The entire album is a whole lot. of party grooves with definite appeal for the out and about swingbeat freaks. The tracks ‘Sex Wit You’ and ‘Something’s Goin’ On’ try to steal fame by using old, classic loops from De La Soul’s ‘Buddy’ and ‘Ring, Ring, Ha, Ha, Hey’. Where’s the originality? Proof again that Heavy D is well and truly stuck in the past. This is tacky stuff. . * BLANCHARD — The Billie Holiday This is some beautiful jazz from trumpeter' Terence Blanchard. Terence studied jazz with the legendary Ellis Marsalis and classical trumpet with George Jenson. He is probably best known for his work on Spike Lee’s film sound scores — School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X and Spike Lee's brand new joint Brooklyn. This album rediscovers the irksome musicality of Billie’s legacy with the help of vocalist Jeanie Bryson (daughter of Dizzy Gillespie) and a collection of highly acclaimed musicians. This LP is a must — especially when it features irrisistable songs like ‘Nice Work if I can Get It’ and‘Lady Sings the Blues’. * * * *

gtaoira lirflgg, TTlh)® [B©2S , Watts Project — ep <uk usa 12-) > Actually from the hand of longtime London DJ ‘ and music columnist Noel Watson, and a few of his mates (Leon plays keyboards), this four track- . er of Manhattan styled grooves is destined for classic status, the standout being the lovely shimmering, almost bluesy ‘Swing It’. ' - | Federal Hill —We Got It Goin’ On | k - J-..?;.- (US Sub Urban double 12") 7 J ( Kim English — Nite Life 3 ' V 7 (UK Nite Life 12”) ; ' ■ ) Simply put, no-one does vocal house better than the Americans and these two are both killers. r Kim English is produced by Ten City, and the twelve has a couple of Euro mixes from Bump that are fairly disposable, but the bass driven sultry Masters at Work mixes and the original from Ten City, on the US copies, are the real thing. Federal Hill, on Victor Simonelli’s label could’ve come out of Manhattan any time in the last five years and . his mixes have that retro-disco feel that verges on the tacky but ends up sounding anthemic. Cool. | Left Hand Down — Viva Dubs 7 ‘ I V (UK Subwoffer 12") ) ( Taiko Echo Drop . ' •:< . A I (UK Consolidated 12") J C The Question — Who Runs the Show N ( (UK Black Sunshine 12") ) Two years ago these discs would’ve been part ■ of the whole, slightly questionable UK progressive house movement but time marches on and the British dance scene seems to have developed a whole new funky edge again, partially through the influence of . the harder edged Americans like' Vasquez, Duke etc, and partially because of the . rise of labels like the wonderful Cleveland city. Taiko is on a new Cleveland subsidiary and while the A side is a fairly conservative, almost industri- ' al stamper, the flip, the dub, is a neat piano led . groove with lush stabs that goes nowhere fast but is worth a listen. Left Hand Down are actually Auerback and Travell, better known as Bump and . it's a cool grinding funky but spacey house track that layers track upon track in a kinda Sound Factory way. Seek out. Finally, the Question, created by Camden’s Ashley Beedle, has this great organ line and acidic bassline that, like Taiko, doesn’t really do much but hooks you in nevertheless.