DANCE REVIEWS

Rip It Up, Issue 225, 1 May 1996, Page 28

DANCE REVIEWS

BLUESPEAK The Drinking Set (Pagan) Excellent. Another local jazz album and it’s a killer. This, the second album from Bluespeak, is a collection of covers of various down tempo odes to the demon drink. Greg Johnson, of course, takes care of the vocal duties in his own drunkenly, bluntedly, melancholic style. He’s a smooth old crooner. The band, meanwhile, are smooth like Baileys and potent like chartreuse. Led by Tom Ludvigson’s Hammond organ, each song is a smooth, confident work-out, with no unnecessary frills, just the groove, baby. This is a collection of songs made for dinner parties, cafes, 3AM at Celebre, and anywhere else where you’re lucky enough to have good company and the pure luxury that is a bourbon in one hand, a Marlboro in the other. Cheers to the drinking set. . HOWIE B Music for Babies (Polydor) ' This is an unusual, conceptual, bizarre album, from enigmatic trip-hopper (who’d hate to be called that) Howie B. I’m sure you’re familiar with some of his work on countless trip-hop (there I go again) compilations, and his own excellent Pussyfoot label. This is, however, an altogether different sound. Howie and his girlfriend had a baby, Chilli, recently, and she is the inspiration for the album. It’s

actually very ambient and quite dark in places, with titles like ‘Shag’, ‘Cry’ and ‘How to Suckie’. It’s full of strange noises which, with the aid of a darkened room and listening enhancements, could quite possibly invoke the feeling of being back in the womb. Or not. There is also the occasional looped beat (phew!), and some weirdo sleeve notes you have to see for yourself. It’s not something you’d play every day (or every week), but it’s quite an intense trip if you’re upto it.

BEASTIE BOYS The Sound in From Way Out (Grand Royal) Ever notice how every B Boy album has three or four tracks that are just straight out space-funk instrumentals, which often wind up being your favourite bits? Now the spoilt, bratty, punk kids turned Generation X trend setters (the music, the clothes, the magazine...) have compiled all those funky instrumental jam sessions in one place. Wise move. The music’s cool, and all the classics are here, such as ‘Groove Holmes’, Tn 3’s’, ‘Lighten Up’, ‘Shambala’ and heaps more of your favourite stoner funk blues.

SUNSCREEM Change or Die (Sony) Sunscreem were quite big back in 1993, their first album, 03, spawned four Top 20 hits in the UK. After that we heard nothing for awhile, but they’ve continued to play some .dynamic live dates and completed a second album. Make no mistake, this is pop dance music, but hell, it’s full on, emotional pop with a heart, and dance music with balls. First track, ‘Exodus’, starts off ( very quietly, fooling you into turning up the volume, as it keeps kicking in with more intense rhythms. There’s also a lot of good old-fashioned stadium guitars in the mix, which is no doubt part of why they are such crowd pleasers. The singer can sing too. On ’Syclik’ they stick to cool, instrumental trance and its pure quality. This album leaves M-People for dead.

TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND Boss Tabla EP (Nation Records) I guess we all know the what to expect from the Underground. Mystic, Eastern influenced grooves, featuring tabla, sitars, the chants of the ancient wise ones. To be frank, sometimes it works and sometimes it’s a load of old tosh. This is a four track EP, and best track for me is ‘Psycho Karaoke’ — an up tempo, breakbeat led, world music sort of affair. The other three tracks are down tempo, breakbeat led, world music sort of affairs. If you like that stuff, then you’ll like this. Simple really.

VARIOUS ARTISTS Fine Gold — A Compilation from Dorado Records (Dorado) Dorado are an excellent UK label that release jazzy, soulful hip-hoppy type grooves, and this is their third compilation. While they don’t have the visibility of, say, Mo Wax or Ninja Tunes, they are just as worthy of your discretionary dollar. Jhelisa (Rebirth of Cool) contributes two

very nice jazzy tracks, featuring her distinctive vocals. Outside offer ‘Remembrance’, which is a hip-hop groove based around a truly haunting violin led string section. Best cut for me is latest drum ’n’ bass prodigy Kid Loops’ remix of Cool Breeze’s ‘Can’t Deal With This’. The Kid fuses electro, soulful vocals and deadly jungle breaks, to come correct with a drum ’n’ bass master-plan. Overall, a very laidback compilation — not necessarily essential, but totally satisfying.

BUSTARHYMES The Coming (Elektra) Strictly coming with an East Coast agenda, the busted one is high on some confusing shit. Seems my man thinks the end of the world as we know it is nigh. The year 2000 is the year this ‘event’ is supposed to happen. I can’t quite grasp exactly what’s going down, but the Busta urges you to: 'Handle your business, keep it movin’, stay strong and get money.’ It’s like he’s on some conspiracy theory tip, kinda like the whole Wu-Tang, Free Mason thing. I gotta admit, I’m starting to get worried. Don’t worry about the album though — mad, phat East Coast beats from Easy Mo Be, the Vibe Chemist Backspin and DJ Scratch, with guest spots from Q-Tip and the Def Squad’s Redman and Keith Murray.

PROPHETS OF THE CITY Muthaland Funk (Nation Records) The Prophets are a conscious hip-hop act from South Africa, and this mini EP contains remixes from Fundamental, Live It! and the Sea. 'Muthaland Funk’ is an okay song, kinda funky, with some Eastern chants and tabla style percussion, very similar. to what Fundamental do actually. Which leads us to the next surprise: the Fundamental remix uses a big grunty guitar sample from ‘Don’t Look Down In Anger’, by Supergroove. With the chant of ’We’ve got that funk / We’ve got that Muthaland funk,’ it’s surprisingly similar to Supergroove's sound. So, yeah, good to see some offshore folk being inspired by Aotearoa. ’ .

THE INFINITY PROJECT Stimuli (Perfecto Fluoro) Perfecto Fluoro is a goa trance spin off from Perfecto. Goa trance ain’t really my thing, I’m much more impressed by the ‘BT’ sound. Anyway, this is goa trance in all it’s dribbly, widdly, noodly glory. ‘Stimuli’ itself doesn’t do anything for me, but I like the Man With No Name mix. It does at least have a decent kick drum to hold it down.. Maybe I’m just too straight right now... ; LIONROCK An Instinct for Detection (Deconstruction) Debut album from Justin Robertson, and his Lionrock cohorts MC Buzz B and Roger Lyons. First single is ‘Straight aat Yer Head’, which is initally a bit of a surprise. Rather than being a full on dancefloor stomper, it’s a slow breakbeat groove, featuring MC Buzz B rapping (well, almost rapping) about the state of the world today. Nice. ‘Fire Up the Showshaw’ and ‘Don’t Die Foolish' are

adrenalised breakbeat numbers, and at the risk of sounding like a lazy journalist, it’s a very similar sound to the Chemical Brothers, if a little more refined. A very well rounded effort, and full of the most obese basslines this side of the...

DUB SYNDICATE Ital Breakfast (ON-U Sound/Flying In) Yes, well, speaking of phat motherfucker basslines, it’s another album from the mighty Dub Syndicate. There last couple of efforts were, by their own standards, a little patchy, but with Ital Breakfast they return to the arena with a deadly set of organic dub flavors to warm the cockles of your heart. Anyway, as you tend to expect with the Dub Syndicate, there aren't a lot of surprises. It’s produced very well, by Adrian Sherwood, Skip Mcdonald drops by with his guitar, and it’s just one big bad, bottom heavy package.

ALEX REECE Feel the Sunshine (Remixes) (Island Records) Mr Reece has had a big buzz around him for a while now. He’s an exponent of the more mellow, jazz inflicted side of drum ’n’ bass. What with his joining Photek and Goldie in signing to a major label, it should be easier for non-vinylheads to get hold of some super lovely drum ’n’ bass. This is certainly very accessible gear, but no way has Alex sold out. ‘Feel the Sunshine' has a nice vocal, and it’s basi-

cally a live drum sample, looped and chopped to bits, set to a nice driving bassline, with lots of added sparkly keyboard bits. ‘Jazz Master’ has some nice sax touches, and is remixed by DJ Krust and Kruder & Dorfmeister. Smooth as you like.

ANDY PICKETING (DJB)