Mr. Scruff - Music Takes Me Up

The third installment of Mr. Scruff’s Ninja Tuna series is here! Previously we’ve had Donkey Ride/Giant Pickle and then Kalimba/Give Up To Get, but now we have Music Takes Me Up featuring none other than Alice Russell. Out now on both 12″ vinyl and mp3, the release also includes the tracks The Clock and Fix That Speaker.

Music Takes Me Up is a piano driven classic Mr. Scruff track, real head nodder with a very addictive melody, and fantastic vocals from Alice Russell too. The 12″ contains a longer five and a half minute long version of the track whilst the mp3 download has a radio edit a bit beyond three minutes. The Clock is a wonky downtempo dance track with some guitar and a healthy dose of brass and keys. Finally, Fix That Speaker is an upbeat jazzy affair, riding strong with a brass section and a stomping beat.

mp3: Mr. Scruff - Fix That Speaker

As ever, if you purchase this on vinyl you will get a code to redeem free mp3s of the tracks via the Ninja Tuna website - so don’t sleep on that.

Juba Dance - Orange Juiced

In 2007 a little known album on the Audio 8 record label crash landed into my Album Of The Year blog post. That album was Orange by Juba Dance. Benjamin Lamar and Polyphonic the Verbose are the duo that make up Juba Dance, and what they create is tough to pinpoint and describe. Essentially speaking it’s a sonic culmination of hip-hop, jazz, blues and probably half dozen more genres and sub-genres too! But what really stands out is just how damn fresh it sounds - the production is tight.

However, out on 23rd September on Audio 8 is Orange Juiced, a selection of remixes and b-sides to whet your appetite for the next full length album. Orange Juiced includes wicked remixes from; Sicker Man, Flesh O.N.E., Tony Trimm and Tom Ivanov. Oh and the LP also includes six previously unreleased tracks, including the fantastic The Porpoise et La Mer, a track with hints of Andre 3000 and a shit load of soul.

mp3: Juba Dance - The Porpoise et La Mer

Juba Dance go beyond your regular hip-hop act. They take the components that have influenced hip-hop over the years, flip them and then give them back. In a strange sense it is highly original - more from the viewpoint that the likes of blues and jazz have been produced from the hip-hop angle and served up as an almighty homage to the very roots of the music. It’s creative, it’s beautiful and it’s just there ready to be fully appreciated in all its glory.

Be sure to catch this 14 track gem when hits those electronic shelves on 23rd September and look out for the new album, Apple, out later in the year - too many people have slept on Juba Dance, and now seems the right time to fix that - get it done!

Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you will no doubt have been eagerly anticipating the new Roots Manuva LP Slime & Reason just as much as I have. Officially out on 1st September on Big Dada, but emphatically reviewed right here on Jus Like Music and right now.

Since appearing on the Blak Twang single Queen’s Head back in 1994, our man Rodney Smith has released five LPs on Big Dada (the Ninja Tune hip-hop imprint) - but here we are on the cusp of his sixth full release. Roots Manuva is well renowned for his gritty street-narrative lyricist style and his array of hip-hop beats, often laced with ragga or dancehall influences. Who could forget the immortal Witness (1 Hope), often seen as the king of UK hip-hop tracks - but although it is tracks like Witness that spring to the forefront of your mind whilst thinking of Roots Manuva, it’s the albums that he has delivered that pay him his reverence.

Tracklisting:

01. Again & Again
02. C.R.U.F.F.
03. Do Nah Bodda Mi
04. Let The Spirit
05. Kick Up Ya Foot
06. A Man’s Talk
07. Buff Nuff
08. It’s Me Oh Lord
09. 2 Much 2 Soon
10. Do 4 Self
11. The Show Must Go On
12. I’m A New Man
13. Well Alright
14. Struggle

The LP begins with the second single, Again & Again, a party banger with a definitive ragga angle - this is simple, yet effective, and there is no denying that the chorus is addictive. Up next is C.R.U.F.F., a darker tale with a bit of grit, but just as likely to get that head nodding. Then it’s straight into the hypnotic dancehall track Do Nah Bodda Mi - if this catches you in the wrong mood then you might reach for that skip button, but - and although it is early in the review to say - this LP has huge grower potential and after a few listens it will grow on you like beautiful fungus!

Let The Spirit brings us into proper banger territory. This is a wicked blend of contemporary electronic sounds and tight hip-hop beats. Not sure I’ve heard a Roots Manuva track quite like this before, but it’s a sure fire winner. It manages to combine catchy electronic synth samples with a progressive beat and that oh-so-smooth Manuva cypher. You’ll be sticking this one on repeat, that’s doctors’ orders.

mp3: Roots Manuva - Let The Spirit

Continuing the trend of ear-catching ditties, Kick Up Ya Foot hits it hard with strong beats and stabs of various samples. It’s hip-hop, but not as we know it. Perhaps it is testament to Roots Manuva’s years of success that he’s never really played the hip-hop game strictly by the book. A Man’s Talk contributes levels of depth as a track offering a darker narrative and a more serious tone. Poignancy meets tight production in a track that acts both as a head nodding beat affair and a thought provoking tale for the lyric-heads. Buff Nuff, the first single to be taken from the LP, is an uptempo dancehall affair with a mean bassline and chorus, another killer that wont let you sit still.

The second half of Slime & Reason begins with one of my favourite tracks from the LP, It’s Me Oh Lord. This is quintessential Roots Manuva. Tough beats, heavy bass and a ridiculously slick cypher. Rodney’s rhymes always deliver with such brutal honesty and on this track we get a prime example of this fact. The production is tight and it all just comes together. Top tune.

mp3: Roots Manuva - It’s Me Oh Lord

Carrying on in a similar vein is 2 Much 2 Soon. This track with it’s horn stabs and synths has an eerie sense of depth and sincerity and as Roots sings; “there’s too much, too soon, too little, too late”. Given that we have quite the array of hip-hop beats, brass, singing, rapping and synths, this at no point sounds over-produced or seems over-bearing, it’s intricate with its balance and provides smooth execution. Do 4 Self is a slightly lighter track, but carries a good groove nevertheless - riding on the cusp of glitchy electro, whilst staying accessible to the urban fraternity. The longest track on the LP is The Show Must Go On, at six minutes long. Less upbeat than a lot of the tracks on the album, it relies more upon the sung verses and the fresh narrative on life and its various pitfalls.

As heard recently on the Jus Like Music Volume 26 podcast, I’m A New Man begins the final section of Slime & Reason. This is more proper banger material. Hard beats and electronic stabs cruise wildly along with the Manuva words. The penultimate track is Well Alright, and from the get-go it seems to be vintage Roots Manuva, sweet melodies and treacherous rhythms. At parts of his cypher, Roots takes an almost more raw tone, and it’s definitely fresh sounding. The Struggle acts as the outro and it’s a steady, soulful affair - calm, yet firm.

It’s worth mentioning that besides Roots Manuva’s obvious contributions, Slime & Reason also features guest production from both Toddla T and Metronomy. Combined efforts have given us an extremely fresh sounding LP that will struggle to be classified purely under any one genre - but for someone that has been billed as the Saviour of UK Hip-Hop in the past, Roots Manuva has never really sounded quite like his supposed contemporaries. Slime & Reason has some off-the-bat bangers, for sure, but the real beauty is in the repeated listens. It’s definitely a bit of a grower and on various levels it will get that head nodding at one point or another - get it checked, it’s out on Monday (1st September).

Daedelus - Love To Make Music To

Thought I’d give it a minute to digest around this wonderful musical society we live in before finally divulging my words on Love To Make Music To by Daedelus. And now that minute has passed. Daedelus‘ third full LP on Ninja Tune dropped the other month and did, as predicted, cause a bit of a stir. But… for all the right reasons. You can buy it right now on both double vinyl LP, download and also CD.

Daedelus has long been known for his wonky electro-romantic ways, but it’s worth noting (for the newer fans at least) that Alfred Darlington (born Alfred Weisberg-Roberts) is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist and master of many genres. He was spinning and creating jungle and breakcore tracks back in the day and also has his roots in the West Coast hip-hop circles, collaborating over the years with such artists as MF DOOM, Lil Sci (aka John Robinson), Busdriver, Cyne and Prefuse 73. His stock is strong.

Something I have always admired about Daedelus is his ability to turn his hand to, seemingly, any genre. But it’s never a novelty act. Daedelus’ creations have a certain flair and panache that allow the most anti listeners to connect with the music. Sounds that you may otherwise turn your nose up all of a sudden become masterful electronic compositions that leave you feeling immersed in a sonic world where everything sounds Daedelus and everything sounds good.

Love To Make Music To picks up where Denies The Days Demise left off. But this a continued musical evolution in the forever changing soundscape that is the life of Alfred Darlington. At 15 tracks long, this LP is a healthy feast of aural treats, spanning 55 minutes of electronic bliss. Remember folks; components make tracks, but journeys make albums - so let the journey begin…

Tracklisting:

01. Fair Weather Friends
02. Make It So feat. Michael Johnson
03. Twist The Kids feat. N’fa
04. Get Off Your Hihats
05. Hrs:Mins:Secs
06. Touchtone feat. Paperboy & Taz
07. I Car(ry) Us
08. I Took Two
09. My Beau feat. Erika Rose & Paperboy
10. You’re The One feat. Om’mas Keith
11. Assembly Lines
12. Drummery Jam
13. Only For The Heartstrings
14. Bass In It feat. Taz
15. If We Should feat. Laura Darlington

The proceedings start with Fair Weather Friends, a skewed yet catchy synth laden melody accompanied by a double hand clap led drum break. It’s an uplifting affair that builds and builds - for a better idea, check out the video:

Straight after that is Make It So featuring Michael Johnson. A steady beat and cymbal crashes are paired with 80s pop style electronic sounds and the smooth, yet ever so slightly haunting, vocals. Definitely a track for the summer - only the production techniques of Daedelus could make you nod that head and tap that foot to what is essentially a glitchy electro pop song. Oh, and there is a video to this one too:

The album then takes a grittier turn with the heavy Twist The Kids featuring N’Fa from Australia. Get Off Your HiHats somehow manages to make me enjoy what is basically a house a track of sorts, whilst Hrs:Mins:Secs finds great success in blending an old skool rave/near-on-gabba sound with hip-hop beats - absolute madness, so Daedelus.

Touchstone is a wicked, dark electro hip-hop track featuring Paperboy & Taz, a very addictive track that encompasses a mean break indeed. I Car(ry) Us then brings the album back to the airy romantic scape that Daedelus is so famous for - with elements of electronic organ and Balearic guitar strokes, this intricate composition holds its arrangement with both procession and organised confusion. Frankly, for what it is, it’s quite exquisite. But I Took Two drags us back down to the dark depths with its eerie electronic melody and vocal samples. Another fine example of using 90s dance stylings and refreshing them right up to the present date, it couldn’t sound more relevant if it tried.

mp3: Daedelus - I Took Two

My Beau, unlike the version initially released on the Fair Weather Friends EP, features additional vocals by Paperboy as well as Erika Rose and there is just something about this track that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. There is a miami bass vibe in there as well as rnb elements - when it plays… I cant sit still. You’re The One is a tripped out airy hip-hop track featuring the smooth vocals of Om’mas Keith, whilst Assembly Lines is a straight up sound clash between clockwork toys and backwards fair ground aural debris featuring some piercing vocals of a rather unique sounding siren - not entirely sure I’ve heard anything worthy of direct comparison as far as style goes.

The back end of Love To Make Music To begins with Drummery Jam, which is a mash up of sounds and beats that would certainly catch the ear of someone like Cut Chemist. Only For The Heartstrings is a track that wouldn’t have been out of place on the aforementioned Denies The Days Demise LP - if you can sit back and allow yourself to be consumed by the sounds, you’ll no doubt love this complex and beautiful composition, with it’s intricate layers and precise execution. Bass In It is a head nodding hip-hop trance featuring Taz on the mic and then If We Should acts as an outro to the LP, featuring vocals from none other than Daedelus’ wife Laura Darlington - it starts off sounding like something from an early Prodigy track, then the strings come in and the track breaks down into a gorgeous melodic broken beat track that really sets the tone as an outro. An appropriate ending to an eclectic blend of electronic songs that constantly takes you from high to low and all the avenues in between.

Love To Make Music To is certainly different. But ‘different’ isn’t a word anybody should be scared of or shy away from. More than ever it is different music that is becoming not only relevant, but actually essential in the modern market. Even if people don’t necessarily realise it at first, I think that generally a lot are craving ‘different’. Nothing is black and white anymore - I can barely classify artists into genres, but that is a positive thing - especially when the execution can be so perfect. How can I fault the influences of gabba, rave, house and such if it sounds so right? This LP is most definitely a sound clash of styles, but it has the Daedelus trademark all over it and I for one have fallen in love with it.

The Neil Cowley Trio - Loud… Louder… Stop!

Neil Cowley is a well respected jazz pianist who has been in the game for quite some time, just under various guises and with various groups.  He even appeared on the recent Adele album, 19.  But, fresh off winning last years’ BBC Jazz Award for best album - which was for Displaced - The Neil Cowley Trio are back with their new LP, Loud… Louder… Stop! on Cake.

In the past, comparisons have been drawn to Esbjorn Svensson (R.I.P.) and his trio E.S.T., but Neil Cowley has been quick to move away from such ideas and comparisons so as to not be influenced in any way by E.S.T. themselves. Even to the extent of avoiding their records completely.  I love that ideology that an artist would make such a definite move to ensure that any direct influences are minimal.  Of course, if you hear both, then you can relate to such a comparison - however, The Neil Cowley Trio are very much of their own making, with a distinctive and individual sound.

Tracklisting:

01. His Nibs
02. Dinosaur Die
03. Scaredy Cat
04. Ginger Sheep
05. Clumsy Couple
06. Captain Backfire
07. Well
08. We Are Here To Make Plastic
09. Synaesthesia Traffic
10. Streets Paved with Half Baguettes Pt 2

I have an admission to make right off the bat: I’m totally in love with this record.  There, I said it.  Between Neil Cowley on piano, Richard Sadler on double bass and Evan Jenkins on drums, NCT have encapsulated such raw emotion and totally pure sonic expression.  This is tremendously cinematic, 55 minutes of some of the most intriguing and deep contemporary jazz you are likely to find.  At times fiercely energetic, but calm and sombre in parts - this LP sustains elegant stanzas, such as you would find in fine cinema - beautifully paced and executed.

mp3: The Neil Cowley Trio - Scaredy Cat

Neil Cowley has this incredible ability to force the piano to sing in ways that would make an opera singer blush.  Straight from the first track, His Nibs, we are introduced to the tense, yet free flowing beauty of their music - each track built perfectly with moments of calm paired with uptempo sections and arrangements.  It all feels so complete and steeped in sincerity.  These are very honest compositions that draw the listener in as if they are sharing a tale or experience.  This LP would make any person, regardless of taste, stop in their tracks, for it is just that impressive and fantastic.

Loud… Louder… Stop! is out now on the Cake label and you can purchase the CD directly from the NCT website, which of course I would strongly advise!  You’re looking at album of the year material right here.

Upcoming Live Dates:

Aug 8 2008 - 8:00P - Brecon Jazz Festival, Brecon
Aug 23 2008 - 8:00P - Fettes Festival, Edinburgh
Aug 24 2008 - 8:00P - Bills Jazz Bar, Edinburgh
Aug 25 2008 - 8:00P - Big City Jazz, Leeds
Sep 7 2008 - 8:00P - Cleethorpes Jazz Festival, Cleethorpes
Sep 26 2008 - 8:00P - Links Hotel, Montrose
Sep 28 2008 - 8:00P - Firestation, Windsor
Oct 1 2008 - 8:00P - Komedia, Brighton
Oct 9 2008 - 8:00P - Leeds College Of Music, Leeds
Oct 10 2008 - 8:00P - Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
Oct 11 2008 - 8:00P - Turner Sims, Southampton
Oct 27 2008 - 8:00P - Enjoy Jazz, Heidelberg, Germany
Oct 29 2008 - 8:00P - Le Primeurs de Massy, France
Nov 14 2008 - 8:00P - Motives Festival, Belgium
Nov 20 2008 - 8:00P - Corn Exchange, Newbury