Review: Nik West - Moody (Queen Of Strings)

If you ever wondered where Prince left the spirit of funk, wonder no more as Nik West has found it and channelled that and more into this new album, 'Moody'.

This is Funk & Soul for the likes of Craig Charles and i suspect he'll be on the instant party classic, 'We Got The Funk 4 You'.

But the mood (no pun etc) can change, as there's a fair amount of 'pop' in here like a Bruno Mars or a bass playin' female Lenny Kravitz (now there's a thought).

And if that's not enough to blow your trunk of funk up, 'Thumpahlean' features none other than the Godfather of Graham Central Station; Sir Larry Graham (he's 'up there' with George Clinton).

At the other extreme is the ballad 'Tears' and the big hair 80s rock of 'Nothin' To It (But To Do It)' and 'We Can Do It' that features Cindy Blackman-Santana (drums) and Lari Basilio (guitar solo); Ms. West certainly has some big muso mates.

As she says in the lyrics of the title track, "Don't try to figure me out" so we won't as we already know enigmatic is spelt with n·i·k·w·e·s·t in it.

She's on tour in Europe in September/October so that'll will well worth checking out as it'll be more funky fun than moody.

Nik West · Moody

Artist : Nik West

Title : Moody

Release Date : 7th September, 2023

Catalog Number : Queen Of Strings

Label : Digial / Bandcamp

 

Review: DJ Oil - Phantom (BBE Music)

A quick look at Discogs tells us that DJ Oil previously had a solo album out a few years back on Discograph, which totally passed this writer by. When I wondered why I realised I had pretty much given up on the trip-hop genre, which was so ubiquitous through the ‘90s and noughties, but fell off the radar as it became ever more ‘ambient’ and unchallenging.  Well, this release should have said radar beeping furiously, because it’s anything but soporific mood music. DJ Oil has definitely put the ‘hop’ –hip-hop’s urban grittiness—back into trip-hop, while the trip is all about our lives now, more often a nightmare than a hazy escapist fantasy. This impression is conjured by his inventive use of rousing spoken-word passages, field recordings and an array of cool analogue and digital effects.

It turns out DJ Oil, Frenchman Lionel Corsini, was part of The Troublemakers, an acclaimed group who (uniquely) had albums out on both deep house label Guidance and legendary jazz label Blue Note. That tells you something of his affiliations to African-American music, and it’s this rootedness in that musical tradition that really sets this apart from other contemporary downtempo efforts.  It has more to do with James Brown, Fela Kuti and John Coltrane than  it does the chocolate-box confections that had seemed to sound the death-knell of the trip-hop genre (we won’t name names because we’re sure you’ve nodded off to them all yourselves), and it’s hard not to see the Black nationalist rhetoric  as also a coded commentary on contemporary France in the light of recent events. This will keep its place in my boxes alongside contemporary downtempo beat-makers as diverse and brilliant as Madlib, Nightmares On Wax, Fredric Galliano and Boards of Canada.

Buy now via at iTunes: geni.us/DJOilPhantom
CD / Vinyl at: www.bbemusic.com

Preview: Teysel - Continuous (Colour and Pitch)

Barcelona based DJ and producer Teysel takes centre stage for C&P’s 5th release. Inspired by underground Chicago and West Coast US house music, Teysel’s traditional, precise approach to DJing is reflected in his compositions. With an EP and several remixes released on German label EUN, he is now also finding his feet as a producer. Title track ‘Continuous’ represents a slice of simple, Berlin influenced, stripped down tech house, full of dark and brooding atmospheres.

Ahead of their forthcoming debut single on Colour and Pitch, Spanish production duo Aiby & The Noise make their entrance (and live up to the second half of their name) with a truly raucous remix of ‘Continuous’. Replaying the bass-line and adding some classic breaks, they transform the track into a growling behemoth; to be handled with caution!

Hailing from Czech Republic, residing in Brighton UK, A-Bee & Tom Vagabondo have released on countless labels both separately and together as The Lazyboys. Their remix of Continuous completes our package with a deep and mournful deep house journey, adding haunting spoken word and bleak, atmospheric synths.

Continuous is out now, exclusively via Beatport

Preview: Ludowick - Get It Off EP (22 Digit Records)

This stunning package features three chunky, moody, atmospheric house tracks from Barcelona stalwart, Ludowick. If, like us, you shudder at the very thought of a Marvin Gaye vocal in house music these days, you might be very pleasantly surprised by the title track 'Let's Get It Off'. Somehow Ludowick has managed to sample of one of Marvin's best known tracks, intelligently and with originality, without in any way cheapening the mood. Dark, brooding and intensely rhythmic, this is sure to work on the floor.

Manchester based production powerhouse Moodymanc supplies a remix so uplifting that it borders on the euphoric, whilst still managing to remain both credible and deep. As the label notes say: Moodymanc's music "makes you stick your hands in the air and carefully stroke your beard at the same time."

Of the other two original tracks, 'Signs From Heaven' is the clear standout. With clear influences from breakbeat and another cheeky vocal sample (this time from Seal), this is another brilliantly evocative track.

The EP is released on 20th May 2013. Until then, you can listen to a preview here: