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: Gavin & Robbie Hardkiss - RetroactiveFuturisticPsychedelicFunkBump (Whiskey Pickle Records)

2013 was a bittersweet year for dance music lovers, scarred deeply by the tragic passing of Romanthony, as well as a true unsung hero of the scene by the name of Scott Hardkiss.

Not only was Scott an incredible producer in his own right, but back in 1997 he also created (in my opinion) the greatest Essential Mix of all time for Pete Tong's legendary Radio 1 show. The mix was a seminal moment for me as a teenager, acting as a beacon which drew me towards a lifelong love of the more spiritual side of dance music. You can listen to that mix and be transported (and transformed) right HERE.

Fast forward to 2014 and I'm delighted to hear that the remaining Hardkiss founders Gavin & Robbie have a new album in the pipeline. This is the second single from the forthcoming LP '1991', jammed full of retro flavours and fun(k).

"A slick slab of electro-boogie rhythms, the single features vocoded vox and a nasty bass that'll take listeners on an interstellar voyage from Cybotron to Planet Rock."

Remixers James Curd & Q-Burns Abstract Message are both on incredible form here, delivering tour de force versions, filled with inventive touches and positive energy.

Gavin Hardkiss himself completes the package under his Hawke moniker, creating one of the most unusual and original remixes I've heard in a very long time.

Release Date: February 10, 2013

Grab a preview here:



Label and Artist Links:
www.whiskeypickle.com
www.soundcloud.com/gavin-hardkiss