Reviews:16

Dennis Jr.
‘Elektro Donkey’
Beatservice Records

Funny the way your day develops through music sometimes. I started at John Coltrane’s Blue Train, passed through Brian Eno’s Another Green World and ended up at Elektro Donkey. Mood movement music. It’s always telling when you’re listening to an album and you find yourself reaching out to turn it up – preferably on more than one occasion – and by the time I hit the third track, Don’t Blame Me that’s exactly how it happened. There’s plenty to admire about this long player from Oslo’s Dennis Jr. who you may know through Jazid Collective or via his own Akustikk Recordings, and in ways I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but this is sublime listening. Each track throws up its own surprise and that’s not just the supremely skilful instrumentation or the imaginative arrangements and their challenging combination of old and new sounds but like with all great music it transports you somewhere else………………………………………….
There is something Jazzy about this as much as there is something Funky and as you also get some great vocal, particularly from Christabelle on Are You The One, and even some obscure dancefloor moments I really can’t recommend this album enough to you. 9
 
Release 17 Oct 2011
http://www.beatservice.no/

 

SKLA
‘Funky Tactics E.P’
hi-life

Excellent single from SKLA – especially if you like drumming – and you may even spot some familiar sounds which have been impressively screwed with. This feels in ways like a Double Dee & Steinski cut-up from the eighties, in so far as its uber funky drums have had various vocal samples thrown at them while displaying a lot of the same excitable energy. Listen to, To The Bridge and you might also see it that way too. TRBL effectively extends the theme with addictive sub-bass and expansive breakdowns coming complete with swirling sounds and persistent vocal clips. Refreshingly unusual. 9

Release 19 Oct 2011
http://hi-liferecords.com/

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