ALBUM REVIEWS |
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It’s a very personal feeling, as we trip through the downtempo vibes of ‘Drumroll’ back into more standard echoey accordion dub expressions on ‘Ain’t Tripping’, which include good vocals from Wendy Rolle, though I found its sister track, ‘Good News’ a little samey. 'Decorated with Ornaments' is without a doubt the best track on the album, fusing a lovely crackly Nepalese vocal duet with horizontal slow beats and an innocently overjoyed melody. In fact this track would serve well as a signature sound for the duo. There’s yet more bass vibes on ‘Rocksteady’, and then onto a welcome urban sounding track, ‘Passenger Pigeon’ before finally coming to rest at a slewed, slow-down-and-suck-it-in K&D homage track, full of mellow keyboards and the omnipresent accordion-with-echo. Very listenable but certainly for the end of the night. I can’t wait to get at some of their DJ sets online, as this wide variety of musical interests and press from all over Europe indicate they have done some very good evenings out there. Get listening and file under smooth. words: Rufus Sanders |
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Copenhagen-based
downtempo duo B&B International (aka Jesper Buhl and Thomas
Burre) have produced a full length album. Their fame, which is currently
attracting a lot of attention at home, is starting to reach out
abroad to Austria, Hungary, Germany and Australia. Now its our turn
to feel the love. ‘Hobbylab’ is a very enjoyable cocktail
of downbeat, dub, world music and breakbeat which is both skillfully
composed and masterfully thought out. With a variety of moods to
appeal to each and every listener, the feeling sways from dubby
rhythms straight into Brazilian over grooves on ‘Muito Trafego’,
into a ragga version of ‘If I Were a Rich Man’. . .
no,really!