Review: Alternative icons The Fall were of the most out-there acts of their generation, if not any generation. Now, all new on Bella Union is Stales Live on 10" and CD. Conceived by former Slates-era members of The Fall, it offers live versions of the 1981 mini-LP's six tracks that capture the raw essence of their legendary live shows plus plenty more. With input from band members throughout sourcing, mastering, and design, this release is a long-awaited treat for Fall enthusiasts. Stewart Lee, a dedicated Fall fan, contributes sleeve notes and each song is meticulously curated to showcase its evolution onstage, making Slates Live a must-have for fans yearning for an authentic Fall experience.
Review: Drum & bass bastion Future Retro consign two next-gen producers, FFF and Tim Reaper, to a full ten minutes of raggatonic shell-shockage. Both try their hand at the now-rare 'VIP' treatment (the acronym stands for Variation In Production, but how this differs to the term "remix" is truly up in the air, save for the fact that VIP often means "self-remix" or "remix by original artist"). Following 2024's 'Meeting Of The Minds' VIP release, which followed the same format, Reaper notes the two tracks' creation in April 2020, made from parts of the other artists' original tunes. 'World Championships' by the pair of them is the variable tune of choice here, with Reaper's version providing a glimmery ambience, while FFF's is much stodgier, rougher, less padded.
Review: Dial 81 and tell them it's an emergency... Blair French has dropped his second single this year and there are only 300 copies in existence! Following "Standing Still Is An Illusion" on Rocksteady Disco come two more sublime Balearic affairs that fit Claremont 56 like a snug pair of speedos; "Sandbar Caviar" wafts and sways with island waves as gentle arpeggios ebb and flow creating harmonies and cosmic textures while "Inland Island" adjusts our seats to a horizontal position with its snaking bassline and spacious percussion gradually opening into a heavenly vocal and guitar lead that's tantamount to transcendental.
Tony Roots - "Lickle Wikkid" (feat Jahbar I) (4:10)
Fire House Crew - "Lickle Wikkid" (dub) (4:13)
Clive Hylton - "Jah Is Watching" (4:08)
Fire House Crew - "Watching Dub" (4:16)
Review: Ras Guerrilla opts for a 10" slab of wax for this new one which features two vocal and two dub cuts. Tony Roots is the man main but also featuring on it are Jahbar I, Clive Hylton from Colour Red association, plus the always eager to impress Fire House Crew with none other than Flabba Holt on bass. Four vital cuts of seriously sick roots and lovers rock fusions with head twisting versions so that all moments in the party are catered for.
Review: Back in 2005 we might not have predicted what a phenomenon Ghost Box would become. In the years since, the label has become a beacon for the hauntological exploration of Britain's inherent oddness creeping just below the surface. Julian House's graphic design is a huge part of the label's artistic merit, and it figures his music as The Focus Group follows a similarly aesthetically rigorous direction. There's a pastoral collage quality to Hey Let Loose Your Love which takes you right back to the 70s, with beautiful musical passages offset by surrealist samples and unexpected diversions into the recent history of these wyrd isles.
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