LOEFAH レコード& CD

Review:  South London's Loefah has long been a pivotal figure in the UK's underground evolution, particularly on the bossier end of the spectrum. The cut figure is a master in the club too and this recording from the iconic Bloc Weekender in 2011 proves that as it now gets pressed up to a brand new cassette from the Never Sleep charity tape series. It showcases UK club futurism by blending hybrid transatlantic sounds with vibrant MC SP. Featuring soon-to-be Swamp81 classics, the set fuses Miami-style bass, hip-hop elements and UK hardcore into the darker, more melody-driven side of 2011 sounds. All proceeds benefit Lives Not Knives who support youth projects in South London.

Review: We'd have never guessed that the (originally) dubstep producer Loefah would land a release on the principally juke and footwork label Teklife and decide, of all things, to give them three acid techno tunes. The linkages aren't as tenuous as it sounds, though: anything more than a cursory listen will unveil the unmistakable Chicago house influences on this otherwise London-born burrer. With the 197 bus to Croydon held firmly in mind, both 'Jump Start' and 'Nines' lay down respectively riveting fidgets, and recall lost fantasies of juke competitions in deep South London community centres, that in reality never happened - though we still know, feel, that deep down there is a more primal dialogue at play between the two cities. On track 3, this dialogue is extended with an official collab with ghetto house pioneer DJ Deeon, whose overt displays of sample-vocalled sexuality put the genre on the map; here, though, he rerubs Loefah's A-side, tubing his acid line through a veritable warp-sped drive, and causing the track to take its fullest flight.