NO SMOKE レコード& CD

Review: London's Warriors Dance label was a unique operation and a pioneering label during the late 80's acid house phenomena. This EP from 1991 is reissued in its original form with all four cuts intact, in particular Addis Posse's "After Midnight'. This is a strong statement of intent: blistering and obscure cuts from the depths of Harrow Road, drawing on the breakbeat heavy, hip-hop orientated style the crew were known for. Pure London street sounds infused with the techno and house sensibilities that made the label so potent.

Review: Above Board continues to offer up must-have reissues of killer releases from the Warriors Dance catalogue. The latest is a lesser-celebrated single from No Smoke, whose "Koro-Koro" single and "International Smoke" album received new pressings last year. In its original form, "Righteous Rule" is a bass-heavy, tribal-tinged chunk of spacey, sub-heavy goodness laden with intergalactic synth motifs and a spiritual spoken word vocal. Arguably even better is "Righteous Dub (Dub)", a spaced-out chunk of deep dub house that builds steadily throughout. Flipside "Righteous Rule Dub" is a longer, tougher and more percussive take built around a colossal dub bassline and even more intergalactic-sounding synthesizer flourishes.

Review: Presenting a fully legit, remastered and repackaged reissue of this legendary afro-house classic for 2018. The classic "Koro Koro" should need no introduction. It gained fame in London in the late '80s as an anthem of the acid house scene of the time. Released via London's Warriors Dance label, it was subsequently picked up and licensed by labels in the USA where it fell into the hands of tastemakers such as Tony Humphries, Masters At Work and many more - and rapidly rose to prominence in the states too. Essentially "Koro Koro" birthed a new style of house and techno, fusing together tribal, African and percussive elements with analogue synths, street-style drum programming and warehouse attitude.

Review: Between 1987 and '92, Warriors Dance released some of the freshest and more forward-thinking dance music to emerge from the UK. It was the brainchild of multi-talented producer Tony 'Addis', whose studio acted as an incubator for artists whose names would go down in the history books - No Smoke, Bang The Party, The Addis Posse, Melancholy Man, Hollywood Beyond, The Housemaids and more. Brilliantly, Addis has decided to give the label a new lease of life, starting with a 12" that boasts reworks of two of his vintage productions. On the A-side, Ian Tregoning takes on No Smoke's polyrhythmic 1989 tribal techno cut "Koro-Koro", somehow making it even more trippy and psychedelic than the peerless original version. It's pretty darn good, but nowhere near as rush-inducing as Max D's glassy-eyed rub of 1991 Watt Noize breakbeat jam "It's My Life", which is as dreamy, blissful and loved-up as they come.