Rock / Indie Recommendations April 2011

Review: In recent years, as funk DJs began running out of fresh finds, some collectors (such as Keb Darge) begun to unearth the earlier jump-up blues sound of the 1950s and 60s to throw in during traditional funk sets. Here we are treated to two contrasting original R&B tracks from Bob Williams on a dinked 45, first recorded 60 years ago! "Talk To Me" is driving jump blues with cool horn riffs and jangly guitar; flipside counterpart "My Goose Is Cooked" is a twisting slab of rock 'n roll - killer!

Review: Juan Mendez, a key part of the cultish techno crew Sandwell District under his Silent Servant alias, continues his voracious appetite for musical surprise with the second Tropic Of Cancer release in collaboration with Camella Lobo. Again released via the Downwards imprint, "Be Brave" stands alongside early Factory Floor releases in ploughing a droney, minimalist, synth wave sound. It would be easy to draw comparisons with the likes of Joy Division, but "Be Brave" retains its own contemporary identity, not least the dead eyed sonic menace that drapes over your senses as the track progresses. Strengthening the bridge between the past and present, Downwards have scored a real coup in securing a remix of the track from Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H Kirk, who lifts the track out of the mist of sonic depravity somewhat and twists it into a relentless, ever building industrial groove. Luxuriously presented on a clear ten inch and housed in a sumptuous sleeve, this is an eminently collectable record that rightfully won't last very long on the shelves.