King Kooba - Nufoundfunk

Though this release is eclectic, to say the least, it hangs together brilliantly as an album. The first track, after a genuinely engaging intro, drops in a spectacular fashion to reveal a sparse but mesmerizing bass line accompanied by all manor of Jazzy instrumentation, all to a driving Hip-Hop breakbeat.

So it is that this album puts you right where you want to be from the get go, and then it just gets better. Each successive track invokes new senses of wonder, going from the bass led Hip-Hop of the starting track, through deep, atmospheric House, and ending in soulful, but very modern, Disco.

The production of this album is immaculate, with all the vocals, samples and breaks well crafted and complimentary, and conveying a strong sense of feeling throughout. This is a transitional work, as is evident on hearing their earlier and later offerings, but it's the eclecticism that this offers that makes this a stand out piece of work, with out a doubt their finest. One of the few records of this genre comparable to Waiwan's "Distraction".

King Kooba abandons the jazzy breaks and drum 'n' bass that marked their first two albums for more of hip-hop feel on NUFOUNDFUNK. And while it's not a bad album per se, it doesn't quite have spark that made their other albums memorable. The cuts on the title track aren't convincing, and while the vocals on "Feel the Colour" and "Fooling Myself" are acceptable, they don't necessarily add much feeling to the tracks themselves. But as texture on the slow and dreamy "Find A Way," it achieves a graceful feel. The downtempo jazz of "Cosway Street," however, showcases what's good about King Kooba. "Space Jam" rather convincingly combines both the hip-hop and jazz tendencies. "Sans Filtre" delivers some easygoing house, and the final track, "California Suite" is summery funk. So while King Kooba has found a new direction, they haven't quite yet found their way.