Marlon D* - Underground Collective EP Vol. 1

At first blush, this record sounds old skool, without freshness or surprise. But one day, I woke up, played the toons again, and something clicked: This release is simple, straightforward, and yet commands rigorous attention from hips. You keep expecting colossal breakdowns or weirded-out electronica to break out, but it does not happen. The old-skool tribal sounds of Track 1 sounds like a mash-up of Kenlou 6's "Bangin'", Outwork's "Elektro" ("Ba!"), and the ubiquitous "This is a journey into sound" sample. Track 2 is a steady house number employing conga and bongo drumming, soaring siren-like horns, and a Trommelmaschine-esque filler rhythm. Track 3 is a straight-up tech-house number which intersplices the famous grunt of James Brown ("EnH!") with vocal refrains of the song title, and tambourine shakes and backing horns. Who needs glitch when something so smooth work so well on the floors?

Awesome release from Marlon D which should well and truly put Strictly Rhythm back on the map!! There are two standout cuts on the EP the first being "Jesus Creates Sound", a crazy 5 mins of tribal percussion with the old hip hop vocal sample of "this is a journey into sound" thrown in randomly throughout. Secondly there's "Dance 2 Da Beat" a straight up jackin' tech houser with a spoken vocal and subtle James Brown vocal snippets. Both tracks are refreshing in the fact that he's managed to capture a little bit of that oldskool Strictly magic whilst creating fresh sounds for a house scene which is increasingly becoming stale and devoid of new ideas. Genius!