Sunday stench – Bratt, Busy, Poirier, K’naan

This was meant to be an attempt at a quickly assembled post with reduced verbosity, as such it’s a fail..but relatively briefly.
Out of the gaggle of cheeky, and often cloyingly cute, Brit female MCs, Mz Bratt shines on this track with Griminal which is given a righteous rerub by Loudouth (who him? want to hear more!) There’s a ton of attitude and some promising signs (on top of a storming cut) from a young lady with a sassy mouth who’s still doing 6th Form, fingers crossed it doesn’t all go soggy Lady Sov-y and some vinyl of this gets pressed up. As she mentions from time to time on the track her album is called ‘Time Of The Month’ (or will it be Munf?)…… genius!

What to say about Busy Signal, that I haven’t already rah-ed on about on these very pages? Not much! You can find links to his myspace and web (and probably shoesize and favourite colour) elsewhere on StinkInc. I’m loving the Baddaz rhythm from Christopher Birch and crew, there’s no doubt that Dave Kelly’s ‘Joyride’ lit the spark but it’s taken in a vital new direction, and I just wish (as ever) there were more worthy vocals. The jury is still out on Vybz’, odd contribution the sung ‘Me Never Born’, maybe we’ll run that later, but typically this is the one you just can’t go past.

I run 50/50 at best on Ghislain Poirier’s music, it’s great to hear people flipping the dancehall (and related) script and opening the music out, but like a lot of his ilk it tends to end in the interesting, rather than essential, pile. This track is a peach though, with an almost Phelps & Munrovian malodorous melody running through it. In keeping with a lot of current biz, there’s a strong Soca feel to the drums, and I’m not mad about that in the slightest. So long as we can leave the hyper-cheezy, Carnivalising vocals and synthi-melodies out of the picture, and soca doesn’t just become another notch on the global tally of musics to be trifled with before the next bus/bandwagon comes along, all good. This comes on a free download comp from Lyon label Jarring Effects, which also has a pearler from Filastine, and a load of other stuff I probably need to spend some time checking out.

(Brattspace)
~~MZ BRATT FT GRIMINAL – DROP BOMBS (LOUDMOUTH RMX)~~

~~BUSY SIGNAL – HUSTLE~~

(Download) fer free and donate mate….
(Ghislainspace)
(Website)
~~GHISLAIN POIRIER – DIASPORA~~

And finally, I’ve had a copy of Somalian/Canadian MC K’naan’s ‘Troubador’ album for a good minute and its been well frustrating, basically I’m under strict orders not to play it on the radio or out etc, and I take that serious, so let YouTube speak. There’s some amazing gear on ‘Troubador’ (released in January in the States and recorded at Tuff Gong) and even some of the unashamedly pop hooha that grates at first, hasn’t worked out so bad in the longer run. The album kicks off with an Ethiopian sample (Mulatu from memory, but don’t quote me on that) and hits some real highs on ‘I Come Prepared’, and the track below ‘Somalia’, which is straight out edutainment on the currently newsworthy piracy (as in ‘on the high seas’) tip. Being as there’s some sort of holiday on next week, I’ve also included ‘So Baax’ his first, riddiculously slept-on single from the 2005 album ‘Dusty Foot Philosopher’ which has a boss rhythm from Track & Field., There’s another clip that you should just watch.

This aint going to be everyones cup of tea, some of his music certainly isn’t mine but it’s different and engaging, and on the right track this geezers fire. It also makes a change from all of the hipsterista-approved global gunk that litters blogs like saturday afternoon confetti (more dayglo kudoru trancehall with your tea, vicar?) K’naan’s already done a whole heap of grind, and the outlook could well be rosy for him if he can stay away from the Ben Harpers of the world, and not become ghetto-ized as another token African artist, here’s hoping.

(K’naanspace)
(Web)
(K’naan’s Black History Month article)

K’NAAN – SOMALIA

K’NAAN – SO BAAX

K’NAAN – INTRODUCING (MINI DOCO)

Lots on the way and we will not be stopping for Xmas in fact quite the opposite, probably more posts. Especially as now that it sadly looks like I have all the rekids I’ll be getting for 2008, (still an outside possibility of the new Zomby 12″s and some other bass-laden bits touching down before New Year) it’s time for some hearty charty, no-debate about ’08 listology. I’m glad I held off on that, despite having to come up with my first list for publication six weeks ago, the PO Box has been blessed with newness from Mala, Coki, Peverelist, Weatherall, Rune Lindbaek, Arcadian, Mungolian Jetset and others in the last few days, and that is all in serious consideration for the ’08 best-from-my-nest palvaeration.

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