Major Notes At Juno Download

Review: A seriously fired-up tropical/UKF burner from a British producer on the grow, Major Notes builds on previous releases - which have been supported by DJs like Ras Kwame or Rinse's Marcus Nasty - with the excellent "Abeka Lapaz Dance". This single-track advance promo shows why there's so much hype for this particular beat, thanks to its driving electro bass beat with a pleasing soca lilt and some winding leads keeping it vital the whole way through .

Review: This quietly impressive EP from Major Notes offers four distinct takes on future garage and UK Funky. Opener "Ama", for example, rides a wave of voodoo murkiness and tropical-infused rhythms before introducing a few rays of light later on. "Albino", meanwhile, goes for a similar voodoo feel, but adds odd, chopped-up vocals and marimba melodies for a slightly airier experience. "Abua" sounds like a booming, tropical take on Basement Jaxx's "Fly Life" (it isn't, incidentally), while closer "Antidote" is unflinchingly sweet and sugary - a genuinely happy finish to an otherwise intoxicatingly murky EP. Impressive.

Review: Londoner Major Note's impressive "Ashanti Jewels" and "Ashanti Spears" releases have seen the producer building on his hip-hop roots and developing real skills as a tropical bass wrangler. Pleasingly though, as on the sine wave frenzy of "Off Sync", he uses scratches and cuts to pepper his beats. The crazed UKF of "Blow Your Load" and the ethno-house of the title tune both go into making this EP a tasty treat for fans of fresh bass beats.

Review: At its best, UK funky can be one of the most joyously uplifting forms of electronic music. The key to great UK Funky tracks is always the grooves, which at their best offer a knock-'em-dead combination of addictive, almost tropical rhythms and heavy bassline pressure. This new single from Major Notes -accompanied by soulful vocalist Koni - boasts a fantastic groove. Combined with Koni's excellent vocal and some neat melodic touches, it sounds both grown up and markedly energetic - like soulful house given a massive boot up the backside. The accompanying Notesy Remix is great, too, and offers a deeper, less hurried alternative that gives the vocal more room to breathe.