Review: International reggae jungle collective Chopstick Dubplate get the treatment from a whole host of friends and crew members on their latest refix session: From the authentic deep dub dynamics of King Yoof's switch on the Cheshire Cat-fronted "I'm Sure" and Sticky Joe's version of "Police Officer" to the classic jump-up bubbles of Aries and Jacky Murda's shake-up of "Just The Herbs" and the raw 170 stretches, flexes and dark skanks of Jinx's twist on "Troddin On", the whole collection joins the dots between Chopstick's love for the roots and the rave.
Review: The best part of three years has passed since Jacky Murda and Aries's all-star Wanted album dropped. Now comes the remix package. Highlights fly from every version: the harmonic sing-along vibe "Worldwide Traveller" gets a subtle update by the men themselves, Dope Ammo adds a whole new level of horn-heaved funk to "Girls Dem Dada", King Yoof lays down an authentic classical dub twist on "Have You Ever" while Run Tingz alumni J Man rolls out "Holla Fi We" so smoothly you'll think your ears are covered in fine silk. And that's just the tip of the remix iceberg... Murderation!
Review: Absolute fiyah from jungle's tightest, dub-deadliest collective as they provide "The Final Answer" to the question we didn't even know we were asking. A total riddim flexing exercise, taking the classic Screechy beat, we're treated to an array of twists, versions and jams with some of the biggest voices in the game such as Demolition Man, Mason and Screechy himself. Highlights include Lionfire's brutal breaks on "Cool With The Fire", Tuff N Powa's swaggering halftime take on "Walk & Skank" and Marcus Visionary's firing jungle twist. Time to take a walk...
Review: Chopstick Dubplate is an immediately recognisable name, not just because it's original and catchy, but because their music is equally original and catchy: a rambunctious combination of ragga vocals, reggae sampling, rave soundscapes and wobbling back ends. Imagine Notting Hill Carnival in song form, and you'll get a rough idea. Saturday Night is their latest cut and it's vintage Chopstick Dubplate, with a rolling original and a jungle VIP alongside a range of dub and jungle remixes. The vocals are funky, the bass is banging and the sun is shining - rum and coke anyone?
Review: Murderation! The Chopstick fam smash out another on-point original with Daddy Freddy on the mic. With a swinging, lightly-skanked groove that's as deep as it is dangerous, Freddy has full command with soundsystem killing finesse. Remix-wise Serial Killaz add a little dancehall drama, Danny T & Tradesmen strip the elements right back to a carnival-style reggaeton hip-slinker, Selecta J-Man opts for a more timeless jungle workout while Rahmanee delivers the heaviest jam of the pack with a bass riff that's not dissimilar to a Moving Fusion banger from the late 90s. Bad to the bone.
Review: Longstanding roots collective comprising Aries, Jacky Murda and Tuffist, Chopstick Dubplate return to one of their classic riddims and work the hell out of it. Based on Mad Cobra's original "Gundelero", the previous version remained on limited 12". Now fully digital with a range of versions and remixes we're treated to the spiritual vocal uplift of Zanadu & Tuffest's blend, the wobbly-bottomed jungle jam from Margaman and a sparkling system shaking reggae jam and loads more. Shots fired.
Review: Version excursion! Chopstick Dubplate give a maximum boost to all MCs in the game with these five instrumentals. Tailored for vocalists to do their damage on and cut their own specials and dubs - but also sounding sick as instrumentals - vibes range from slinky dubwise funk ("Uber Ride") to all-out breakbeat lash-outs ("Herbs Joy"). With many flavours in between, all Chopstick riddims are considered and catered for right here... It's down to your own creative use of them to boost them ever further. Massive.
Review: The Chopstick Dubplate collective have been keeping the Jungle vibe well and alive for the best part of a decade! Chopstick in Wonderland is their first transmission of 2015 and, along with some truly fine cover art, features five cuts blessed by Cheshire Cat that will nice up any dancehall. It's vintage jungle vibes through and through, with the Gold Dubs guesting "Trodding On" a particular highlight.
Review: The bright-light, groovy aesthetic of Chopstick Dubplate is back at the start of this year, so get out your Red Stripes and don ya wavey garms because a whole load of artists aren't messing around with their remixes this one. A load of ragga-infused tunes are here for you, uplifting samples abound and suddenly it's not January - it's June, July and August and the sun is shining. This doesn't stop Aries & Jacky Murda's take on 'Soundboy Gone' from coming out the blocks in a moody way, though, and neither does it stop Mozey from attempting to knock your hat off. Chopstick Dubplate always manage to pull out the stops in a way that makes you nervously smile, this one is no different and there's other excellent tracks from Samurai Breaks ,Kleu and DJ Gaw.
Review: Black Cinderella is an all out vocal track, full of soul and emotion in each note. Sitting firmly on the reggae tip, with a low syncopated bassline, horns and dub sirens and backed by a shuffling jungle beat pattern. The Cinderella mix is simply the instrumental version of the former. The other three remixes that complete the EP fill different spaces in the spectrum. While the J-Man remix stays true to the original reggae, jungle roots, it dilutes them slightly adding a touch more dnb, which its choice of synths. The Margaman remix goes dark and techy thinning the soundscape leaving more space for echo's and drips. Kion and Jacky bring an authentic dub vibe to this track which we love, taking it right back showcasing the sub and the vocal, making it out favourite track of the EP.
Review: Riddim division: the Chopstick Dubplate crew get busy on the versions once again with four well known hooks and twist them up into something brand new. "Conversational Version" is one of the most distinctive hooks that you'll be air pianoing along to within seconds, "Confessions" takes us deeper into the dancehall with some expert bass sizzles on the breakdown while "Entertaining" swags with horn heaved bless throughout. Those with a penchant for the darker side need to jump on the junglised "Grab Yuh Gyal" before the ridiculous twanging plucks and savage amens of "Ducks" brings the curtain down. Excursions.
Review: High grade sounds! Chopstick Dubplate celebrates the fact it's been 4/20 all month this year with a selection of stick-icky celebrations. "Herbs Toast" opens the extended EP and sets the scene. The perfect complement to a nice strong cup of coffee, it flips a modern classic with a cheeky herbal vibe before things get darker and danker... Highlights include the gnarly bass moans and trippy diced vocal textures of "Herb Affi Burn", the dancefloor twist of Grimesy and Speaker Louis's dramatic remix of "Police Officer" and the bubbling feel-good finale "Respect The Ganja" where Natty Campbell lays down words of solid gold wisdom over a bouncy digidub blend that will spark up any dancefloor. Smoking.
Review: Fresh from Chopstick's talent-packed collaborative EP comes the lead track "Tonight" in Stems form. As well as the bubbling sun-slapped vocal roller as the master track you have the rich warm subs, rifle tom-heavy drum track, the sparkling reverb-heavy stabs and the full vocals all ready and predisposed for your creative mixing pleasure. Get busy tonight.
Review: Coming in with the reggae, junglist vibes this week is Chopstick Dubplate, who are releasing on their own label alongside Natty Campbell, an MC and vocalist who, if you don't know, sounds absolutely mint above a ragged jungle beat. 'Chicken Shop' is the title tune and deservedly so, featuring a bubbling, bouncing and banging bassline which sits perfectly beneath the flowing lyrical business being conducted by Campbell above. This EP stretches to seven tracks and highlights well the reputation that Chopstick Dubplate have cultivated over years in the game. Top stuff.
