Review: In his native Washington DC, Mustafa Akbar was a scene legend: the frontman for reggae band Nappy Riddem, he was also head of security at the famous Eighteenth Street Lounge and staged his own festival, Mustock, as well as recording several solo albums. Sadly, he passed away from a rare blood disease last year, aged just 61. Regular collaborators Fort Knox Five released the posthumous 'Attracted' EP by way of tribute back in March, and now here come the remixes. Funk-breaks is the dominant sound but with 15 mixes of just five tracks there's room, too, for D&B, hip-hop and heavy, headnodding dubtronica, making for a varied and enjoyable listen.
Review: Qdup returns to Fort Knox Recordings with a new single first imagined at the legendary Burning Man. During his first trip to the festival, Qdup performed a special hip-hop showcase at Funky Town, and invited MC's to rock his set. Story has it that San Francisco b-girl Awoke was one of the MC's that appeared out of the dust and blessed the mic that afternoon - which caught the ears of the crowd and inspired this collaboration. "Sonic Drop" captures the fun of that impromptu hip-hop jam in the desert.
Review: In all honesty, we're not quite clear on exactly what genre the Washington trio of Thunderball really specialise in, but we love that about their catalogue. From breaks through to jungle, disco and house, the group never leave you wanting more. This latest release, a heavily packed remix LP of their Declassified album, literally touches upon every style of dance-oriented music, which is something that perfectly encapsulates their diversity in terms of approach. You got peeps like Thievery Corporation, Boca 45, Avatars of Dub, and many others laying down the utter truth. Jazzy, disco-tinged, funked-out and capable of winning over even the most timid of dancers. Big shot moves...
Review: Thunderball, the self-proclaimed "ambassadors of style" are a Washington, DC based trio (Rob Myers, Steve Raskin and Sid Barcelona) have made a worldwide name for themselves with their own unique brand of cinematic dub. Released on Fort Knox, Cinescope is their latest long player and it features 12 sizzling new cuts with appearances from pals like Miss Johnna M, Mustafa Akbar, 'reggae shamans' See-I and even hip-hop legend Afrika Bambaataa. Highlights include the sitar-laced, Bollywood referencing opener "Road To Benares", the tough, breaky 70s funk of "Thunder In The Jungle" and retro Latin fun of the kitschy "Chicachiquita".
Review: Washington DC's Fort Knox Five released the Pressurize The Cabin LP about 18 months ago, and since then they've toured every corner of the globe, releasing many remixes along the way too. Now they've had time to collect all these reworks onto one album and it's a biggie - 20 tunes strong in fact. Some of the many highlights include All Good Funk Allianance's staccato-synth sing-along version of "Fire In My Belly", The Funk Hunters' cut-up electro version of "Whatcha Gonna Do" and the DJ Dan/Mike Balance acid-funk remix of "Keep It Poppin". Something for everyone here.
Review: Wow, what an epic remix package this is. It's impossible to feel short changed here as Fort Knox present not one, not two, no not even three, but eight remixes (including instrumentals) of the ever-popular Nappy Riddem cuts "Angle It" and "DTA". First up is DJ Wood who draws out the funky, vocal-driven element with dribbling melodies and trumpet-tooting fun. Next is K Sabroso's re-lick which is much more stripped back, with booming bass and amplified urban spoken lyrics adding a sense of menace. After this comes the Stickybuds' D&B remix of "DTA" which is full of punchy 175bpm madness; then the dub Architect remix which is all swaggering sauciness and shimmying dancefloor vibes for the duration. As if that wasn't enough, there are also instrumentals of all of the above.
Review: Nappy, or Diaper as he's not known in the US, has allowed AAA access to his album for a series of remix fix-ups due over the coming months. Will they stand up to the Bootsy-level of bodacious funkatude shown by Mr Riddem himself? It's looking promising; Fort Knox Five take the soul stirring sizzles of "Devil Needs A Bodyguard" and drive them so deep into P-funk town they eat their own A-Zs. Basement Freaks continues his purple party patch with a hip-swinging dancehall take on "Ease Up", while Omegaman gives "Shango" a shakedown, stripping it down to sultry simplicity. For even deeper vibes head straight to the rattling riddims of the Ancient Astronauts' remix of "Soundboy (Wake The Sound)" or J Boogie's deep dubby house take of "One World".
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