I have to agree with Mark on all accounts. It's a funny change from
what we are used to from IG. There's a nice jump in production
quality - No Tricks sounds excellent. I noticed that Mr. DrumnBass,
Simon at the Exchange mastered it, which is a first for a Shiki
record as far as I know. Funny details.
Of the four tracks, the two A sides are my picks. The first cut, The
Only One, is almost discomforting initially, but dissonant string
arrangement sinks back once the verse comes in. Nice ticky electro
shiki beats. Wild stuff surely. Eska really is quite a vocal acrobat.
The string stabs are used liberally and well (think That's What She
Said / Substance). Despite it's frantic nature, this is fairly
brooding material.
Para, like Mark mentioned, is the Eric Appapoulay feature cut. I do
like his vocals (as I did on Check Yourself), but I think the
songwriting needs some work :)
"Are you talkin bout me/
It IS about me/
I know you're talkin bout me/
I Don't want talkin bouuuuuut me/"
Maybe there's a reference I'm not getting, but it's a bit redundant.
I do dig that "Talkin all that broken French on the phone" line
though. Eric just kicks the track along on the Bass. Nice. There's a
little scat work (with Eska) ala Check Yourself. I will probably be
playing this cut more than any of the others on the EP. The
progression at the end of the cut is lovely. IG has a knack for
developing a great progression in a track at exactly the time when
you are wondering if you're listening to a loop.
The Third cut, Rocana Hardplace is, as far as I know, the name of his
studio (formerly The Drop Zone?). It's got a loose, CTI jam flavor,
with liberal doses of '76 Herbie style. It's pretty cool. Some will
die for it. It reminds me of the backing sound of Bembe Segue's
Amazing from last year. Must be IG's studio sound. Oddly enough, this
cut has more Neon Phusion / West London personnel than any of the
others (Danny H on Bass, Kaidi on Keys, etc). Makes me wonder if it's
an older track?
The fourth cut, Survival, feels like Why Tell Me, or older New Sector
Movements tracks, which gives the EP a little grounding. It's not
filler or anything, but I'm usually pretty worn out when I get to
this cut - I've just not listened to it properly. The vocal chorus
toward the end of the track is just beautiful (Frank McComb and
Eska). Nice nice nice.
As usual, I am ridiculously satisfied with Mr IG's work.
>... maybe shiki is just britfunk in a 21st century style
>:-)
Right on.
cheers,
.aaron shinn
on now: Prince: Around the world in a day
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