Brandy - Angel In Disguise (Fantastic Mr Fox Remix) / Erykah Badu – On & On (Pariah Remix) [ERCA Mystery Projects]

Two hotshot producers take on some seriously soulful R&B tracks and twist them into their own unique shapes. Fantastic Mr Fox comes hot off the back of the brilliant Sketches EP on Black Ache, while Pariah warms things up in anticipation for his R&S material dropping. Both of these artists are very different but share some traits: An off-kilter soulful vibe fed through bassy synth funk and deconstructed garage rhythms, it’s a sound that suits an R&B bootleg down to a tea. FMF takes on Brandy and Pariah goes for Erykah Badu.

First up FMF with a swooning bleep and bass synth workout backed with garage rhythms and ghostly fragments of Brandy vocals. Its super smooth and spaced out, taking the obscured vocal coda that goes something like, ‘I love you when it rains’ and twists it into a twisted hook. Pariah comes with so much soul it’ll make you melt. He takes the original vocals and makes a new backing full of bumping R&B drums and floating synth lines full of melody and morphs it with his own haunted off-centre hip-hop-garage sound.

Both artists make a uniquely off-centre, wistful and melancholy garage-esq take on some R&B big guns in fine style. Not only are they fun counterparts of to artist’s original work but they should also bring some serious soul to the dance floor.

Fantastic Mr Fox – Sonic Router Mix


Pariah – Sonic Router Mix


http://www.myspace.com/fmforigami

http://www.myspace.com/pariahbeats

Originally written for Sonic Router.

12”

A rummage through my record back…

Cluekid & LD – I Don’t Wanna Cry/Jupiter 9 [Bullfrog Beats]
The jungle vibes are strong on this one, emotive diva samples and Detroit techno chords play off some serious 140 jungle experiments with some soul shaking bass. Not unlike Skream’s insane ‘Burnin’ Up’ and last years ‘Monkey Style’ on Subalicious.

Geiom/Hizatron – Bubbles/Von Glooperstine [Berkane Sol]
Bag on sight white 12” business from the Notts crew. Geiom comes with a skipping techy bubbler, which sounds not unlike a robot short-circuiting to a garage pulse that switches up into a 4x4 bump. Hizatron takes us on a low-slung bleep’n’gloop tip, minimal in a techno sense but with an ear for fun.

LV ft. Errol Bellot – Don’t Judge/(Fantasic Mr Fox Remix) [2nd Drop]
Deep and rootsy excursions into dub: A-side, has lush horns, instrumentation and vocals off-setting the sparse beats and bass. FMF kick up the rhythm section and get squelchy on the bass creating some kind of garage/digidub hybrid.

Quest – Last Dayz/The Unknown [Deep Medi]
Some of my favourite anti-social tracks right here, epic slices of deep soundsystem future funk. Those breakdowns take you to another place, while the synths add the energy.

Heny.G – Area 1/Retro Love [Gangsta Boogie]
This plate has been on the cards for ages and delayed for to long, but now its hear and takes some seriously funked up dance floor kicks that bring the boogie while the soulful bass and pads bring the bliss.

Brackles – Rawkus/Air Pie [Planet Mu]
He’s been unstoppable this year and this 12” is no exception. Mad energetic twisting synths and that broken beat meets garage shuffle he’s so good at along with Shortstuff. Pure dance floor energy from the grey area that brought you future/garage/funky/dubstep/grime/electro/techno/house-U-call-it?

FaltyDL – Party/Alpafun [Ramp]
Low down garage funk with plenty of soul and the party vibes to match. Like Ghost moved to New York and started a warehouse party with a house band made of funk legends and free cocktails.

Sully – Reminder/Jackmans Rec [Frijsfo Beats]
Bumpin’ garage beats and a rude rough and ready bass pressure that sounds so dark and swung. These tracks have been a long time coming and they still kill it.