zero db - bongos, bleeps and basslines
love it when the title of a track gives the game away. uptempo sample madness from the due known as 'zero db'. apparently the hard working, heavy partyin' duo, chris and neil, have been remixing all and sundry over the years, hosting parties that need to be seen and heard, but this is the first time i have had the chance to hear their noise. lead track from the single (which also happens to provide the title for the forthcoming album), is a mess of jazz drums, vocal loops ('are you swinging' is looped/echoed to the point of delirium), dirty analogue synth bass lines, and more samples than a cd-r can hold. impressive head spinning stuff.
however, for me the real funk is on the flip, know what i'm sayin', which is a lot more straightforward in the head nodding hip hop sense, with words provided by spank rocks' pase rock, (not all about the usual 6th form junk that spank rock normally wear you down with thankfully), keeping the flow tight, and the low slung groove in check. the masterfully controlled collision of the mellow piano and another of those dirty synth lines (with pop queen gwen stephanie buried deep in the mix) proves that the album is going to seriously mess up our heads this summer.
good.