"Exactly. Since "Sound of the Pirates"... pfft. Well, not quite pfft,
he's done the odd good tune, but.... What was cool about SoP
was all the different flavors rubbing together, and he seems to
have abandoned that."
I still think he's making great tunes though! His remixes of 2
Banks Of Four's "Hook & A Line" and El-B's "Serious" and his
own "Ring The Alarm" are three tracks in particular that stand out
in my mind as having an almost unbeatable understanding of all
that is good about 2-step groovewise. The syncopated
fluctuations of his rhythms have such a perfect inevitability to
them, like a game of Mouse Trap where every element sets off
the next one in succession. And all three have a surfeit of flavour
too - dramatic diva-action, rough MCing and gorgeous reggae/
ragga dynamics respectively.
If I was looking for a jungle comparison, I'd say he's very much
Dillinja circa "The Angels Fell" (which is about as high praise as
I can give), or indeed "Rroll Da Beats"! (jess yes if I was going to
choose a jungle track that reminds me of the best garage stuff
01-02 that's the exact right choice)
― Tim, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link