Faithless: Reverence Cheeky, CHEKCD500 (52 mins)
Dial-a-disc: 1201
The first dance Disc Drive of 1997 takes you back to 1996 for a quick one, on to the US to assess the current state of life in the Dogg house and finally to France for yet another taste of the funk. The re issue of Reverence is an opportunity to savour once again that magnetic Faithless allure. On the face of it, banging house duo Sister Bliss and Rollo are not the first to come to mind when you think of a new Blue Lines or Screamadelica. Yet this gorgeous confection of house, hiphop, jazz, gospel, funk, soul (lots of soul actually), classical and blues is one of the freestyle albums of the decade.
As with Massive Attack and Horace Andy/Tracey Thorn/Nicolette, the duo have a sublime taste in collaborators. Maxi Jazz's smoky raps and Jamie Catto's rough house swagger are perfect balances for the Faithless template, allowing organic touches to work in sweet harmony with the usual brands of electronica. Away from the sweeping house of Insomnia and Salva, Mea, there are sadcore slow motion torch songs like Angeline and Don't Leave, the wicked dubby bushfire of the title track and the cheeky Baseball Cap to get cosy with. A quality item.
Snoop Doggy Dogg: Tha Doggfather Death Row, INTD-90038 (74 mins) Dial-a-disc: 1311
Various Artists: Dr Dre Presents The Aftermath
Aftermath, INTD-90044 (71 mins)
Dial-a-disc: 1421
The tragic death of Tupac Shakur may have resulted in his posthumous Makaveli album topping the US charts but it also had a cathartic effect on other hip hop crews. The influential Dr Dre, left, Death Row for the Aftermath imprint leaving the Don King of the rap world, Suge Knight, as the Death Row big kahoona. Good news then for Knight with Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tupac's back catalogue to flog, but Dre's credentials (NWA, The Chronic, that sexy Blackstreet single Nodiggity) are such that he can never be underestimated.
After all, Dre was responsible for much of the sheen and shine of Doggystyle, Snoop's first multi platinum album. The trademark lazy vocals and drowsy raps are still in effect on The Doggfather but there's little excitement and even less innovation. With his Dogg Pound buddies taking care of production, Snoop's list of desires, asides and observations have not changed. Aside from the rather slack Snoop's Upside Ya Head, there's nothing here to give Rza and the Wu Tang Clan sleepless nights. A requiem for gangsta rap.
On the other hand, Dre's brand of new school G funk ensures that, The Aftermath is both confident and innovative. A compilation of new talent unearthed by Dre, it's safe to assume that he's not missing Snoop. From the lush swigbeat of Hands On and the suave Kim Summerson to the "poppy rap" of Miscellaneous and the more conventional tones of RBX, the Aftermath roster is an exciting prospect. Dre's own track, Been There Done That, is possibly the pick of the bunch, a sweet reminder that he can still give good rhyme.
Motorbass: Pansoul
Different, DF001CD (72 mins)
Dial-a-disc: 1531
If 1996 was the year the French came out to party, there's little sign of a lull in terms of Gallic vinyl cool coming our way. Aside from the twisted trance of Emmanuel Top and Daft Punk's shining mutant funk (their astounding debut album Homework comes highly recommended), the Motorbass brand of deep and dubby house is another January delight. The creation of Philippe Zoar and Etienne De Crecy (also to be found amidst the credits on La Funk Mob activities), Pansoul is a soundtrack for all manner of moods. As with much of the Nuphonic or Paper catalogues, there are plenty of thrills available for perusal on or off the dancefloor: Neptune, for example, is a gorgeous urban symphony, what early hours neon would sound like if hooked up to an amplifier. Away from this, Flying Fingers is a far more traditional house groove yet avoids the formulae which inhibit the vast majority of commercial releases to show off some subtle skills. The year of the French looks set to continue.
