African Dope Vol. 1: Anything African must be Dope!Nov 12 '02 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line A classic. An instant five-star, seriously underground album that should be sourced and bought without hesitation. Amandla! Let's be fair here: South African music rocks. Any kind of sound made under the African sun must be pretty good. Indeed, we've got some of the most listenable, enjoyable music in the world. Kwaito, the township-bred hip-hop/reggae/soul/jazz infusion, has gone worldwide with artists like Mandoza and BongoMaffin, while the world quietly grooves to Miriam Makeba, Mango Groove and legendary jazz trumpeter and singer Hugh Masekela. But now, a new side of the South African music scene is being put forward. It exists largely in the Cape Town area. It happens at low-budget concerts, in back alley ciphers, in small studios. It's the sound of the South African hip-hop underground, and it's a sound to rival the best. At the forefront of this musical movement is label African Dope. They are the 'big' SA hip-hop label, and they carry most of the quality acts on our shores. And now, finally, they have released a long-awaited compilation album - 'African Dope Vol. 1'. TRACK LISTING 1. Rise 'n' Shine - Moodphase5ive - (Toine's Concrete Jungle Mix) 2. Paralyzer - Ghettomuffin 3. Turn the Clock - Felix Laband 4. Gangsta - Kalahari Surfers feat. Mzi 5. Rhymedrop - Moodphase5ive - (Mime's So Dark remix) 6. Paradise - Moodphase5ive - (Farmer Brian's Jungle dub) 7. Praha Paradise - Ernie 8. Isangqa - Craig Damster 9. Dig It - Kalahari Surfers 10. Wilddog - Felix Laband 11. Violation - Moodphase5ive - (Syllabic's other mix) 12. Walking Distance - Anti Hero 13. Miles - Moodphase5ive - Mime's Nite Passage remix) 14. Taako - Kalahari Surfers The album kicks off with the drum-and-bass style remix of SA hip-hop crew MoodPhase5ive's classic 'Rise and Shine'. Toine does an excellent mix, blending hip-hop into quick drum and bass effortlessly, helped by lightning-fast scratches. It's funky furious and frenetic, and a perfect way to start off a killer album In fact, Moodphase5ive dominate this album - no less than four remixes of tracks from their smash debut 'Steady On', plus one new track 'Paradise'. The remixes, done by people such as talented deck-master Mime, are all superlative, ranging from edgy ('Rhymedrop') to funky and bouncy ('Miles'). Hell, even resident liquid-voiced singer Ernie gets her own song, the sublime 'Praha Paradise.' Over sparse production and twangy chords, Ernie takes control of your eardrums with a soothing, unique voice. This track is truly a masterpiece. Dope DJ Felix Laband gets his very wierd way with tracks like the bouncy 'Turn the Clock', a perfect foil to the preceding track, where kwaito act Ghettomuffin craft a clever, sing-song style track called 'Paralyzer'. In addition, Laband gets to mix the hilarious, off-kilter joint 'Wilddog', a conceptual masterpiece. In addition, DJ duo Kalahari Surfers create the track 'Dig It' which uses a funky sample and African-style chants, while Anti-Hero does the unbelievably chilled 'Walking Distance'. The best track by far, though, is the beautiful, lush soundscape of superproducer Craig Damster's 'Isangqa', a track that I could quite happily have sex to - it's that good. The only problem with this album is that, sometimes it's just a little difficult to get into. Don't get me wrong, it's still a bloody fantastic album, one that would kick most other compilations into obscurity. It's just that, if you aren't familiar with the SA underground, music like this might take a little getting used to. You see, by it's nature, the compilation is an exacting blend of soul, hip-hop, jazz, drum and bass, funk ad infintium. Very cool, very chilled and very unique. But very different. All in all, let me give you a tip (and I am NOT employed by these dudes, to all you non-believers!) Move your a*s on over to the African Dope website and check this good sh*t out. This is an awesome compilation, an outstanding album and the best possible way to represent SA music. Ngicele uthenga leli-Album, manje! www.africandope.co.za PS: African Dope Vol. 2: The Cape of Good Dope, just released. Review coming as soon as I have enough cash to get hold of it! peace  |
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